My Writing Adventure

Well, I survived the dentist! It wasn’t too bad. The first shot of Novocain didn’t really work. Thankfully, the second shot did, but I still felt intense pain a few times during the procedure. I’m so glad it’s done and feeling very thankful for Novocain. My teeth are a little tender today, but I think I’ll be just fine. I told Jimmy that if I ever need anything more than a cavity filled or repaired, I’m looking into sedation dentistry 😉

I decided to treat myself for making it through the dentist by giving myself a manicure with hot pink polish to celebrate spring. (Can you tell I was having fun with webcam filters in the picture?!) Funny story: My hand twitched while I was painting my nails and I spilled polish all over my shirt, jeans, and couch. I guess I was feeling jumpy?!

So, now I’m ready to discuss my book writing process! Let’s dive in.

As I mentioned previously, my book idea started with a question. I woke up one morning and thought if this happened, then what? The first thing I did was grab a piece of paper and let my mind run wild. I jotted down basic ideas, questions, names, themes, and places. I was honestly surprised I wanted to write a novel because I’m such a huge fan of nonfiction, but I decided to just go with it.

Once I had the basic gist of the plot, I started to create an outline. The outline was more detailed in the first few chapters, and I have continued to update it as I have delved further into the story and have a better idea of what I want to happen in later chapters. I will note, though, that I still don’t have a specific ending for the story yet. I’m torn on what I want to happen, ha. I think as I continue to write, it will become more clear. I hope!

I made profiles of each character, then a spreadsheet of all the characters. I also made a document filled with all the town names, houses, and places in the novel and descriptions for each place.

Thankfully Jimmy allows me to use his laptop to write! And blog 🙂

After creating the outline, character profiles, and places document came the hardest part: starting. I was incredibly afraid to just start writing, but once I did I was fine. At first, I was writing thousands of words a day, and some days I still do. Other days I’m at 500 or less. I try to focus on quality over quantity!

I also created a scene list, which has been very helpful when I don’t want to go back through the whole document and find a specific detail. I try to write every day, but it doesn’t always happen. As for what time I write, I’m all over the place. Morning, noon, or night, if I have free time I try to hit the keyboard. I don’t have a schedule because I work different hours and jobs each day.

I’m currently about 30,000 words into my first draft. Being the journalism major that I am, I have gone back and edited a few times, but nothing too serious. I’ve heard that you should never edit a first draft until you’re finished, but it has been helpful for me to edit here and there so I keep my plot and characters’ voices focused.

The biggest challenges so far have been choosing character names I like, writing from a male’s perspective (each chapter switches between a male and female as the first person narrator) and just staying dedicated to writing as much as I can. It’s way too easy to get distracted.

The best parts of this journey have been the learning experience of writing a book and having something that is inspired by various experiences I have had or have simply wanted to learn and write about. Basically, it feels amazing to create. I was asked if I will share the plot, and I may in due time. I’m still so protective of my “baby” and self-conscious about the story, but we’ll see if that changes as I get closer to finishing.

I don’t know if I’ll look into having my book published. If I really like the story, I will probably try. If not, I’ll be glad I embarked on this fun experience. Either way, it has been great and I’m following God’s lead for my life as best I can.

I think that’s everything?! Feel free to ask any other questions in the comments. Thanks, again, to everyone who is so supportive and encouraging. It means a lot to me!