I still recall the sense of accomplishment when I completed my first honest-to-goodness novel. It was about 40,000 words (no WAR AND PEACE).
I allowed a few people to read it. They were friends, so they wanted to be kind. I think the most encouragement I received was, "Well, now that you have that first one done, you should try to write another one."
I found that first novel stuffed in a drawer years later. I started to read it and couldn't get past the first few pages before realizing what a piece of @%&$ it was. Valuable lesson learned.
Not counting the manuscript that ended up in a drawer (it was disposed of in the trash eventually), I'm currently working on my eighth novel. Six of those are part of my Brad Frame series, and the other two are standalone novels - like the one I'm working on now. I've had the blessing to be part of a couple of critiques groups over the years. Each person who reads and comments seems to have a different take on the material. As a result, I now find that as I write I'm examining each sentence the way members of my critique groups might look at them.
The process of continuing to write and listen to feedback from critique groups has made me both a better writer and and pickier one.
Ultimately, it is the judgement of the readers who will determine my success. I hear from those who have read my books and tell me that they are going to try and get their book club to read one of my books. That's great. I found it curious to read a recent review of FINAL JUROR in which the person noted that I was trying very hard to achieve the style of _____ (and she named a specific writer). Except I've never read anything by that person, so I certainly wasn't aiming to match their style.
Any fellow writers care to comment on whether they have also found writing to be more difficult the more they write? Please feel free to share your comments..
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