At the beginning  of September 2020 I decided this was my year to start writing a book besides short stories. From grade 9 I had this storyline in my head, So I started writing the storyline as a script but I only wrote it for a week then moved on to something else because I get distracted easily. So in grade ten I went back to the script and wrote not even one sentence then left it again. I did that for another year till grade 12.

So going to the beginning of grade 12 I found out that I had a spare first period. So I would go to the library every single day. At first I was just playing games and writing my short stories. But then the book idea popped back up and I was like how about I write a book. A proper book like actually finishing a book. 

So I went back to the script and read the storyline and it was pure awful I mean it was so trashy I’m so thankful I got rid of it. But the plot kinda gave me an idea. So I started writing. I started freestyling the book and I finished the first chapter. I was very proud of it and it was better than the script.

So each day during my spare I would write a chapter. But then my other friends started getting spares so they would hang out with me but I would barely talk to them because I was so focused on writing my book.

But as I wrote my writer’s block decided to kick in and my creative brain did not want to talk to me. So then I had to start pre planning the chapter. What I did was I wrote chapter 1 to 40 on my computer and I started writing a certain plot I wanted in the story so for example chapter three I want this big fight to happen between friends chapter 5 I want this guy to start talking to this other group. Writing that literally helped me so much. 

Then I started jotting down what I wanted to happen in each chapter on my phone. So each period was an hour and twenty minutes. So for the first 10 to 20 minutes I would jot down in my phone what I wanted to happen step by step and I did that each morning. But I will admit what I started writing and just letting my brain take the wheel I would sometimes forget to add some things into it.

The hardest part I found about writing the book was my characters. Not because I didn’t know what names they should be or what gender my book had almost ten main characters due to the fact that the book was about a gang so I had to write each character down and make sure I didn’t forget them or that I made sure to at least have them in one part of the story. 

It was hard writing short stories and novels at the same time because all I wanted to write was my novel but at the same time I knew my readers wanted my short stories and they knew the schedule I would post. So a week out of the month I would write four or five short stories to last me the month since I posted once a week. 

But once I started sticking to a routine my book was coming along well and it was going pretty well. The writer’s block did hit a couple times but I just kept pushing it away. I really wanted to finish this book. 

Not even three months later I finished 40 chapters. I remember writing the end and it made my heart sink knowing that I finished a book. It made me cry, it made me really happy really angry and then made me cry happy tears.

The word count was a total of 70,000 words. I was stunned I wrote that much. After I finished I left the book alone for a month or so then I printed it out. Then for two maybe three months I was reading it, writing down notes on what I wanted to change. I wrote a whole lot and by early march I was ready to write the second draft. 

So in March I started writing I was writing every single day and since school got closed I had more time. But then I got really bad writers burn out I didn’t want to write. I didn’t want to do anything that involved my book and my short stories. But of course I had to keep writing my short stories so I did and I left my novel alone. May came around and I finished the short story book and I finally had all the stress taken away but I was still so tired of writing.

I took a break for about two months but then I was looking at wattpad and I looked at the watty awards and I was like alright I’ll put my book up. But as i was reading the requirements it needed to be marked as completed and have 50,000 words plus. But writing my second draft I only did 20 chapters and 30,000 words. I remember that day I was so upset that I wouldn’t be able to put my book up for the awards.

Later that night I was reading everything over again and it said I had till September 30th to put my book up for the awards. So for a day I started planning and I made up a goal sheet. The next day I started writing. I wrote a chapter a day I really wanted to get this book done. I wanted it to be at least put in for a chance to win.

I worked really hard even when I wasn’t feeling well and on August 15th I finished the book and that day I got to finally officially say The End.

The book went from having 70,000 words to 90,000 words which is a big jump number wise. I posted the whole book on wattpad and marked it completed and submitted it to the awards. I am very proud of the book and I’m very proud that I actually finished something that I loved doing. 

I only just realized a month ago that I wrote my first novel and I’m only 18 years old. Will I ever publish the novel? Maybe maybe not. But I do know that it still needs a lot of fixing later on.

I’m just glad that my 17 year old self decided I wanted to write a book and that I wouldn’t stop till it was done.