I started recalling nostalgic stories and blogging in May of 2018. But I had a feeling that I wanted to write at least one nostalgic story long before that. Blogging every Monday night was the start of myself allowing the stories out, well all except the one that prompted the entire new weekly endeavor.
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I recalled one particular memory that would come up every so often. There was a red blanket that had a fuzzy brown bear on it that my Grandma made me. It was identical to the one she also made for my sister. We shared a room. I used to wrap it up around my shoulders early in the morning while standing on top of my bed, looking down at my pillow. It made me feel strong and powerful, protected and confident. Always in the back of my mind, I knew the memory was there but kept setting it aside. It was like I was folding it neatly in the corner of my memories, like my mind was a room with a place for it to go.
I never wrote about the red bear blanket in all the over one hundred-plus posts. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was because I needed one story to inspire a book I would write later, and now have?
I started writing non-stop after losing my Dog.
Last year, I lost my beloved dog Savannah. I was sad, really sad. I wrote about my best girl in my blog.
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Four months later, I got a puppy named Maple. I wrote all about our first weeks with her.
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I also did something on my bucket list. I journaled about a trip I took to New York City, which included seeing shows on Broadway for the first time.
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Looking back on it, I was clearly getting myself ready to write a lot more, journaling about anything I wanted to write about. It was like I was oiling up my bike chain, pumping the tires, and making sure all the gears worked smoothly.
Getting the gunk out first
When I started to shift to writing a book, the first month or so was all the gunk. This included stories from my past that have ended up pushed aside for perhaps another book, maybe the next book after this book?
I knew it wasn’t the book I was sitting down to write when I was pouring that out, but I kept going anyways. When a shift in narrative started to appear, page by page, I was like, “Hello. There you are. Welcome.” It was like I started connecting to myself in a new way. I promised my new best friend I’d meet her there everyday to write her words down. Together, I knew we’d write a book.
Changing my daily routine
I started getting up really early to write before anyone else was up. No matter if it was a week day or weekend, I’d do the same routine. I even scooped the coffee grinds the night before into the French press that has become like an office assistant for me. I filled the tea pot ahead of time too. I made sure my rose gold laptop was fully charged and my spot at the dining room table was clear, and ready for “take off.” Every time I sat down, it was an adventure. Many times I wasn’t sure what I would write about, or where my words would take me.
Capturing and sharing my book writing journey here
I may go backwards in time a bit describing my process. I may update right where I’m at currently, or do a bit of a combination like this post is. I’ve never been overly concerned with my grammar in my blog posts. I’m more a fan of just getting my thoughts down without too much fuss. If you prefer a pristine journal-like reading experience, this may not be it. But I do aim to capture my voice, so it feels like I’m talking right to you, the reader. That voice is the same one I use in my book, and the voice I’ve been working on sculpting for almost a decade. I can’t wait to share more about my process, and eventually the book I’ve written with you too.
Read the first post about starting to write my novel here:
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