Viability

The decision to share about important things

Hello, and happy Sunday.

I want to let you know that I’m writing a novel. I am plugging away each day.

This is the furthest I’ve gotten in my attempts at long-form fiction so far. The idea emerged several years ago. I outlined and sketched and tried to begin but couldn’t. I wasn’t ready.

This time feels different. I have more resources. I have thicker skin.

This time, I’ve been telling people about it. I’ve been telling people that I’m writing a novel. Not that I want or plan to write it. But that I’m in the actual process of writing it, right now.

After I mentioned this to my friend Dan, he voiced a thought I’ve had recently. He asked if telling people that you’re writing a novel is the same as telling people you’re pregnant. If there’s a sense of superstition around sharing something before it’s at a viable stage.

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Summer Brennan

recently posted about her guidelines for when a book seems viable. For her, the 20,000 word mark is when she’s hit gold.

In the world of National Novel Writing Month (#NaNoWriMo, as they say), 50k is the goal. NaNoWriMo participants are currently writing each day with the hope of ending the month having produced 50,000 words worth of a book.

The internet tells me that an average novel contains around 80,000 words. By those metrics, the proverbial second trimester would start at around 27,000 words.

I am chugging along with no sign of stopping. But I’m not yet at 27,000 words. Does that mean it’s too early to share?

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There are many reasons why analogizing writing a novel with carrying a pregnancy to term is wrong. I am reminded of an excellent piece by

Anna Fusco

on this topic.

My Dream is Not a Baby

Anna writes that she finds it curious how people have tried to call her new project a “baby,” or her early stages of developing her ideas as a “birthing process.” She says that “the low-hanging fruit of our language makes it innocent, almost benign, to try and make a mother out of me. It’s as if to suggest that a woman’s dreams always lead to motherhood, and if they don’t, perhaps her chosen path can be bent or distorted towards it somehow.”

I am writing a book, not making a baby. But I suppose the point Dan was trying to make concerns the delicacy of choosing what, with whom, and when we feel comfortable sharing about things that are important to us.

My novel is important to me. Perhaps one of the most important things right now. I am protective of its nascent form.

But there is a difference between telling you that I’m writing a novel and telling you anything about said novel’s plot, ideas, or challenges. There is a difference between opening myself up to unsolicited advice or criticism and inviting an understanding of where my priorities and time currently lie.

By sharing about this project’s existence, I’m creating accountability. I signed up for the Anchorage National Novel Writing Month discord channel. I signed up for

Marlee Grace

‘s Flexible Office online coworking space. And I signed up to volunteer at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP)’s conference in February 2024.

I take comfort in updating my daily word count on the NaNoWriMo website. I take comfort in my friends and family asking about my progress. I take comfort in setting a goal of having a draft by the time I arrive at the AWP conference.

I am not interested in telling you what my book is about. Instead, I simply want you to know that I’m working on it. I want you to know that I’ve made a commitment and voiced it out loud in the hopes that my intentions will keep me moving forward even when the writing gets rough.

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At the end of the Netflix movie Nyad, which my grandmother and I watched last week, Annette Bening’s character reminds her fans that endurance swimming is not an entirely solitary sport. She has a team of people (including Jodie Foster, better than ever) without whom she wouldn’t be able to accomplish her goals.

This borderline-cringe motivational speak is exactly what I need to keep going. I, too, need support. I need the Flexible Office coworking space where, from 7-9am on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I sit in silence on a Zoom call with 80 other people and type away at my document. I need the NaNoWriMo website and discussion groups where I update my word counts and share my challenges and triumphs. And I need the other writers on Substack who discuss what it’s like to work on long-form projects.

Sharing that I’m writing a novel doesn’t feel brash, risky, or premature. Sharing that I’m writing a novel might just keep me writing the novel, even when it all gets to be too much. Even when I want to stop.

Endurance writing is not an entirely solitary sport, at least not for me. I am buoyed by others who are out there swimming against the current and finding the pace that works for them. My dream is that we can all, in however many weeks or months or years, meet and embrace on the shore.¹

Just chugging along. Symi, Greece, September 2023.

AMA: First-time novel writer

While I’m in the midst of it, I’d like to answer questions you might have about writing a novel for the first time. (H/t to

Jenna Park

for the idea of including more interactive features.) Below is a link to a google form where I invite you to ask about my experience.

The form will record your responses anonymously. As always, you can also reply to this email directly or leave a public comment using the button below.

Ask Me Anything - Novel Writing

This is all new to me! No question is too weird or dumb or small. I look forward to hearing from you.

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In closing, I want to belatedly call back to last month’s post about depression. I shared what felt right at the time and had no expectations for your responses. But I was blown away by your support and by how many of you have faced similar struggles. It truly gave me life.

I am doing much, much better. Thank you again for your words.

With love,

Julia

1. Maybe at the AWP conference…? Let me know if you’re going!