Last week I finished the first draft of my second book.
That feels incredibly surreal to say, partly because of how long it took me to write my first book. I had the idea for The Key when I was ten years old and scribbled down the first few pages on wide ruled notebook paper in my bedroom. It obviously reads a lot differently now than it did then, but that was when it all started for me. I spent years picking it up and putting it back down again, adding a few pages each time. It wasn’t until I moved to Nashville in 2013 that I finally finished it. The time between the first page and the last was fourteen years.
The difference between fourteen years and two months is sizeable, and I want to allow myself to celebrate that victory, but I know it’s just one step of this journey. These past two months have been a season of incredible growth for me. They have also been difficult at times, if I’m being completely honest. Keeping up momentum and staying motivated can be a challenge when you don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far, but I also know there is a lot of work left to be done. This can feel overwhelming, especially when the rejection letters from agents keep pouring in for my first book. But I am learning to keep pressing on even when it’s hard or I feel discouraged because, at the end of the day, I get to do the what I love and that’s pretty amazing.
Something that has been helpful for me during this season is taking time to try my hand at other avenues of creative expression. I’ve taken a watercolor class, started ballet again (after a thirteen-year break), and participated in my third 48-Hour Film Project. (Are those videos the kind of thing y’all would like me to post?) This has allowed me to experience new (or forgotten) things and helped shake me out of several creative blocks. It’s also been a lot of fun.
Another thing that has helped is continuing to read the stories that shaped me as a writer, which reminds me why I wanted to become one in the first place. Most recently, I revisited the Chronicles of Narnia series, which has a magic unlike any other. Reading is one of the most important things a writer can do because it is how we first learned our craft, and every good writer has a story of another writer who inspired them to pick up a pen (or laptop). By continuing to read new books we learn new ways to tell a story, and by re-reading old favorites we remind ourselves of things we may have forgotten and chase that indescribable feeling we are all searching for when we pick up a book.
But enough procrastinating- it’s time for me to sit down and start revisions on my new book. Maybe I should start with a title; so far I have just been calling it Sequel… haha. Would you guys be interested in helping me name my new book if I made a list of possible titles? Let me know in the comments!
