Until an idea popped into my head in January of 2015. By October I had a rough draft of the first book of a science fiction trilogy sitting on my mac. What?
In the past I’d bought into and admired the fantastical gritty glamour of “being a writer.” I don’t think such a thing really exists, of course, but I got all my ideas about writing from movies. You know, brew some coffee and sit down at your manual typewriter with an ashy cigarette hanging from your bottom lip and let the words flow from your speedy fingertips. I don’t even smoke.
So, how did this happen? I don’t even read science fiction. I barely read fantasy.
And yet here I was, with a finished–albeit unrefined–book, and a roadmap for the final two books. Ambitious? Presumptuous? Yes and yes. But something had taken hold of me and I couldn’t let it go.
(As a side note, I’m not a great believer in “inspiration” as a source for creative energy. I do a lot of art for rock/metal bands and book covers and rarely, if ever, am I inspired. I don’t think most artists are. I think you sit there and mess around with ideas and eventually something works. You do it over and over again and that’s how you create.)
I was inspired. And the original idea was good enough to give life to other good ideas and so forth. So I remain inspired today.
A little more than a year after I first opened a file and gave it a working title, I’ve come to love this experience of trying to become a writer that I thought I’d keep a record of the journey. Since I’m starting this blog after I’ve already completed the first book (the rough, to be clear), not all my posts will be in perfect chronological order. I’ll post about things that I remember or learned along the way.
Good work! I’ve been writing for a decade and still not finished my first book! (I’ve only been taking it seriously for around a year, but still!)
I hope the inspiration sticks for you!
Thanks! Good luck to you as well!