The first step of writing a novel? Getting out of your own way

By Peyton H. Roberts

As my debut novel Beneath the Seams releases into the world, it’s humbling to remember I almost didn’t start writing it. My writing experience to date included informative articles and blog posts. Attempting longform fiction felt like traveling to a foreign country without knowing the language.

The trouble was, a story idea had captured my imagination and wouldn’t let go.

As a child I grew up sewing many of my own clothes. But in my young adult years, I became a bargain shopper, always hunting for trendy, inexpensive finds. But a military transfer to the tiny island of Guam opened my eyes to see the extreme distance goods traveled to reach us in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

In the months after I returned to the United States, several disastrous garment tragedies made international headlines. Having just traveled across Asia, I could no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that hardworking people were literally risking their lives sewing clothes for fast fashion retailers. 

When no one around me seemed troubled by the headlines, I wondered if I could tell a story that would recreate a similar narrative arc from unaware to concerned. Without my consent, characters and scenes barraged my imagination at hours of the night when I should have been sleeping. Before long, the quiet nudges felt like screams. 

“Write me, write me!” the story shouted.

In some ways, it felt like Beneath the Seams already existed and, like a patchwork quilt, waited patiently for me to stitch one piece of fabric to the next.

“But I don’t write fiction,” I shouted back. The story was unimpressed by my lazy excuses. The idea hounded me until I sat down one day and outlined every chapter.

“Now what?” I wondered.

I shared the outline with a trusted friend. She convinced me the story was worth writing. 

“You can do this,” she said. “You can write this.”

I set a goal to start and finish the novel.

Setting the goal was easy. Starting the novel was hard.

I was so terrified of not finishing—of failing—I couldn’t bring myself to write the first word. How would I possibly know the right place to start a story this intricate, this important? 

Thankfully by that time, I had forged a daily writing practice that began with journaling. Leaning into my fear, I wrote the first and most significant dialogue of the entire novel. 

This pivotal conversation didn’t involve my characters. Rather, the words unfolded between me and myself.

January 2018

“I don’t think I can do this,” the writer said. 

“But you have to at least try,” her conscience replied. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I might fail,” she said, her eyes drawing down. 

“And then what?”

“Then I suppose I would get up and try something else.”

“And under your belt you would have the experience of writing a novel, seeking an agent, submitting a manuscript to publishers, and pitching your story. Are there any skills in that list that won’t be useful in the future?”

“No, I suppose there aren’t,” she admitted. “But where do I even start? How do I know what to do? No one has read this story before, so no one can tell me how to write it.”

“Listen to yourself. Listen to the voice that whispered this story to you. Pray. Then start at the beginning.” 

“But which scene? Which part of the story is even the beginning?” 

“You will know when you begin.”

“You don’t know either, do you?” she asked.

“If I were to tell you the answer, how would you be able to relish in confidence after figuring it out on your own?”

“How, indeed.” The writer paused. “Okay, I guess I’m going to do this. If for no other reason than it will feel good to spend time doing something I truly love: Writing. I like the idea of putting forth all my effort into one giant project. I’ll be working on a single tapestry in which all the threads connect. One cohesive, worthwhile creation.”

Two years later, I wrote “THE END” on my first draft. Reaching my initial goal empowered me to set a new goal and seek publication. 

When I returned to the manuscript for revisions, I was shocked to see how much my writing had improved chapter after chapter. In fact, many scenes in the first half of the story now needed heavy revisions to match the quality of writing in the second half. 

But thanks to all the skills I’d learned while writing 90,000 words, I was equipped for the task. I savored the shiny new confidence that sprouted from figuring out the entire story on my own.

My inner voice turned out to be correct on the very first day. The value of writing a novel is writing a novel. As I release Beneath the Seams into the world, I am more convinced than ever this is true. 

In her celebrated craft book Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says, “… you just have to keep getting out of your own way so that whatever it is that wants to be written can use you to write it.”

The first plot hole I needed to fix was fear. Writing out my inner dialogue, I faced the fear, got out of my way, and set the story free.

—

Peyton H. Roberts, M.A., is the author of Beneath the Seams (Scrivenings Press, May 11, 2021), a social impact novel that shines light on the dark secrets of the global fashion industry. She holds a degree in business from the University of Florida and a Master’s in communication from San Diego State University. A military spouse, Peyton currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children.

For updates about Peyton’s writing, visit www.peyton-roberts.com. Connect with Peyton on social media:

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BENEATH THE SEAMS

Fashion designer Shelby Lawrence is launching her mother-daughter dress designs into clothing stores nationwide when a letter in the mailbox reveals the picture of a girl who will change her life forever. Runa, the family’s newly sponsored child, is a clever student growing up on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shelby’s daughter Paisley is instantly captivated by their faraway friend. As the girls exchange heartwarming messages, Shelby has no idea that a tragedy in Runa’s life is about to upend her own.

Dresses are flying off the racks of Houston department stores when a horrifying scene unfolds in Dhaka. The tragedy threatens to destroy Shelby’s pristine reputation, and worse—it sends Runa’s life spiraling down a terrifying path. Fearing the girl’s helpless fate and her brand’s demise, Shelby hides the ugly truth. But when Runa slips further away, Shelby must decide how far she’s willing to go to right a tragic wrong.

 Both a gripping expose of the modern fashion industry and a heartwarming mother-daughter tale, Beneath the Seams explores love, conscious, hope, and the common threads connecting humanity.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing