Writing Through the Chaos
Worry not! I’m still alive. 😉
Words are getting written, too. It’s been a massive adjustment over the last six months—starting a job teaching, moving to South Carolina, raising my little baby boy. It adds up.
Life gets busy. Fortunately, I feel like writing has already become a core piece of who I am. Even when I’m not writing blog posts, I’m scribbling in my journal, taking notes on life, and working on some of my bigger projects. I set large goals, try my best, and write between the chaos.
Those goals are key, too. Over the holidays, I set a goal to finish writing Echo Island 2. I had two weeks off work, and I was only about 10 chapters away from finishing. I’ve kept that workflow up a handful of times in the past, so no problem. Right?
Honestly, it shouldn’t have been. But I’m a middle school teacher, remember? (Lots of germs, you see.) Long story short, I got sick. Nothing like losing your health to practically erase your drive and motivation. My two weeks of freedom quickly turned into one and a half, then dropped down to one.
When I finally got better, reaching my goal wasn’t realistic anymore. My motivation came back, but I had to reassess and try again. In the end, I didn’t get the book finished, but I’m still beyond proud of the output.
Echo Island 2 isn’t done yet, but it’s already evolved into something far greater than what I’d originally set out to create. I can’t even begin to describe how excited that makes me feel. When you first set out to write a series, you have the barest bones of an outline. Even if you spend months or years hashing out details, writing is where the real growth occurs.
From the start, I’ve planned this series to take up five full-length novels—and that hasn’t changed. But I never could have guessed how much more fleshed out, exciting, and fun the series would become. And that’s just the first two books! As I continue on my writing journey, I look ahead with wide eyes.
The future of these novels isn’t just bright. It’s dazzling, captivating, breathtaking—stay tuned. 🙂
