Then I found the world of Fan Fiction.
It gave me a chance to show strangers a little piece of my mind without feeling totally exposed. See, in my fanfiction, I could use someone else's scenery and it was like a little shield. So I jumped in. And I found people who really thought I had some good ideas.
It was a nice feeling. I knew that people weren't just giving lip service because these were people who didn't really have to face me on a day to day basis.
I ventured out from there to make my own fiction website under a pen name. It's still up here. And I put a few little original pieces up along with the fanfiction. It wasn't really a place where I was getting a lot of feedback so I still post a lot on FanFiction.net.
Then this year, I met my boyfriend. What does that have to do with my writing? Well, I met him through the fanfiction site and he told me "Hey, check out this smaller publishing company because I believe in you." So I did. They wanted a little five chapter sample and noted that it could take up to six weeks to give me a response. So I settled in for the wait.
THE NEXT MORNING...
That's right. The very next morning they had an e-mail to me asking if I had it finished and attached a publishing contract.
Holy crapballs.
So, I started buckling down and writing out the rest of it. Still not done. BUT, I had also started a small journal where I put down my thoughts about this whole process. Then I realized that the internet has something like that.... A blog!
So yeah, here is the blog. Here is the story of my writing life. And since I already had a small journal started, I'll type out those little entries below.
Love you all!!!
~Megan~
2/7/14 So, on 2/6/14, I submitted the first five chapters of my book to a publishing company and not even 24 hours later, I received my acceptance with Pure Ice Publishing and a contract Only thing? Have to have the book finished before I can sign. In order to do that, I think I need to keep track of my thoughts and progress. So, here we are!
2/12/14 One sentence. That was all I could manage. My huge issue? The internet. It's the Pretty Shiny Object Show! So, tomorrow? Going to take the laptop to the library and not connecting to WiFi.
2/13/14 Printed out what's done. Hailey got my edits back to me last night so I went through and marked it up on paper. Also, bought a spiral notebook to start doing more by hand. I'm starting out with a full outline of the chapters. If I have an ending, I think I can do this easier. Fingers crossed!
2/16/14 Spend yesterday and a lot of this morning studying editing and writing reference material. I made me a little spiral book with notes to help me. Also wrote out the first ten chapters in outline form. Progress!! One of the things I'm going to do to cleanse my mental pallet is to finish a little fanfic. Day at a time!
2/19/14 Say hello to more outlining! I'm determined to have a map this time. I think it's the only way I'm going to be able to keep myself from getting lost in the woods. So, by Friday, my map had to be ready. The treasure at the X is what I want. Hello yellow brick road.
3/3/14 I don't even know how to begin thinking about writing. I have no delusions. I know there's no such thing as an overnight success but recent downfalls in my life have made it hard not to wish for it. I have three months to get enough money to keep my home.
3/6/14 Taking another trip to the library. It's easier to sit here with a simple pen and paper and just write without distraction. Home is a huge distraction filled with anger and sorrow and that kind of environment is no place to let creativity flow. You have to have that solitude to be with that story in your mind.
3/7/14 Cleaning your pallet during a wine tasting is normal. So many tastes mix and meld that soon you can't tell them apart. The same could be said for writing. Its time to put that pen and paper to work on something else. So, I'm going to kick out some fanfic.
3/11/14 The five page dilemma. So, when I told my boyfriend how much (how little) I had gotten done, he gave me an assignment of five pages done by today. Eeo! So, here I am at the library and I will be here, distraction free, until they are all done. Pray for me.
P.S. Did it!!!
3/14/14 Holy mother of cheese doodles. I finished two chapters in one week. This is the most I have accomplished since I started this journal. I would make this entry longer but I'm totally on a roll and want to get back to it!
3/15/14 Holy... wait, I said that yesterday. I'm still plugging away. I'm not sure which muse settled into my brain for this but I'll have to offer up a sacrifice of thanks. Maybe, just maybe, I can have the first draft done before the end of the month! Enough talking. More writing!
3/18/14 Got a little distracted by my personal issued over the last couple of days. I'm actually a little surprised that it hasn't made me write more to get away. The beauty of writing is that I can control that universe. Whatever happens there can stay on those pages. Then, when I need to, I can escape to that world. I just hope my readers will feel the same.
3/19/14 Totally bombed yesterday. I barely got a page done. There's been a lot racing through my mind and while writing is right up there, it hasn't been in the way you'd think. As the end of the book draws closer, the fear of rejection starts to set in. While I may dearly love this story and the characters, I'm a little freaked out about how it will be received. A few of my friends have already been reading as I write and they swear they love iit, but I also know that they're my friends, not the general masses. Thank you very much, insecurity.
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