Is it difficult to write a novel? Not to those who love writing. Is it difficult to write a GOOD novel? Hell, yes.

I recently took a novel workshop class (best move I ever made other than marrying Andy.) There were a handful of students in the class and we read each other's novels or parts of novels and critiqued the pages. The feedback I received was incredibly helpful. I am now re-writing at least the first 100 pages of my novel.

I spoke with a friend yesterday and she was amazed at how much work it takes to write a book. She, among others, have congratulated me on completing a novel, even if it's not yet published. I hesitate to accept the compliment because I don't feel like the process is burdensome in the slightest. In fact, it's so much fun that I'd rather write than do just about anything else. I rush through my day and skip social engagements in order to have more time to write. Other than for a small percentage of authors, there's little monetary pay-off in writing, so if you don't love the process, there's no point in writing. It's a labor of love.

Everyone's writing process is a little different. It was interesting to witness the different processes each of the five students in my novel workshop had. One man had only two chapters written but had the whole novel outlined. Each chapter was pre-planned with at least eight points he had to cover. His outline was so detailed that he could write the chapters out of order. (The closest thing I had to an outline was the basic plot jotted down on a napkin.) Another student whose novel was not yet complete, had a lot of focus on subtext (subtle symbolism) and sound. Her words were chosen carefully and spilled on the pages with poetic assonance. She had notes typed to herself throughout the partial text. These notes revealed lists of possible words extracted from the dictionary. Those notes of hers showed me that the luscious wording she chose didn't just spill forth naturally; her wording was researched and carefully selected.

My process was to write the first draft as fast as I could then go back and revise, revise, revise. The revising is fun because with each revision I see improvement and this gives me instant gratification. Who doesn't love instant gratification?

The process of sculpting is equally fun for me. Yes, the final product is nice to look at, but getting there is the greater joy and challenge. Starting with a lump of clay then transforming the lump one pinch, scrape or swipe at a time into the vision I had for the sculpture is the real satisfaction. Bottom line - it is process I love.