Being a Rookie Writer

I am what you would call a "writing baby." Sure, I've had a family blog for years and I've written in a journal since my very first day of becoming a teenager, but I never knew I wanted to be a real writer until now. I found my passion, and it carried me into writing an entire novel, and I thought, "Hey! This is what I want to do!" I knew absolutely zip about the publishing industry, agents, self publishing, basically everything. I've come to realize that my grammar and punctuation is quite rusty as well, but I'm not letting that stop me. I have spent a lot of time reading, and being inspired and amazed by other authors. I never thought I would be capable of taking something out of my head, creating an entire world of fictional people with fictional lives, and telling a story the length of a novel, but I did it! Granted, my first novel is completely riddled with mistakes and won't be publish ready for quite some time, but it gave me experience, and introduced me to the world of writers.


There is so much out there to consider when you want to be a writer. Do I want to try the traditional publishing route? Do I want to self publish first? Do I need an agent? How do I copy write my work? How do I go about doing these things? What the heck is a writing platform? I've learned a little from a few friends who have self published, and can call themselves authors. (I guess you can't be promoted to author until you have actually published something.) So, I'm a writer, I write. I write blog posts on my autism blog, and I am trying to edit my first novel, but have been sidetracked by life, other project ideas, illnesses, a fish named Winston, you name it! Focus and balance seems to be the most difficult task for me as a writer so far. I can already tell that balancing a life full of craziness, and my desire to share my stories is going to my greatest challenge. A majority of my first novel was written in the middle of the night after the kids were in bed (which explains some of the mistakes). I have been faced with bigger challenges in my life before, so I'm sure I can figure this one out too, it might just take some time.


So, what am I working on right now? Well, I've shelved my first learning novel for the time being, and I'm working on a soft science fiction/fantasy novel. With this novel, I'm learning how to outline my plot, (lots and lots of post-its) and I'm writing in a different perspective, which is a challenge in itself. What will happen when I finish this novel? I've decided to self publish this one, and we'll see what happens. ;) A lot can happen between now and then, but nothing is going to stop me from pursuing my passion of writing. I have a lot of family and friends supporting me, and that makes an enormous mountain seem more like a large hill. It's time to get climbing.