Seven Years Ago

Okay, so it's Spring Break where I am. Yay! I don't work in the summer either, but for some reason, I am so much more productive during Spring Break. I get a lot of cleaning done, and I try to get a lot of words on the page.

Seven years ago this week, I began my third novel. It was titled Control Issues all the way until it was sold and renamed to Possession.

I can't always remember when I wrote certain sections or sometimes even whole books. But with Possession, I remember that Spring Break vividly. I'm pretty sure I ate cold cereal for every meal, sitting on the couch as I wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

I don't know how much I wrote during the week of Spring Break, but I know I started Possession on Monday, and 17 days later, I finished the rough draft. It was 90,000 words. (Take that NaNo!)

I didn't start querying it until 13 months later, because hey, I'm a "dirty drafter." I need lots of time to clean up my books before they're fit for anyone to see.

Anyway, my publishing journey over the past seven years has been twisty. Sometimes I feel like I'm on the right path and things are going in the direction I want. Other times, I feel like I've taken a lesser traveled path, and it's sort of dark on this side street.

Each trail, whether well-worn or choked with brambles, has been an adventure. I've tried different genres, I've tried collaborations, I've tried lots of things. And I'm excited to keep trying!

Where were you in the journey seven years ago?