If are a writer, odds are you have a novel in the drawer (or buried deep in your computer drive). It would be surprising if you didn’t.

The Novel in the Drawer

You might put a novel in the drawer for any number of reasons. Maybe you never finished your manuscript. You ran out of ideas or never quite found the time to follow the story through to the end. Maybe you did finish but you never got around to editing. Then again, maybe you did finish it, you did edit it, you even rewrote it, but you realized that no matter what you did the story wasn’t working. Worse, you think you’ve written the greatest story ever told but you cannot find a publisher. Sometimes, it is simply time to move on to something else. That may even include self-publishing.

Regardless of the reason, many writers have a novel in the drawer. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it is something to be quite proud of! It means at least you stepped up to the plate and gave novel writing a try.

A Little Breathing Space

Sometimes you put a novel in the drawer with every intention of getting back to it.

Stephen King actually recommends taking a breather when you finish a manuscript. In On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, he says “When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.” He goes on to say, “With six weeks’ worth of recuperation time, you’ll also be able to see any glaring holes in the plot or character development. And listen— if you spot a few of these big holes, you are forbidden to feel depressed about them or to beat up on yourself. Screw-ups happen to the best of us.”

I agree that a little breathing space can be what you need to get perspective on your work. Unfortunately, that space can stretch into an all-out canyon. The longer you wait the wider the gap between starting your work and finishing it. It can seem impossible to cross. Whether writers abandon their novel in the drawer because they forget about it or other projects sidetrack them along the way, more likely than not they’ve talked themselves into thinking what they’ve written is not worth chasing anyway. It is the ultimate writer’s block.

A Stepping Stone

To be honest, the first novel you write is unlikely to be a big hit. Very rarely do they get published, at least traditionally, and when they do they are not always bestsellers. Not everyone can have a debut novel like Stephen King’s Carrie. Then again, Carrie was not really Stephen King’s first outing. He had been writing and publishing short stories for years.

My point is this — the first novel is a rite of passage. Writing a full-length manuscript takes effort. Each word you put down on the page is its own lesson. You learn about story and flow. You develop grit and stick-to-it-ness, learning what works for you and what doesn’t. Like anything else in life, you get better by doing. You are a better writer for having written.

If you get it right the first time around, good for you! In reality, it takes time to learn the craft. There may be second, third, and fourth novels in drawers too. Be patient. A novel in the drawer shows that you are on your way.

Don’t believe me? Go ahead and take a look for yourself. That’s right. Blow the dust bunnies off your novel in the drawer. Give it a read, if not for the nostalgia, then to see how far your writing has come over the years. Whether you choose to put the novel back in the drawer or are inspired to edit or rewrite it, know that book helped to make you the writer you are today. It was well worth your time.