If I averaged out how much I write and how much I get published it would look like an iceberg – the tiny tip is what turns into a real book. Under water there are reams and reams of badly written, truly cringe provoking prose, pages of wandering off in the wrong direction.  This is especially true when I’m writing fiction. Two and a half years ago I went back to a novel that I’ve attempted to write twice in the past.  The first two attempts were totally different from each other and this third one is really different, but the core of the novel, the central mystery, has stayed the same and I haven’t been able to give up on it.

So what am I learning this third time around?  For one thing, like real estate, for my book it’s location. I finally found the right town and state for my story to take place in, and this location turns out to be crucial to plot and character.  I finally figured out what the theme of the novel is, and who my main character is. And as I write it I’m discovering my own plot – but only by writing it  (when often my inclination is to throw up my hands and think there’s no way out of this maze I’ve created.)  Writing fiction feels to me (most of the time) like chaos. A huge mess that I can’t see my way out of. But then one morning I’ll write one scene that surprises me, I can see my characters and hear them, and I think, yeah, this is worth it. 

But this is the thing to remember: you can only write a book (an essay, a short story, a poem) by being willing to write badly. To slog through days when you don’t have a clue to what you’re doing.  This sounds so obvious and simple but it isn’t. I write it down in my writing journal regularly to remind myself.

You also need community when you’re writing – other writers who understand what you’re going through, whether in a workshop or with people you find online. Part of my writing community, Billy Mernit and Jennie Nash, have each been working on novels for about four years – (I read the early drafts of each, and they’ve read mine) – and last month they both sold their novels to New York publishers.  I know how hard they both worked, the obstacles and disappointments early on, and their success now is encouraging to all of us trying to get a novel written and sold. Both Billy and Jennie have published successful non-fiction (Billy wrote Writing the Romantic Comedy, and Jennie The Victoria’s Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming, among other books) but these are their first novels. Check out their websites: www.jennienash.com and www.billymernit.com (also Billy’s terrific blog: www.livingromcom.typepad.com ) 

Let us know some of your experiences with your own writer’s iceberg. And also check out the Comments below. It’s a way to start your own writing community if you don’t already have one.