Finishing your novel and feeling unsure about it

Last week, I finished writing another novel. Yay! I feel really good about this one. It’s definitely my strongest work and I felt sure I would pursue it for publishing.

Now, I’m not so sure…

Debut considerations

Even though I have self-published three books in my early twenties, this next book will be my official debut through traditional publishing. It’ll be the one I’m known for. And while a debut doesn’t need to be your best work (it’s most likely not going to be, as we should all aim to only get better and better), it still feels important to consider what your first novel is going to be.

Do I want to put out the first in a series or a standalone?

Do I want to tackle heavy themes from the get-go or something lighter and less pressure?

Who do I want to be as an author and so what message will my debut book say about me and my work?

A lot of pressure there! And I know a lot of people would say I shouldn’t stress over these details. That they may not matter. And that’s true. But also, they could matter and they aren’t to be ignored. There’s expectations and professional considerations here in terms of a debut, especially if it’s part of a series. You will be expected, of course, to continue putting out high quality books in that series. Or, if it’s a certain genre, publishers may expect more of the same so it’s easier to sell your work to a specific audience.

Not like other novels?

There are no 100% original ideas anymore. Nearly everything has been done in one form or another. You may do it in a new way that’s exciting and original, but the general idea or themes will have been done before.

However, if your novel is TOO similar to another (especially popular or acclaimed books), you have to be ready for your novel to be constantly compared to it.

My novel is similar in themes and the magic system to one popular novel that was released last year. I haven’t read it yet, but I do have it on kindle (I aim to read it asap so I can compare our novels myself!). It’s also similar to the story my best friend is writing. Vastly different, but some similar ideas in there.

This can be a big deal. Do I want this comparison? Do I want to try and publish a novel so similar in theme and magic to another well-known novel that’s been recently published? Will publishers turn me away specifically because it’s “been done already”? Or could this be to my favour, where people seek more books like that one and so they would like mine?

Of course, by the time I get an agent, edit the novel with them, get a publisher, edit with them, and publish, it will be years after the publication of that other book anyway. However, like I said, if it’s so popular, people will remember it!

Shiny new idea syndrome

It’s easy when you finish a novel to write THE END and then think “right, what’s next?” I sort of felt this way. In the week and a bit since I finished this novel, I have outlined and dove deep into another story idea! I feel I could write this other book in another world really soon.

I am waiting 3 months (at least) before editing the novel I finished this summer. Abbie Emmons (an author and youtuber I recommend you watch) suggests this to help be objective about your work when editing. Makes sense. And so, I have time to write something else before deciding how I feel about that one, without feeling guilty.

However, shiny new ideas can steal our attention. They distract us from the task of either finishing what we started or in my case, improving what I have already.

Themes could be handled better

A big one that is concerning me at the moment is that my book is based on real social and historical issues of our world. Colonisation, damaging cultures and erasing language. Heavy stuff! I’m now asking myself a few things.

Am I the right person to tell this kind of story?

Have I handled such serious and difficult issues correctly?

Could I tackle or explore these issues in a better way?

Is it too surface level and not deep enough?

When exploring heavy themes, it’s important to ask yourself why you want to tackle them in your novel. “It’s cool!” isn’t really a good enough reason for difficult themes that will get people thinking critically about our world and maybe their own lives, too.

It’s also important to ask yourself if you’re doing it well enough to do it justice. Surface level references or poor and ignorant handling of topics can be damaging. And even if, like me, it’s set in a fantasy world, people will (and rightly so) liken it to our world and have something to say about it.

That’s scary!

It can be daunting to have such a task on our hands and that’s why it’s important for me to ask myself if I really can do this well and if I even should. To ask why I want to do this in the first place. Is it authentic? Am I willing to do the research to educate myself? Can I back up my choices and justify what I’ve written? Am I willing to be grilled about the content of the story by readers who are intrigued or concerned by the subject matter?

Perfectionism

This is key, too. Some of us never put our work out into the world because we’re too worried about getting it perfect. Many people could read the novel I’ve written (even before I edit it to make it better) and think it’s good work. But I could look at it and edit it time and again and still never feel it’s good enough to pursue publishing. This is perfectionism. It’s paralysing and gets in the way of sharing our art with the world.

It’s crucial to bear this in mind to ensure I am not self-sabotaging by not pursuing the publication of this novel purely because I’m scared.

Professionalism

Lastly, the other concern I have is whether my work is good enough! Simple and common. I don’t mean am I a good writer (because that’s subjective). I mean is it to a professional standard? Is is structured well enough? Do the characters develop enough? Are all the characters needed? Did I flip between places too much? Does it make sense?

All this can be fixed in revisions and editing. I haven’t done that yet so it’s not an issue. However, getting my story to a standard that’s professional is worrying for me. What if I can’t? What if my vision for how good this story can be isn’t something I’m capable of delivering?

This is all to say that finishing your novel is great and a lovely achievement – especially if it’s your first time. However, it doesn’t come with just sunshine and rainbows. There’s still a lot to consider before the story becomes a book. I am in that place right now.

I don’t want to put pressure or deadlines on myself at the moment, and so all I can do for now is write the next story and then read through and note any concerns or editing that the novel from this summer needs. Either way, I am so proud of myself for finishing another novel. Sadly, not all of our work will be up to scratch. Sometimes we will write things that were good, but not worth publication (for whatever reason). Or they just weren’t right in the end. At the very least, this book has been fun to write and helped me improve as a storyteller. I will be better for having written it. If I rewrite in another direction, this time wasn’t wasted. It helped me get to the point where the novel feels right in the end. And that’s all that matters.

Sincerely,

S. xx