The Journey of a First Draft

I’ve always loved reading. From age four, I slept with books like stuffed toys. At age ten, I read The Iliad and The Odyssey, because it looked interesting and I wanted to conquer a “huge” book.

I co-authored a notebook series with my BFF in elementary school about the adventures of two twins, Sara and Clara. Unfortunately, its readership only extended to my eight-year old daughter when she found the yellowed pages in an old box decades later.

For one reason or another, my college and career choices took me deep into the business world. Writing was a powerful communication tool, but never more than a short-form way to express ideas and conduct business. Twice I collated strong ideas into a “book”, but the truth be told, they were closer to a collection of blog posts around topics which I was passionate about. I had moments of poetry and life-journey captures, but these were again communication tools versus deliberate story-telling.

Enter 2020, the year that turned everyone and everything on its head.

Ambitious goals like completing my first triathlon before I turned the ripe old age of forty came to a screeching halt. From my home base in the Caribbean, our country went into complete lockdown from mid-March to fight the raging pandemic.

But as the saying goes, one should never let a good crisis go to waste, right? Sure, the first few weeks of lockdown I jumped into the throes of baking, home projects and exercising by YouTube like many others. However, I had six months until my birthday and I wanted to accomplish something that was a true stretch goal.

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The idea of writing a novel had been percolating in my mind and spirit for years. My daughter inherited the same love and passion for reading, with a lean towards the world of the magical and fantasy. Through her, I jumped head first into the realm of Hogwarts and went to places like the Lost Cities. Through her, a desire to tell stories was truly kindled. I wanted both her and my son (if I can ever manage to stoke his own love of reading) to cherish stories that celebrated diverse heroes and heroines who walked in the same values we held dear as a family.

COVID was the trigger event that finally slowed me down long enough to write that first chapter.

The first few weeks of writing were a whirlwind. I found writing software that was built for writers. I listened to a YouTube series on creative writing from my favorite author. I tried a rough outline for the novel, but soon realized that I am a discovery writer and simply dove into meeting my characters and the plot as I wrote.

A few chapters and a couple thousand words in, I was feeling great. It’s not so hard, right? Oh, how wrong I was.

I learned about the importance of critique groups in one of the lectures I listened to. Being in lockdown, I searched for a group virtually. What I found was a beautiful online community of writers with a well-structured and managed platform to give and receive critiques, talk and much more. I posted the first chapter of my treasured novel to the forum and BAM, my naïve eyes were finally opened.

Thankfully, the feedback I received was laced with heavy doses of encouragement. Most experienced creatives realize that it’s a long, often arduous journey, that requires lots of love and support along the way.

My husband was a rock, reading each chapter with interest, but restraining himself from offering too much advice or feedback that would have inevitably stopped me short. I’m hoping my daughter will eventually be a beta reader, but even her interest in naming characters or randomly reading over my shoulder to catch something helped. My son committed to reading the book after I make a million dollars. I guess it’s good to have goals. Haha.

A few months into writing, I finally adjusted my goal of completing my first novel within six months to finishing my first draft within six months. Eventually, months passed with all of the ups and downs of 2020. A year later, in March 2021, I reached thirty chapters and 82,854 words of my completed first draft.

Exhale.

I’m listening more closely to advice, while still staying true to myself and keeping balanced in the process. Part of that advice was to take a break and let the first draft “sit” for a bit before jumping into revision mode. So after I finished the draft, I took time to build out some marketing assets like social media accounts and an author website. Afterall, this far in, I am fully committed to birthing and publishing this baby. I’m also taking some time to reflect on the journey thus far and some of the lessons I’ve learned.

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Without further ado or introduction, let me conclude this post with these reflections.

Make use of what you have

If you wait for the perfect time, the perfect place or the perfect idea, it’ll never happen. I had a good, basic idea for a story. I set up a folding table in a corner of our front room, next to my husband’s desk and two makeshift virtual school stations. I don’t have a nice study or a spot to write peacefully behind closed doors. But I do have headphones and a consistent spot to create a daily routine.

The power of cracks of time

I have a full-time demanding job. I’m a mom to two teenagers with active lives and interests. I’m a wife, a friend and someone who is now officially in her forties, which means I need to keep fit and healthy. I’m becoming a writer in the midst of all of this. I wish I could say that I’m an early bird who writes in the hours before the busyness of the day hits, but alas, that is not me. I write in the cracks of time which means that I may have an hour here, twenty minutes there, three hours on a Sunday. I might muse on the plot during my commute time. But every little bit adds up. Doing little steps and making effort every day is what matters. It’s about building a trajectory and keeping momentum.

It takes a community

No man is an island. And even if you live on an island, nothing survives in isolation. The input from my online writing community is invaluable, and even that is an understatement. My family members are my biggest supporters and cheerleaders, having a fan base before ever publishing is a treasure.

Once I get through this next draft, I’ll be delving into the publishing process and expanding my net of support even further. I’ll need to find an editor, cover artist, beta readers, reviewers, promoters and eventually fans. Each and every person contributes to the overall community of what it takes to be an author.

I am thankful, even at this early stage.

Be patient… and kind

A year into the writing journey, I am a much more patient and kind reader. I also read a lot wider and specifically look for indies alongside traditionally published authors. Writing has expanded my world.

I have also learned to be more patient and kind with myself. It’s okay to be naïve, it’s okay to take longer than expected, it’s okay for the first draft to be a little crappy. The important thing is to learn, keep moving, and continue improving and refining. One of my favorite writing proverbs is, the only thing that can’t be edited is a blank page.

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The writing journey has also spilled over into my professional life. I pay more attention to detail and presentation, especially in all forms of written communication. I have a lot more patience for rough ideas and thoughts that come in seed form. The end of a matter rarely looks like the beginning.

In the end, my encouragement to others is to walk boldly in purpose. Be unafraid to plunge into areas that make you uncomfortable, that stretch every area of your skills and capability. But always be balanced, remembering and prioritizing the things that are most important in life.

Thank you for joining me on my own journey. With any luck, I hope to share Book 1 of my first trilogy later in 2021.

Special thanks to:

1. Writing platform: Scrivener www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
2. Favorite author: Brandon Sanderson https://www.youtube.com/user/BrandSanderson
3. Writing community: Scribophile www.scribophile.com