Out of the Loop

Can writers actually write a novel quickly? How is that done? Is it a good novel? 

The novella that I'm turning into a novel was written in a couple of months, which is fine, normal for a novella. But oh boy, once I got the wild idea of expanding it into a full-length novel, well, lets' see...I've probably been at it for at least six months and I'm still agonizing over the final scene. Then I'll need to go back and completely revise the "novella" part, which will be another few months of writing. And all that together will only comprise the first draft.

Is it me? Am I preternaturally slow? I don't feel like I am, but yes, I do think about what I'm going to write next. Do other writers not think? I'm not just imagining the "quick novel" ~ I see lots of posts from writers who've done it. I'd love to read previews of their books, but Reddit doesn't allow self-promotion, so their quality or lack thereof will remain a mystery to me. 

All that said, this writing process has taken me out of the publishing loop. I don't have time to worry about book sales or reviews (as if I had any new ones). I feel isolated. My big publishing push was probably in 2022, but I published a few last year and even this year; yet those novellas feel really old to me now. I can barely see them in my rearview mirror. It feels like I've taken a long sabbatical, except no one but me has noticed. If I ever was on any reader's radar, I'm sure not anymore. 

It's not that I would do very many publishing-related activities even if I wasn't writing, but now my novellas are so old, promoting them, even with a simple blog post, would be fruitless. I could buy a cheap promo for one, but that would only lead to disappointment. Yet I don't want to be distanced from that world. Writing is so solitary, having a bit of connection to others is like taking an occasional gulp of air. While I like my characters, they don't talk to me or tell me what a good job I'm doing writing their stories. There's zero feedback. 🙂

The closest I get to the publishing world anymore is by reading Reddit posts, and let's face it, most of those people are wanna-be writers. Sure, I was there once myself, but reading their naive questions isn't very fulfilling. (Latest one: "I don't want my novel to have a plot. I just want to write about the characters and what makes them who they are.")

I'm not a very communal person, but I'd love to find an online place where I could converse with other writers in my situation: People who haven't sold much, who write in a genre I can relate to, who have the same doubts and insecurities as me. Then I wouldn't feel so alone.

I don't want to return to a time when I religiously checked for reviews and sales, or tried to design a compelling promo, but it would be nice to still be in the game.