There’s always a story behind the story.
Writers don’t write because they have nothing better to do. They write because there is a story they must tell. It’s a difficult craft. It involves discipline and motivation to sit for hours on end, typing words that might never be published. There’s no guts or glory, or a guarantee of success. There’s only hope in what they can accomplish and the fears and doubts that accompany it.
No one hears the author’s story. It is usually hidden behind their work. Yet today I’d like to tell mine. There’s something that changed my life I’d like to share in the hope it will change yours.
When I Began Writing
Like most writers, I was an avid reader. When I learned that there were people behind books, and they write for a living, I longed for that career as well.
I cowrote my first novel with a good friend in seventh grade. It was a story about a princess who quests to find twelve magical jewels to defeat an evil lord. In my innocent mind, writing was simple and inspiration was everywhere. I began stories about genies, warring tribes, people living inside a volcano, fairy tale retellings, historical fiction. Anything that crossed my mind, I wrote.
Needless to say, I failed to finish any novels in high school. However, at that point, completion was not important. The important part was writing, relentless writing, and I improved with every story. Experience and practice can teach more about the craft than studying it.
During that time, I began a historical novel that I was passionate about. I decided this was going to be the one I finished. It took me years to write the first draft of Lethal Shores and my writing became better with every chapter.
Continue reading “How Neil Gaiman’s ‘Make Good Art’ Speech Inspired My Writing Career”
