Every once and a while from the time I was eight until I was thirteen, I would have a "genius" idea for the opening scene of a book. I would always sprint to the computer, open up a Word document, and start clacking away at the keys. But each time I got one of these bursts of creativity, I would hit a road block about half-way down the first page. I would read and re-read what I had written, but I would have zero clue how to continue the story.
So when I got another one of these ideas when I was 13 (about half-way through grade 8), I was expecting to hit my usual road block. It didn't come (at least not for a while). I got through the first page no problem, and the second, and the third. In fact, I got about 30 000 words into that first real attempt at writing a "novel." But by the time I had hit that 30 000 word mark, I had improved so much that the first few chapters sounded like they were written by a whole other person. I scrapped that piece.
My next attempt was a darker, much more mature book with a bunch of legal elements. While I was writing this book, I started telling people that I wanted to be an author. Almost all of the comments I got were, "I can't wait to read your book. I bet it's hilarious!" The comments made me freak out a bit because my book was not funny....like at all. It was super serious. I wrote myself a mental note to make my next book a little lighter, but I finished writing the serious novel because I was pretty invested in my characters. I owed it to them not to leave them hanging in the middle of a life-crisis.
I had just finished my first draft when I went to a summer writing camp. The instructor read an excerpt from it, and while she had some nice things to say, her critiques made me realize that I was a bit too young to give such a serious concept justice. So I put that novel to rest for a while and decided to write a fun book, sprinkled with humor.
After my first two tries didn't pan out, I was adamant about making this one work. I wrote my third book during the summer and fall of 2012. And now, just over a year later, I am finally finished editing it!
It's a crazy competitive industry, and I'm not expecting anything, but I have decided to give getting published a shot. Right now, I'm starting to write my query letters, which, for anyone that doesn't know, are letters that you send to literary agents to give them a small snapshot of what your book is like.
Thanks for reading! Comments are encouraged :) If you're reading this and you're a writer yourself, I'd love to get in touch with you!
