Where am I on my writing journey?

Enter NaNoWriMo 2017. I had recently begun working full-time again, I had a three-year-old at home, and my husband was at work until almost 10pm. My energy was low, but I enjoy the challenge of writing 50,000 words over one month. Sure, many seasoned writers knock that out in less than a week, but for me, it's still a challenge. I thought, "what if instead of writing one 50,000 word novel... instead I write a series of short stories? I was also going through the Institute for Children's Literature course program, and I had assignments due. The Institute had me working on short stories anyways; it seemed almost natural.

I scrolled through Pinterest and saved several writing prompts. I believe myself to have a wonderful imagination, as most writers should, but I did not have 30 unique ideas just lying around.

November came, and I dedicated myself to writing about 2,000 words a day, and while I did not write a new story every day... I did write about 20 stories. One of those stories was, The Light Keeper. If you were to read that little 2,000-word story now, you would hardly recognize it for the 72,000-word novel it has become. I had Isaac, my hero, and I had Cristo, the antagonist, and that was almost it. I had faeries running amuck, and Isaac used faeries to help save the day, in the end. I was proud of that little story.

When I reached the end of the writing program at ICL, I chose, The Light Keeper for my final assignment. Not to polish it for the short story it was already, but to flesh it out for 3 chapters of a full-length novel. I submitted my assignment and received glowing feedback, and asked my husband if he thought it was an idea worth pursuing. We agreed it was.

A few months later, I began the advanced course at ICL, where the focus was writing a novel, editing it, and polishing it for publication. That is where I am now— near the end of my program.

I have my writing prompt, my short story, the original first three chapters. I have my revised first chapter. I have the three assignments where I wrote my books in thirds. Then I revamped and edited those by dividing my book in half. Now I am at the final rewrite. My characters have grown exponentially, their situation more clear, the stakes have been raised. Every character's motivation is clear, and I believe my reader will be ready to cheer for Isaac at the end.

Where do I go from here? The road towards publication. That is where you have found me. I am embarking on the journey of query letters and rejections, and I hope for Isaac to join the ranks of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I would love nothing more than for the name Isaac Hale to become instantly recognized. Join me on my path, and I promise to share with you all the things I have learned and learn through this process.

Writers keep writing. Readers keep reading. Thank you for what you do.