The writing advice I wish I'd had before

So, you want to write a book? Okay, let’s get into it.

I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that it actually is a lot of work. Hard work. The kind that makes you want to get up and drive away and never return. You’ll write a draft and rewrite it again. Again. Again. Again. Yes, again.

You have to make time for it. We’re all busy. We don’t all have the same 24 hours because of our circumstances, but if we want to do art, we have to be intentional. And consistent. Daily, every other day, something you can scrawl on a calendar. If it’s important to you, be faithful at least to your writing, if nothing else. Otherwise, it will never happen.

The words don’t always come. There are days where it feels like the muse has arrived(!!!). She’s sitting on your shoulder, waving a magic wand and nodding to the beat of your typing. On the other hand, some days you’ll open your laptop and stare at the screen for 30 minutes, then close it (see: Taika Waititi meme).

You’ll read the whole book fifteen times. And when the words crisscross and the sentence flow is like sludge and you can no longer enjoy your plot twists, all you have left is the knowledge that you wrote a whole f’ing book (my dad reads this, so yeah) and you’re probably going to have to read it for a sixteenth time. I’m SO sorry.

But when all is said and done, you wrote a book. You never thought there would be a day when you could say it’s really finished, not a finalfinalcopy19.doc. And people fall in love with your characters and rage text you, and they actually cry. They wonder how you could torment them so, and someone makes you customized Pinterest boards, and you can talk about your characters as if they really, truly lived in real life. They will never leave you.

So, if you’re still wondering if you should take the plunge, we only have one life. If you’re into extreme personal torment and, somehow also, lifelong fulfillment, I think you know what to do now.

Write the book.

-I’m still querying THE GREAT TREE OF IRIS (sending to agents), and I’m about halfway through my first draft of my Pirate Princess book (37k words, aiming for at least 70k)! All of this takes lots of time and effort so that’s what I’m really focusing on this fall.

Watching: What am I not watching right now? Sometimes, I watch a lot of TV, and this is one of those times. Maybe it’s because cozy season is upon us.

I’m rewatching Veep season 2 and the new season of Heartstopper. 🍂 Be still my heart—I wish I’d had a show like that for my teenage queer self.

Currently my partner and I are watching the new Rings of Power 💍season (Sauron is just one of many characters who is hot, imho) and, of course, The Great British Bakeoff. 🍰We’re rewatching What We Do in the Shadows before the new season (one of my top five favorite shows) and finishing a rewatch of Violet Evergarden, too, which is one of our favorite animes (bring the tissues, though). The music continually blows me away.

Oh, and we started watching the How to Train Your Dragon movies again. They really hold up (wait for the end of the GIF for a laugh):

Listening: I’ve been talking on Instagram stories about my Pirate Princess book playlist. It’s “end of the world” songs and seafaring songs and bar songs and romantic songs. And some How to Train Your Dragon, especially “Test Drive” and “Romantic Flight.” They’re SO GOOD.

I promise I’ll share the playlist one day. Right now it has the book title (!!) at the top, so it’s private…

Crafting: I’m back in sewing mode! I’m in-between projects right now, but I’m about to start sewing a quilt for my sister’s wedding, and some new placemats for our table. The latter is an easy project I’ve been putting off for ages and I KNOW I’ll be so happy to have it done.

Check with me next month and see if I’ve actually done the placemats…

Reading: I read a lot this summer, and I’m feeling ready to jump back into some fantasy worlds again.

-I just finished Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am a huge fan of her YA books. I found myself flying through the pages of this adult romance set in the 90s and early 2000s—the references really took me back. 😄

-Poetry: I’ve been reading A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush (@maryoliversdrunkcousin). It’s sitting with me in a deep, aching way that also makes me snort-laugh sometimes.

-On deck: I swear to all the stars I’m finally going to read V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series this winter! I’m still really digging their podcast, No Write Way. Soon, I’m also going to read my friends’ recent releases: KJ Bradford’s Legends of Ravens and Lindsey Willingham’s To Scale the Emerald Mountain (both fantasy).

See you in November!

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