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.