Writing

Recently I have enjoyed a re-invigoration for the series I am working on, The Wars of Meridian. In light of that rekindled passion, I thought I would share some intimate realities of writing.

First off - writing is an extremely lonely hobby.

I have floundered in the struggle of carrying my passion forward while, largely, keeping my story to myself. It's a hobby driven entirely by the work that one is creation by themselves. It's not displayed (unless its published) and the journey to bringing a book to market is DAUNTING. I have shared my story with a very small handful of people - and in those people I have found both immediate interest and... ghosts. That's the truth of it. Not everyone is going to like your story. But the people that do keep your flame kindled. And its worth it. But when you sit back down to keep writing you're alone again. Alone and impassioned with no comradery until you're finished.

Secondly - writing is annoyingly imperfect.

To use the wise words of a dear friend - "Why on earth would I write? Everything I create is littered with errors and so unpleasingly imperfect. Whatever joy the creating brings, the revision and editing destroys."

This is so. Painfully. True.

The Wars of Meridian now consists of two and half complete books. 300,000 words have collected themselves into a plot. But through that writing process I have dumped countless hours into modifications, corrections, and revisions. I split a book in half. I wrote 50,000 extra words to shore up plot holes. I then redacted nearly 40,000 words of unnecessary prose. I have swapped out so many words I don't even remember what I started with. But somehow, as another close friend pointed out, I use the word "bodily" wrong and often. WHY?!

I love writing. I love this story that I am working on. But I am so completely daunted by the sheer volume I have left to go - AND, beyond that, a mountain rage of editing I will need to complete. Writing is imperfect. Every single word matters. Every single period, comma, and line break. I might be 40 by the time this series is finished.

Finally - publication. Traditional publication is a near pipe dream.

According to Medium, only 1% of first-time authors get published. Agents are extremely choosy about what kinds of work they take on - and there are many different reasons why. Genre, length, prior-publication, and popular trends weed out the vast majority of works regardless of their quality. For comparison - Ivy League schools accept about 5% of their applicants.

So I am faced with a conundrum. Do I continue to write this story if its not really what publishers are looking for right now? Do I try to write something that brings me passion, or something that would sell right away? I certainly don't have time for both.

At this present moment - I am opting for the former. I believe in my story, and I am adjusting my timelines and goals to reflect that. I am doing my best to carry on my excitement. And, for now, I am still going to try querying agents. For now.

Writing is a really unique hobby. But, somehow, I am still hooked to it. I hope that the success of that passion will one day get into your hands.

Here's a little tease for a character I created for book three - Three Queens. Meet Lady Heron - head of the Heron household and ruler of the mountain fortress of Gell. This is what passion can bring me - and I am sure as everything that I want to keep going.