Lessons Learned in Writing My First Novel

By Sebastian Cole

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

~Maria Robinson

I'm the type of guy who believes you can achieve anything you set your mind to, as long as you give it your all and don't give up. So when I decided to write a novel, it didn't matter to me that I had never done anything like that before. What did matter to me was that I had a great story in my head, a story that needed to be born. With no experience, training, or education in creative writing, I figured I'd pick up the skills along the way, which is exactly what happened. Besides, I thought, how hard could it be to write a book? Well, I'd soon find out.

What I thought would take a couple of months, took a couple of years. After five months of writing everyplace and everywhere, I finally reached the "finish line" — that magical day when you type "THE END." Okay, so I wrote a manuscript; now what? The first thing I did was to copyright it, followed by sending it out to all of my friends who read a lot, to get constructive criticism. This worked out great. Then it was back to rewriting the story, and when I was done, I rewrote some more. Next, I hired a professional to critique the story, who gave me great advice, which of course meant more rewriting. I soon learned Lesson One in writing: writing is rewriting. There'd always be room for improvement.

By this point in time during this process, I felt that the story had risen to a level of brilliance. But what about my writing style and voice? It needed to be just as good as the bestselling authors' because they don't put an asterisk next to your name along with an explanation about your education. So I spent months combing through the manuscript, trying to bring the level of writing up to the level of the story.

When I felt the time was right, I tried soliciting literary agents with a one-page query letter, synopsis, and whatever their submission guidelines called for. Oh, did I mention the Catch 22 in traditional publishing? Apparently, you need a literary agent to get traditionally published. However, in order to get a literary agent, you need to have already been published. So it's nearly impossible to get an agent unless you're a famous celebrity, politician, sports figure, etc. Certainly, they'd give me more credence if I had a BFA or MFA in creative writing, which I had not. Like all roads to success, this one's paved with rejection. So after tons of rejection letters from literary agents, I had a choice to make: give it up or step it up. Since giving up is not really in my vocabulary, I stepped it up.

I hired an editor, and the first thing she did was cross off 5,000 unnecessary words. For instance, you shouldn't write "run fast." You should simply write "run," because obviously if you're running, it's fast. Who knew? Besides copy-editing, my editor did developmental editing, too, telling me where the story needed to be improved. It was kind of like digging for treasure — she'd tell me where to dig, and I'd come up with something invaluable, as if she knew I had it in me before I ever did. I learned a lot simply by reading her edits and comments, and I became a better writer for it.

I had rewritten the manuscript time and time again for a period of two years, and in the process, I learned how to write. Looking back, I had no idea how long it was going to take or how hard it was going to be. Writing the manuscript, however, was the easy part. Navigating the way to a successful book, now that's the hard part.

After getting the go-ahead from my editor, I decided to self-publish my first novel, Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love. Now it was time to find out how good it really was. So I set up a website, SebastianColeAuthor.com, entered contests, gave away free books to reviewers, and waited for the reviews to start coming in.

And the results? Well, the reviews have been mostly outstanding, with an average rating of 4.6 stars (out of 5 stars) on Amazon with over sixty reviews. People who have reviewed Sand Dollar have even called it the best love story they've ever read, with many of them comparing me to Nicholas Sparks. I was also a finalist in ForeWord Firsts debut literary competition for first-time authors. Who knew?

But my greatest reward lies not in any number or rating. My greatest reward lies in the effect I've had on the lives of others through my writing. People who've read Sand Dollar, especially those who have lost a loved one, feel that the book was written just for them, as if the author expressed in words what they have always felt. One person wrote that the story "touched the very depths of her soul," and that she'll "cherish the book forever." She loved the book so much that she even had it made into earrings! Another person wrote that Sand Dollar was her "lighthouse in the storm" — this coming from a woman who had just survived Hurricane Sandy. Another woman was moved to tears as she finished the book on Veterans Day, missing her father, a veteran. And the list goes on.

But having great reviews hasn't translated into sales. What I need is exposure. But how do I do that? It would be great if I had a YouTube video with millions of hits, or if Oprah were to mention my book, but neither is likely to happen at this point. So I sent out press releases and got a couple of articles written about me in local newspapers. I've done several book signings and talked at different venues about my experiences. Despite all of my success, my book is currently only available online, not in bookstores, and very few people have ever heard of me.

So it's back to the literary agents I go. I've somehow made it full circle. But will I have a different result now that Sand Dollar has gained traction? Stay tuned to find out. Regardless of whether or not Sand Dollar ever makes it big, touching the lives of others through my writing has been the single most gratifying thing I have ever done in my life. And pursuing my dreams has made all the difference. Life's a journey. I can't see what lies ahead, but I know one thing for sure: when I look behind, I see the things that I've accomplished... and I smile with pride.

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