Novel Awakening

My current novel progress is going slowly but surely. I actually like revision. I hate the draft part. Facing a blank page is hard for me because I’m the queen of procrastination and a member of the ADHD club. I have all of these ideas and scenes in my head but when it comes down to putting it on the computer screen or paper, I just draw a blank. It’s agonizing sometimes.

My current novel is YA with paranormal elements—which do NOT include vampires (I get this a lot—”Are you writing about vampires?” “No, I’m not writing about Edward Cullen. Sorry”).

The paranormal element is what has been giving me the most trouble. There is no such thing as a “new” idea but at least I wanted the my character’s paranormal gift to be something that hasn’t been done to death already. It’s taken some tweaking, but I think I have it. Finally.

This novel has had many incarnations. This is my fourth major rewrite. It can be heartbreaking when you think you’re done only to realize that you’re not. But now, I feel I’ve found the heart of this novel. When characters speak to me in the middle of the night—that’s always a great sign of a novel awakening.

So, this novel’s past lives have been worth it. I have learned a LOT. It wasn’t total failure. I’m going to try to think of this as progress. Maybe I should start thinking like Thomas Edison. I didn’t fail three times, I just wrote three novel revisions that didn’t work.