As you may already know, I've been writing a novel for the NaNoWriMo contest. You may also know that I decided not to submit in my novel because I couldn't finish it in time for the contest deadline. I really wanted to be able to finish it. I was aiming for that huge 50,000 word goal. But, that doesn't mean it's the end of line for the novel. I'm still planning on publishing it! I'm still writing the novel and I'm also looking for a publisher. My current publishing options are PubIt! by Barnes & Nobles (eBook publisher) or Lulu (Self-Publishing). If you have any advice on where to publish a novel, feel free to share. ;]
My novel is going to be about religious views and how the only difference in people is the way they represent their hearts.
Here's the synopsis:
Zaafira is the daughter of a lovely married couple, Michael and Zahrah. A family that combined two different religions, Islam & Christianity. This beautifully mixed family combines the nationalities of Spain and Saudi Arabia, residing in New York City. Zaafira is a 16 year old girl, going through the wonders of growing up and finding out who she is. Her parents gave her nothing but love, support, and a sense of home. Her friends allowed her to undergo experiences and allowed her to blossom into the person she was meant to be. However, through her teenage years, she begins to question why she had never met her Mother's parents, why her family moved to NYC and never talked about visiting their native countries, and why her Mother would never talk to her or teach her the meaning of being Muslim or Christian. She began to wonder why people didn't accept certain things in society.
As she gets older, she becomes interested in writing and journalism. While studying for exams, being an intern for the New York Times, and getting ready for College, Zaafira meets an Atheist boy named Aaron. As she gets to know him, she realizes a pattern in her life. Zaafira has always been surrounded by people of different backgrounds, point of views, and ideas. Yet, she's never considered anyone different. In her opinion, everyone was human and the only variation humans had were how they chose to use their minds and how they chose to represent their heart.
I'm really loving the way my novel is turning out. I'm currently writing the second chapter.
Writing this novel has really given me an insight to certain things I come across every day and never really pay attention to. Writing this novel is allowing me to focus on actual details of my life.
I recently read a few articles on how to be a good author and one of the articles said something that really caught my eye. The article said that in order to be a good fiction author, the best thing to do is write about what you know. This advice made me really think. I was planning to write a complete made up fiction novel without having any relationship to my life at all. Although, after thinking about it and trying it out, I realized how much more feeling I was able to put into the book by using names, experiences, and feelings from my life.
I really can't wait for the novel to be finished and ready to read!
xoxo,