In the Beginning...

I know many authors have been writing since they were little, but that’s not the case for me. I never wanted to be a writer. I didn’t carry around a notebook with me, jotting down little stories for only my eyes to see. Nope…I was a reader. Still am. Always will be. And that’s how my writing journey began.

 

I’d read every book I own more than a few times, the library was closed, and I’m not a fan of e-books. I know, I know, e-books are awesome and amazing. I agree. Unfortunately, I enjoy having the book in my hands. I enjoy feeling the pages and smelling the ink…it’s my thing.  Anyway, I decided to scribble down a scene. It was packed with action and gore and personality and all the lovely things my books contained. I read it through a few times, editing small bits, then I put it aside. I tried to forget it, I really did, but those people I had created just wouldn’t leave me alone. I wanted to know how they had found themselves in that situation, who they were, and what would happen to them.

What I kept telling myself...it didn't work!

 

 

I decided I should finish the story, writing every day for months. Some days I only wrote a few sentences, other days I wrote thousands of words.  It took me what seemed like forever to finish the telling of what I thought was an original, beautifully written, edge of your seat YA horror. Guess what? Yep…after reading through my finished manuscript, I realized the only thing I had accomplished was filling a file with word diarrhea. That was gross, sorry for the visual. Yep…it was just randomness sprawled across the screen. It was 96,000 words. Once again, I set my story aside.

By this point, I was addicted. I couldn’t stop thinking about my characters. I didn’t want to stop either. I dug in again. Revising a bit, tweaking here, shaving that, change this word….. I soon realized it was as good as I could get it. My manuscript now sets complete at 78,000 words, full of life, heartache, and unexpected twists I didn’t imagine possible when I wrote that first scene.

I aspire to one day walk into my local library, venture to the YA section, and pluck my novel from the shelf.

The First Blog!

This is the beginning of what I hope to be a lasting relationship. See, this blog and I have come to an understanding: I will continue to post random, hopefully thoughtful blogs, while this blog connects me with other writerly folks. I'd love feedback if anyone is so inclined, for this blogging journey is an entirely new experience for me.