I started working on my manuscript sometime in late 2022 or early 2023. Between then and now there have been countless drafts, a contest win, a research trip, tears, triumphs, read alouds with both my grandmothers, POV and tense changes, and a lot of prayer. The experience of writing and revising a full manuscript has taught me more than solely reading or studying the craft of writing ever could. So without further adieu, here are a few of my take aways in no particular order.

There is a grief process unique to writing.

It’s known in the world of writing as “kill your darlings.” The concept of cutting the lines you love and labored over to serve the story. It happens with characters and entire scenes too, not just favorite lines or bits of dialogue. The grieving process goes a little something like this: refusal (I can’t cut that, I won’t!), obstinance (I will rearrange this entire book to keep it), compromise (okay, I’ll cut it, but I’ll find somewhere else to stick it later), acceptance (wow, this flows so much better now), and finally, forgetting all about it.

Jokes aside, there is a spectrum of grief associated with writing. We mourn what gets cut during revision, our characters when we’re finished, opportunities or hopes that don’t pan out, and more. Learning to cope with the emotions that arise during the writing and publication process is part of the journey.

There are few mistakes outside of typos. Most are lessons.

I changed my entire manuscript from tense to tense and POV to POV multiple times and lived to tell the tale. Each transition helped me understand the pros/cons and limitations of each in a way reading about them couldn’t. In addition to that, I overwrote and underwrote. I abused every shade of purple prose. I head hopped. I made, and still make, plenty of grammatical mistakes. With writing, it’s all a learning experience. Just write. You can’t write well if you don’t write poorly first.

Sometimes it’s time to walk away.

There were times during my revisions that I just hit a wall with my own abilities and I had to put my manuscript away and focus on studying the craft of writing and reading (widely!). Making lots of changes that changed the manuscript but didn’t elevate it was a big clue. Other times I had been staring at it too long and could no longer be objective. Distance creates fresh eyes. At times it was hard to step away because I wanted to be done, finished, complete. Just as it does with wounds, time works wonders on a manuscript.

With historical fiction your allegiance is to the story, not the timeline.

I am paraphrasing this from one of my Writers’ League of Texas classes. Accuracy is important in historical fiction, but not at the expense of story. Writers can uphold their responsibility to portray the past accurately and still serve the story. There’s always the author’s note for when you do need to change dates etc. I was definitely guilty of putting my story in a box due to dates and the sequence of certain events when I first started writing my book. Hearing this was both freeing and illuminating.

You get to know your characters overtime just like you do a real person.

When I started writing I had a rough idea of who Helena was. I knew what she wanted, a little of what she looked like, basic parts of her personality, and a little of how she responded to life. I got to know her better overtime. I’ve seen writers have success puzzling their characters out with personality quizzes and such, but for me, I preferred things to develop organically like a true relationship. What’s funny is that my protagonist for my second project appeared fully formed, looking over my shoulder and sassing me as I draft. Again, characters are like real people. Each one is unique.

First drafts are hilariously bad and that’s okay. They’re also deserving of respect too. There’s no book without a first draft.

Sometimes I’m tempted to look back at old drafts through a lens of shame, especially my first draft. But then I see how much I have truly grown as a writer since then and it fills me with pride and gratitude. I hope to take pieces of that manuscript and hold them up in front of aspiring writers one day to show that anyone can learn and grow as a writer. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.

Follow your own writing rhythm.

Like everything in life, there’s a lot of advice out there on writing. There are word counts you should hit per day, hours you should spend a week, etc. etc. I found a rhythm that works for me and it’s not everyday nor do I set word count goals. I do what’s right for my mind and body that day. I struggle with a couple of chronic health conditions (they don’t like to be lonely!) and some days I just can’t mentally or physically do it. And that’s okay. Brainstorming and daydreaming are just as valuable parts of the process.

Showers are just as good of a place to write as a desk.

Name of my main character? Shower. A good chunk of my plot? Shower. Leftover pizza? Shower. Clever title for my third project? Shower. Fleshing all of these out on the page? Desk. Sometimes not thinking is the best thinking.

There is SO much to learn about the publishing industry, the querying process, and the etiquette of the literary world.

The querying process seems straightforward and mystifying all at once. It wasn’t until I started digging into forums (thanks, PubTips) and reading blogs (hello, Query Shark) that I learned how truly nuanced, time consuming, and opaque the querying process and world of publication are. Learning the ins and outs of the publishing process is time consuming and confusing but it’s an absolute necessity for traditional publishing hopefuls. Additionally, there’s plenty of etiquette unique to the querying process and publishing industry that can only be gleaned by digging into writing forums, learning from the experiences of others, and seeking out places where publishing professionals are doling out advice and speaking in their own words.

When you create an outline for a book, and you actually know where you’re going, you finish the book. Who knew?!

My actual first book is not a book because I never finished it. Why? Because I am not a pantster (someone who writes by the seat of their pants). I’m not fully a plotster (someone who plots their novel scene by scene) either. But, in order to finish a book, I have to know where I’m going. Otherwise, I get stuck or write in circles. Learning about story structure and beats, as well as creating outlines, helped me bring my first draft over the finish line. The plot has changed plenty since, but I never would have finished without nailing down the most basic plot points first.

Bringing a book into the world takes time.

Between writing my first draft, revising, changing tenses and POV, rearranging and merging chapters, proofreading, stepping away, asking others to take a look, participating in classes and workshops, researching, daydreaming, reading new books, and all of the other things that go into writing, it’s been three plus years since I typed the first word of my manuscript. There were times where I felt rushed, or I rushed myself, but books have to cook. It takes the time it takes and rushing the process will just end in less than your best. Writing takes patience and the discipline to walk when you want to run.

You can find out more about my first book, The Summer of Moons & Monsters, on my “Current Projects” page.