So You Want to Become an Author: Part 1- Know What You're Getting Yourself Into

So for those of you who don't know, I wrote a novel. Well, to be honest, I can't say I'm 100% done, since I'm still in the final editing phase. So I guess I wrote 90% of a novel?

When I first started I was clueless on how time consuming and daunting writing a novel truly is. I went into it knowing it'd be hard, but I could never guess how hard it really is. That said, I'm so glad I wrote it, because I learned so much about writing, storytelling, and myself. And I thought I'd share what I learned with you guys This is for everyone who one day wants to take the plunge and become a published author. Even if you don't want to write a novel, these lessons will help with writing stories of any size. Note: These are just my opinions and what I've learned from my journey. You may have a different journey with different lessons, but hopefully this gives you an idea of how the process is.

A few things I want to say before I start:

1. If you want to write a novel, be prepared to spend a lot of hours at it. The time will vary for each person. When I first started I'd spend 4 hours a day writing. I later had to cut it down to 2-3 hours a day, but there were still many days where I did 4 hours of writing. There were even days when I went up to 6 hours or more. And this is after I had to go to pharmacy class, intern, do homework, study, and have some sort of social life. With this schedule I got to 90% done after 15 months of writing.

2. Editing is king. Your first draft will probably suck. Your second draft might still suck. Even professional authors who've written for decades write first drafts that are trash, and that's okay. Editing is where the magic happens. I thought I'd be the exception and my first draft would be publishable, but I was sooooo wrong. Be prepared to rewrite and replan multiple times, especially if you're a new writer. This is where most of the time is spent. And if you think you edit a lot for Fimfiction, be prepared to edit 10x that amount. I completed my first draft (90,000 words) in just two and a half months and thought I was done. I've never been so wrong.

3. You will get better. You'll be surprised how good you can get. I was depressed whenever I read my first three drafts, but whenever I read my current draft I fall in love because I can see the results of my hard work on the screen. There are no bad writers, just bad editors. If you think you're a bad writer and are not proud of your Fimfiction stories, edit them a few more times with professional help and you'll be amazed at how good they get.

4. Prereaders/ Beta-readers are priceless. The best (and free) way to edit is to get many people to read and critique your drafts as possible. You can pay for this or read other people's work in exchange PLEASE PLEASE PICK THE SECOND OPTION. Why? One, because it's free, and two, because reading and critiquing other people's work will help you see your own mistakes much better. Consider it training.

That's all for now. Next time I'll start with step 1 in writing a novel: Crafting a good enough story idea.