It begins

By Dan Powell

Those of you who have read my about page will know I am studying for an MA in Creative Writing. The main part of my assessed work will be a completed novel. I write one or I fail.

Well, started yesterday. 553 words typed into Scrivener after a week of sorting out my first lot of research notes. I’ve been documenting the process in the rather brilliant Day One journal app. Decided on a digital journal as it mean one less notebook to carry around (already have my pocket notes, my Moleskine week-to-a-page/notebook combo and a Conceptum notebook dedicated to research notes and scraps and jottings for the novel) plus I can add links to research and (once they update it) photos and such. So far I’ve been good, taking five minutes at the end of each day to update the journal. Already, looking back it shows the baby steps I have taken.

In the coming weeks and months I plan to share little bits of info about the book as well as stuff I discover along the way about the process, or at least my process, of writing a novel, or at least this novel.

Of now to get to work. Things to be done:

complete 4,000 words of novel for submission to my MA group
research the mathematics of impact, body trauma from non-fatal injuries, and how buildings are demolished (all cheerful stuff)

So, as you can see, still in the very early stages. Exciting and daunting at the same time. This video, with its rather apt car metaphor in the opening, probably best explains how I am feeling. Got a long way to go and won’t know just how far till I get to the end. 10 miles to go, on a 9 mile road, but I don’t care:

Here’s hoping the whole thing turns out as brilliant as it feels in my head. But as Jim White says so eloquently:

‘There ain’t no guarantees,

None of that nonsense like on TV

Just gotta role the dice

And take your lumps’

I’m off to write.

Published on January 31, 2012

8 Responses to It begins

Jo Carroll January 31, 2012

Am with you every single step of the way, Dan. And yes, I’m also keeping a journal documenting the process.
- Dan Powell January 31, 2012
  
  I wonder how many of us are keeping journals. Probably a good few. Hope your work is progressing as you want it to.
Iain Broome January 31, 2012

Best of luck. Be excited and try and enjoy it as much as you possibly can. It’s worth the pain.
- Dan Powell January 31, 2012
  
  Cheers Iain, thanks for the pep.
Neil Baker January 31, 2012

Really looking forward to following you through the process, Dan. What’s your starting point? Have you got a detailed outline, the nub of an idea, or are you just winging it?
- Dan Powell January 31, 2012
  
  Glad to have you along for the ride, Neil. I have an idea for a structure but it’s fairly fluid at this stage. There’s a central, pivotal act that provides the impetus for everything else in the story, that moment is set in stone, but everything else around it, characters and what they will do, where they will go is up for grabs. Going to see where it takes me.
rolhirst February 6, 2012

Best of luck, Dan. I’ve thought about doing an MA in Creative Writing myself… once I’ve finished the PGCE. So I’ll be interested to hear how you get on.
- Dan Powell February 7, 2012
  
  Cheers mate. So far it’s been really instructive, picking up a lot of craft knowledge very quickly. I sub my first lot of writing for the group to critique next week so I’ll let you know how that goes.