I confess, writing a novel in a month is not something I could do. My novels take a lot longer to write and I don’t like to feel rushed. Some writers thrive on having the pressure of a deadline, but I prefer to have space and time to let the words flow.
I can see the benefits of the ‘full immersion’ approach to novel-writing: to be lost in your own story world without too many interruptions from the real world is an intoxicating, alluring thought. But the ‘lost’ part concerns me. Would my writing be sufficiently grounded and considered? Would I indulge in flights of fantasy that took the story off-course? Would I burn out during this writing frenzy and end up feeling exhausted and jaded?
For me, writing is a marathon, not a race, and so I pace myself in my writing. I schedule my day to allow time for focused writing, but so much more besides. I edit the words I wrote the day before. I revisit my plan and check whether it needs to be tweaked. I carry out any additional research that is required. I listen to music that inspires me.
In between writing sessions, I take time out: going for a walk along the beach, shopping in the local village, tending to my garden, cooking up a storm. This time is just as valuable to me as the time I spend typing words; it’s this time that fuels the next writing session. My imagination roams and my characters speak to me. When I return to my desk, I am eager to continue the story.
After my last writing session of the day, I rest completely until the next day. If my characters speak in the evening, I gently shush them. Every writer needs to stop writing, stop even thinking of writing, and walk away from the story world. This rest time is not only essential for recharging the batteries, but it serves to remind the writer that there is a whole world out there away from the fantasy world, and it’s an important world in which they are needed. We writers can’t lose touch with reality or neglect our other roles in life.
I have been writing in this way for almost a decade now, since I wrote my debut novel, Burning Embers. Had I pushed harder, wrote faster, let my fiction take over my life – well, then I don’t know that I would be here, currently writing my eighth novel (set in Egypt, in case you’re wondering) and, crucially, still enjoying the process.
The Chinese have a proverb: ‘Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still’. It strikes me that in our modern times there is such a sense of urgency, and perhaps this fear of going slowly is felt by authors in their endeavours. In fact, though, must the novel be written in a month, or two, or six, or even twelve? All that actually matters is that the author writes the novel that they need to write (‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ – Toni Morrison).
Confucius said, ‘It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.’ It has been a delight to write eight novels in my own way, and I intend to continue writing – at my own pace.