July 24 - Word Count 34,103
Wow, it has been a long time since I have worked on the novel. Various reasons: work, wedding, Harry Potter reading, procrastination. However, I finally did some writing tonight. So, now I am up to 34,103 total words. I’m probably supposed to be somewhere around 50,000 now, but I’m just going to ignore that fact.
Speaking of the new and final Harry Potter book, which is amazing, I have to comment on what this has done to me in regards to my writing. It has made me painfully aware that my writing is lacking. And unlike before, when I just knew that some of my writing was bad and the only way I could explain it was by calling it bad, I now know some particulars that need improvement. Or rather, that I would like to improve. It honestly may mean that I scratch this entire novel upon completion because it does not measure up, in any shape or fashion, to the kind of story I would like to tell. My simple, silly, little story seems pathetic next to the kind of work created by J.K. Rowling.
She created an engaging, well thought-out, detailed series that not only told the emotionally captivating story of a teenager coming of age, but also addressed social and political issues while spinning an intriguing tale of both mystery and fantasy.
I see all of this, and it makes me want to better myself. A couple of months ago, I told someone that I did not care if I wrote something brilliant. I was just going to write a silly story. But now, I want to write something more meaningful. I want to write something that addresses, in my own way, issues that are important to me. Issues that I am passionate about. I want my story to be more than it is.
No matter if this story can become that or not, I will finish this novel. And then I will begin again, with a new idea, and keep at it until I have a work of art I can be proud of.
Filed under: writing
Remember that even the best writers sometimes write books they would rather not remember later in their careers. The best practice for writing is writing. It’s possible you are too far into this novel to shoehorn in the overarching themes and the message you would like. The world needs fun, silly stories too. Keep up the good work on this one, keep it as a learning experience and do as much with it as you can.