My writing really began long before I realized it. My mom has the remnants of my first ‘book,’ which I believe was the story of a unicorn. I both wrote and illustrated it and then bound it myself with a stapler. It still exists in my baby book, a testament to how long my life has revolved around stories.
Ever since I learned how to hold a pen and paper, I have been a writer.
My Beginning
The first time I remember writing anything like a short story or book was in middle school. I had a friend who really got me into writing, and it was her influence that has followed me for the rest of my life. We would share our stories and talk about what kind of books we planned to write. It quickly became an obsession. I wrote in notebooks during class, at night, and whenever I had time to sit down and pull out a pen. I still have hundreds of notebooks filled with little snippets of writing, the beginnings of my first great novel.
Of course, none of these books ever became full manuscripts. I didn’t understand the dedication needed to write a book at the time, and this was long before I got my first smartphone or laptop. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I finally finished the first draft of a novel — 200,000+ words written in the course of a year.
The accomplishment took my breath away. I finished during finals week; and I didn’t even care if I passed my classes.
This was it. I’d done it.
A Grad School Interlude
Around that time, I decided to apply to grad schools for my Master’s in English. The novel I finally completed — and any plans to publish — went on the shelf as I spent two years working my ass off to get another degree. I wrote just as much as before, but this time it was literary criticism and 30-page essays. I couldn’t consume any piece of media without analyzing it to pieces.
In some ways, it was the best two years of my life. I made so many friends and learned so much. But it also put a roadblock between me and the enjoyment that used to be there when I was reading or writing.
COVID hit, lockdowns happened, and a thousand other things, both big and small, took over my life.
Getting Back into Writing
It took me a long time to get over the hurdle of grad school and the damper it put on my enjoyment of writing for writing’s sake. I started and shelved a dozen projects. I turned to fanfiction as a way to get my creativity flowing and find the joy I used to have in writing. Mostly, though, I found other creative outlets: painting, drawing, crocheting, and knitting.
Then, last year, one of my best friends started a writing group.
I’d worked on and off on the first book in The Alliance of Powered Nations over the last few years, writing and rewriting, restructuring and scrapping it. I didn’t know if this was it, if I’d lost my touch.
Maybe I wasn’t meant to be a writer. Maybe I lost what made me love it.
But I still joined the group. I had to try. I started writing on a schedule — Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Even only an hour a night, three times a week helped me through a complete rewrite of my novel. Talking to other writers about their works in progress helped me focus on mine. I talked, laughed, and found joy in the community we built.
Now
Now, I can proudly say I’m completing the 3rd draft of my novel, the first book in The Alliance of Powered Nations series. Once this draft is finished, I plan to send it to my alpha readers and get feedback before another round of personal edits.
My overall goal is to publish this novel in the next year and a half. If you’d like, please join me on my journey to get there.