Yes, I spent fourteen weeks writing a novel, plus time spent doing a first edit, and now time spent tidying things up after beta readers provided some feedback. I’m starting to list agencies I plan to submit to (which is to say basically every legit agency in the English speaking word who’ll look at upmarket fiction.)
I can say without a hint of exaggeration that this was the most intellectually exhausting thing I’ve ever done. University wasn’t this hard. But now I can say I wrote a book.
My goals are modest:
Write a novel (done)
Hold, in my hands, and actual proper copy of the novel - e.g. it’s bound, professionally covered and edited, and has an ISBN number. If I end up having to self publish on Amazon, fine.
Sell at least one (1) copy to a person I do not know.
I would agree with your take on it being outrageously difficult. The only thing I have ever experienced that can compare is parenting. In many cases, though, it’s a matter of overcoming self-doubt and despair just as much as doing the concrete revisions. If I could have subtracted all the drama, I probably would have finished a lot faster.
There are multiple Dopers who’ve written books, and I’ve bought them and legitimately am a fan now. (A couple of them have posted in this thread). I’m interested in checking out yours!
I really enjoyed the story. I should point out that I knew how it ended. I already had all the major beats in my head.
You understand, that’s FIRST DRAFT, not fully edited. First edit didn’t take long tho. It’s not a very plotty book. I needed to make a few developmental changes, but it wasn’t hard.
It’s out to beta readers now. Three have gotten back to me.
As to this, the plan is to make every effort to be traditionally published, so that takes… a long time. Agency response rates range from “a few weeks” to “six months” and if you send out evidence of a genuinely terrific novel, most of them will still say no. It’s a numbers game.
Only after I have exhausted every literary agent in Canada, the USA, and the UK that I can query - at least, and I may dig into Australia - will I go with Kindle self-publishing.
Oh yeah, that never happens for me. I’m still trying to figure out my next one, which basically consists of writing some random scenes, thinking about it, writing some more random scenes, writing half a book, getting hopelessly stuck… anyway it won’t take me 11 years because 11 years ago I had no idea what I was doing, but now I do. Before I commit to the next novel I need to at least see the overall structure in my head.
I wasn’t going to trad publish but I have a trad published friend who has read it and swears the time is right for this story, so… we’ll see.
I thought of something else; I don’t just work on one thing.
In between writing novel parts, I also write my short stories. If I’m stuck on the novel, off to a story. If that story gets stuck, I move on to another one.
