The Girl Who Loves To Write

(My messy, slightly disorganized view behind my idea process). 

While there’s no step-by-step guide as to how a writer gets ideas, every writer has a different method of doing so. The way our brains work isn’t going to be the same, nor will our creative process be the same. The point is, it’s okay that everyone’s process is different, and the most unique thing (I think) about the creative process is where creativity can take you. When I first began this blog a few years ago, I wrote a post titled Getting Ideas, where I talked about what getting ideas as a writer was like for me. This post, though-the one you’re reading right now-is essentially my updated version of that. 

Ideas, at least for me, seem as though they can spark from anywhere or anything. There have been quite a few times where an idea has come to me out of nowhere, or during an inconvenient time for me-whether it’s while I’m sitting in class, on a long car ride, or surrounded by people at a social event. Ideas are constantly churning in my head, and as a writer, I feel like my brain never shuts off. It just keeps going without a care in the world. (That’s the best way I can articulate it). No one thing determines how I generate ideas, and it depends on what comes to me when an idea strikes. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that an idea doesn’t solely take shape in the form of just a premise, or just a plot device, or just a character. Sometimes, all three things can come together simultaneously. For example, when I got the idea for my fourth book, A Heart of Shattered Glass, the idea started off with the main characters, before quickly forming into a scenario, and then the overall plot. That’s exactly how it was like for me. I personally wouldn’t change my process for anything. Sticking to how I do things creatively is what works best for me.

Even though no one thing determines how I get ideas, and how I connect ideas together, I will say that the one thing that’s been very consistent for me is that ideas come to me in images. My imagination has become so vivid now that the only way I can describe it is that it’s as if a movie is unfolding in front of me. Usually, it isn’t the full movie, and is only snippets of it, whether it be a beginning scene, middle, or an end, this is how it is for me. My imagination is so vivid that the images I’m seeing or the sounds I’m hearing can consume me, occasionally putting me in a trance-like state, where that’s all I can focus on. The images I see are like fragments-montages-of something that could unfold into a bigger project. That is how it’s been for me, and I hope that what I’m trying to articulate makes sense. Strangely, I’m not the best at articulating my thoughts to other people, or on platforms like this blog.

The idea for this post came to me when I was looking through a notebook I’ve had for a few years now, where I mainly jot a lot of the ideas I have, regardless of how terrible some of them are. Strangely enough, I feel as though late 2015 to early 2016 were the times where good ideas started to generate for me-or at least ideas that I feel are decent, and not cringeworthy. I’ll admit that when I first began writing in that notebook some time in 2014, a lot of the ideas I had during that time aren’t ones I would personally consider pursuing or writing anytime soon, if at all. That’s just how I feel, when looking back on some of my earlier ideas I had back then, when ideas began coming at me more often, compared to when I was first starting out, as a new writer. (When I was a new writer, I didn’t generate nearly as many ideas as I do now). Regardless, I’m glad that I get to look back and see how far my ideas have come. One of my most favorite aspects behind being a writer, and about my creative process in general, is the idea phase. I love seeing what creations emerge from my brain, and how I connect them together/develop them, if I develop them any further, or just leave them be.

Despite writing all my ideas down in a notebook, the first thing I’ll do whenever an idea strikes me is write it down in my phone, and then transcribe it to a notebook later.. I do this because my fluency with typing is faster than it is with writing by hand. Writing an idea down in my phone first is very convienient for me, let alone easier. When writing an idea in my phone, I automatically put them in the Notes app, which is an app I’m constantly using. I understand, though, that the Notes app isn’t the most reliable place to jot down ideas or random thoughts into your phone, considering that you can sometimes have your notes deleted randomly (from what I’ve heard) but I like using it, nonetheless. (I’ve actually lost one of my notes on that app before, and it’s very frustrating knowing that I can’t ever get it back. A few years ago, I wrote a short story on the app titled The Baker’s Daughter, which was a short story I absolutely adored, and I was crushed to know that it had gotten deleted. But that’s a story for another day, and isn’t related to this blog post).

To me, ideas are a beautiful thing. Creativity in general is a beautiful thing. I have a lot of respect for creativity and the creative process as a whole, and I find learning about it to be addictive. (As a creative person and a lover of storytelling, I can’t help myself. This is a part of creativity that fascinates me so much). I can appreciate the significance behind it. Even if I’m the only one who thinks this, I think it’s amazing what creativity can do for people, and where it can take them, leading them to create whatever. The creative process truly is extraordinary, and holds no boundaries. Possibilities are endless, and that’s one of the many things I love about it.

(NOTE: This was a short story I wrote for my creative writing class, during last school year, when I was a senior in high school. Regardless, I hope you enjoy! I figured I’d post this short story here so that I can actually share my work with you all, but I also want my work to start reaching more people, so I thought my blog would be the perfect place to do so. I might even post my most recent work here in the future. I’d also like to add that I decided to add a photo/visual to go along with this story, which explains the significance behind the picture above. I don’t own this picture, by the way, and came across it on Google Images).

THE ANDROID

By

Hannah C. Schuessler

Leon stepped out of his car, and grabbing his briefcase, he closed the main door to his car and locked it, using only a small motion of his hand to do so-that’s the thing everyone did nowadays whenever they wanted to lock things such as doors, or open doors, or simply get through anything that had a door at all. That’s just how things were in the year 2045. There were no such thing as keys anymore. To get through to something that required the opening or closing of a door, people would just give a little wave in front of the door, and it would open for them. Now, unlocking doors was a different story.

Before anyone could wave their hand in front of the door they were standing in front of to gain access to whatever was beyond it, their faces would be scanned whenever they approached a door by a small facial recognition computer that would pop up in front of the door. It only scanned a person’s face for a maximum of ten seconds before disappearing, and then the door would unlock for them, where they would then wave their hand to open it. This process was done in order to keep track of the people who exited and entered the doors, as a means of safety purposes, and of keeping records, as that was something that was seen as necessary.

Leon heaved a sigh as he carried his briefcase, and headed over to the crosswalk to cross the street, to get to the office building that was on the other side. He glanced towards both sides of the street corner, and once he saw that there were no cars passing by, he crossed the street. In a matter of moments, he was already heading up the stairs of the office building, but stopped once he approached the glass doors that led inside the building. Just then, he saw the all too familiar facial recognition computer pop up before him, and he stood very still, as it scanned his face. After about ten seconds, the computer disappeared, and Leon heard the click of the doors-they were unlocked.

Without hesitation, Leon raised up his hand, and waved it slowly in front of the door. The glass doors suddenly gave way and opened for him. With his briefcase still in his hand, Leon stepped inside the building, smoothing out his tie with his empty hand. “Ah, Leon-there you are! I was hoping you’d show up at some point or another”. Leon looked up to see his boss-Ryan Conley-standing there. He had an eager look on his face, and he was smiling at Leon. 

“Come now, Leon”, he said, his voice calm, but in it’s usual deep tone. “I have something I’d like to show you”. Leon glared back at him, and gave him a slight nod of his head. 

“Alright then”, he said.

Ryan beckoned him to come forward, and without another word, the two men walked out of the building’s lobby together, and turned the corner into another hallway. When they reached the end of that hallway, they turned the corner again, and entered another, but did not walk all the way down it this time. They stopped walking once they had approached a door that stood to the left of them. It was then that Ryan turned to Leon. “Oh, you are going to love what I have to show you. She’s nearly finished, and you’re going to be the first person to get a proper view of her. She’s simply gorgeous, Leon!”

Leon raised his eyebrows in confusion at him. “What...you mean...the android?” 

Ryan burst out laughing at his response. “Of course I’m talking about the android, you loon! Who else would I be referring to as ‘she?’”

Leon’s eyebrows furrowed, and he no longer looked confused. Just then, the facial recognition computer popped up before them, and both men stood completely still as it scanned their faces. “I dunno”, Leon replied, as the facial recognition computer disappeared. 

Ryan turned toward him again. “Well, you’re in for a real treat this time”. He then turned back towards the door, gave it a little wave, and it opened. The two men walked inside, and once they were inside, Ryan turned towards the door a second time, gave a little wave of his hand again, and the door closed behind them. Leon had been inside Ryan’s office many times before, so this was nothing new to him.

The office room was the same as it has always been throughout the four years Leon had been working with the company-medium sized walls painted a light gray, a single desk with a few chairs placed near the back end of the room-and the most noticeable of them all-an adjoining alcove where another door stood on the wall that led to another room. Leon had only been inside that room twice before, but even so, he knew what was usually kept inside it-a variety of things, projects, that his boss had been working on, as part of the company. This company was mostly known for its connection with all things robotic. The company that Leon worked for was best known for the building, manufacturing, and construction of androids.The main focus of the company was to build androids that could function, interact, and live in daily life-as part of what was known as the human world, the real world.

Ryan then turned toward the door by the alcove, and walked inside it once his face was scanned. He walked out a few moments later, rolling something that was covered by a white sheet. Leon looked at it with amusement, and seeing this, with a smile, Ryan said, “This...is what I’ve been wanting to show you”. Suddenly, Ryan placed one hand on the sheet, and removed it, revealing something underneath,

Leon gasped, and stood, looking in awe. Standing before him now, next to Ryan, was the most beautiful android he had ever seen. The android was female-with a long curvaceous body, pale skin, narrow facial features, short auburn hair, and big blue eyes. Although she was only an android, she looked a lot like a human and to Leon, seemed very lifelike.

“Wow”, Leon said finally, a few moments later. He turned to Ryan. “You were right...she’s...she’s beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!” 

Ryan laughed. “I told you she was, Leon. And she is”.

“What’s her name?”

“Shauna”.

“Shauna?”

“Yes”.

Leon turned towards her, and smiled. “Hi, Shauna. I’m Leon. Pleased to meet you”. Shauna didn’t respond immediately, and it was then that Ryan cut in. “She hasn’t been switched on yet. My apologies”. With that, Ryan reached behind Shauna, and turned on what Leon guessed was some sort of switch, and she suddenly came alive; turning her head, and blinking her eyes.

Ryan glared at her intently for a moment and said, “Hi, Shauna. It’s Ryan...your creator. I have someone I would like you to meet. He’s quite a nice guy, and his name is Leon”. Ryan stepped aside, so that she could get a better look. When she saw Leon, Shauna smiled, and Leon smiled at her. “Hello, Leon. I’m Shauna. I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance”, she replied, a female robotic voice emitting from her. 

“I’m pleased to meet you too. Shauna”, Leon replied, still smiling. “My, I must say, you are absolutely stunning!” 

Shauna laughed. “Why thank you, Leon. You’re quite good looking yourself”. The smile on Leon’s face spread even wider. “Why thank you, my love. Hell, I’m always likely to compliment a pretty girl when I see one”. Shauna laughed again, and put her hand up to her mouth.

Ryan turned to Leon again. “Quit flirting with Shauna! Jesus, Leon, I didn’t know the first thing you would do when you first saw Shauna would be to flirt with her!”

Leon glared back at Ryan with an un-amused expression. “I’m not flirting with her. I’m just giving her a compliment”.

“Well, whatever it is, it looks like flirting to me”, Ryan replied. He then turned back towards Shauna again. “My apologies, Shauna. I didn’t realize he’d be such a flirt”.

“Oh, I don’t mind”, Shauna replied. “I don’t mind at all”.

Ryan then turned to Leon again. “So...what do you think of her?”

Leon chuckled slightly. “I think she’s wonderful, to say the least”.

“You did well”.

Ryan smiled. “Thanks”.

***

The rest of the day went as it usually did. Leon got off of work at 6:30, and was home by 7:00. When he got home, he parked his car in the driveway, and after he got out, walked up to his front door, and once his face was scanned, he stepped inside his house, and let out a sigh of relief. Finally, the work day was over, and Leon had a chance to unwind. He walked into his living room, set down his briefcase, and proceeded to take off his coat.

Suddenly, a sudden sound at his front door caught his attention, and he perked up, turning his gaze towards the door. It was probably nothing, he thought. Maybe he thought he’d heard something when he hadn’t. However, he was wrong. There was another sound on his door. Hearing this, Leon’s heart began to beat, and paranoia flooded through him.

He went to the window, and pulled back the curtains. He didn’t dare go towards the door. When he looked through the window, however, his heart sank, and he immediately regretted his decision. Standing there, peering through the window back at him, was a girl holding a huge knife, with a crazed look in her eyes. But it wasn’t just some normal girl. It was Shauna, and she had the look of an insane person plastered across her robotic face.

Leon let out a scream of terror, and fell to the floor, Once he got back up, before he had much of a chance to do anything at all, Shauna smashed the window using her knife, and began to climb into the house. Leon backed away, terrified, not knowing what to do. When her crazed gaze met his, she held the knife up saying, “Kill Leon”, over and over again. After several moments of panicking, an idea went off in Leon’s brain, and he knew exactly what he was going to do, even if he hated having to do it. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the knife from her hands, which was a bit of a struggle, and pointed it at her.

“No, Shauna. No. Dear, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but something’s just not right here. I’m sorry to have to do this to you, Shauna. I’m really sorry”. Tossing the knife aside, Leon then jumped behind Shauna, and ran to the kitchen, where he quickly rummaged through the drawers until he found a screwdriver. Once he found it, he managed to back Shauna into a corner, and with her back facing him, he quickly began unscrewing her backside with the screwdriver to get to her batteries. Shauna thrashed violently in protest all while he did this. Leon managed to get to her batteries successfully, and when he did, he yanked as hard as he could, and to his surprise, he managed to pull Shauna’s batteries out. When he did this, she suddenly stopped moving, and froze in place, as if she were a statue. She had been powered off at last.

(This post is a slightly jumbled view on my transition into adulthood with cerebral palsy).

Transitioning into adulthood, if I must admit, can be a very scary thing. Learning to properly be an adult can be confusing and daunting, whether you have a disability or not. Today, I’d like to discuss what transitioning into adulthood with cerebral palsy has been like for me. Before I do, though, I’d just like to note that I’m not speaking on behalf of everyone with CP transitioning into adulthood, because everyone’s experiences with this is different. I’m only drawing from my own experiences.

Aging with cerebral palsy has been something that’s always scared me, and for a while, I didn’t think I’d be okay, with transitioning into adulthood. I also wasn’t sure how independent I was going to be, or what the future of my life with cerebral palsy was going to look like. For a few years, it seemed as though I was going to be living with assistance, and essentially have a caretaker. I was very upset with this potential outcome, and rightly so, because I viewed living with assistance as something that would take away from my independence, which I didn’t want. (My independence has always mattered a lot to me, throughout most of my life, and having it limited went against everything I wanted for myself. One of my ultimate goals in life is to live the life I want...to live life the way I see it, and make it my own). The possibility of living with assistance only arose because back then, when I was younger, I couldn’t be trusted to do things on my own, because I had people in my life who didn’t believe I could fend for myself, and do things on my own. Plus, when I was younger, I was very unaware of the world around me, which I feel as though didn’t make me seem like I was very independent. Not only that, it just wasn’t helpful, and made my parents worry for me even more. Now, the narrative on this has changed, and while I will still need help with some things, I’m pleased to say that I won’t be needing to live with full-on supervised assistance, and should be moving into a place of my own very soon. Managing to go against everyone’s expectations, as an individual living with cerebral palsy, makes me feel good.

One common misconception people have, when they think about conditions such as cerebral palsy, (because it is a condition, and not a disease like people assume, which is completely false) their mind automatically goes to more severe cases of CP, which is associated with individuals not being able to walk, talk, and care for themselves. Cerebral Palsy is a spectrum of conditions, and can affect people who have it in different ways. People, to me it seems, hardly ever consider cases like mine. I was born with mild cerebral palsy, and am on the high functioning end of the spectrum, meaning that I can do a lot more things for myself. (While this is the case, I can’t do everything for myself...like drive, for example). Despite these misconceptions, I’m not going to let cerebral palsy define me.

I would describe myself as being a pretty independent person, and over this past year, I’ve been pleased with watching my independence grow. With this, I would also describe my transition into adulthood to be a smooth one, but I didn’t always picture it to be as smooth. My independence didn’t start to grow until I began having independent thoughts of my own. In fact, because of this, I’ve even started doing more things on my own, as a result. For years, I honestly didn’t know how my transition into adulthood with cerebral palsy would go, but now that my independence has grown, I’m not nearly as scared as I once was. I’ll admit, as a person with CP, I never thought that my independence would be at the level it’s at now, but I’m glad it is. One of the things that has helped make my transition into adulthood less scary is by learning how to advocate for myself, along with developing my independence. I think that’s the most important thing, to be honest. After all, you’re parents aren’t going to be around forever, so you need to learn how to advocate for yourself. 

I understand that while I can do more things for myself then I expected, I can’t do everything for myself, and with the things I can’t do, I’m going to have to learn how to get around my challenges. I’m not afraid to modify whatever I need to. All that matters to me is that I’m living a good quality of life, regardless of my disability. Letting my disability hold me back, I know, won’t help me in life, and I don’t want to live life viewing my disability as a setback. That being said, though, I understand that I will still continue to have bad days with my disability, and I want to continue to preserver through them. (Believe it or not, I too have mental health struggles occasionally, and it really sucks).

Manchester, England - the place where Knolls Village is located, as well as being the place where a majority of the events of the second book in The Stacey Williams Chronicles trilogy, This Damaged World, occur.

London, England - the place where the world of Emblem City lays beneath, (since its technically underground) and where a majority of the events within The Stacey Williams Chronicles trilogy take place.

Earlier this month, I began the much needed rewrite of my first book, Saving Emblem City, which is book one in The Stacey Williams Chronicles, which is my YA fantasy trilogy. (I’m very aware that I talk about it a lot on this blog, but I honestly can’t help myself. I love talking about my books and various other writing projects! Talking about writing is the primary focus of my blog. I decided to create a blog talking about writing because I wanted to. I wanted a place where I can talk about my true passion in life, which is where this blog came to be, 2-3 years ago). On this blog, I want to cover various topics relating to writing, from my perspective on writing advice, to chronicling various aspects of my writing process, to expressing the struggles that come with being a writer. This is what I want this blog to be, and that’s what I’m going to make it. I want to talk about what matters to me, and I’m going to do so.

One aspect of the writing process that I really want to cover is rewriting. As the saying goes, writing really is all about rewriting, and I feel like chronicling that with all of you, which is why I’ve decided to write updates, talking about my rewriting process, as I rewrite Saving Emblem City. (I feel like this aspect of the writing process isn’t being talked about enough, and with that, I’m choosing to document my experiences with it here on my blog).

PART ONE-MY THOUGHTS ON STARTING OVER:

Starting over isn’t easy, but sometimes it’s necessary. As of a few months ago, I knew that I needed to start over, and that doing so (in my opinion) was what I needed to do, and would be my next plan of action. During the summer, as I began brainstorming a plan for how I wanted to revise each of the books in The Stacey Williams Chronicles, I knew that rewriting book one would be the way I’d approach revisions for it. The moment came when I was reflecting on all the changes I wanted to make within the original story, and as new elements for a rewrite started forming in my head. While I am still using some of the bare bones from the original story, I’m also adding new things to incorporate in this new draft that weren’t in the original. Plus, one other reason I want to do the rewrite is because I’ve noticed problems within the original that I want to change and expand upon that I didn’t do the first time. (I’m not bashing myself for this at all, by the way. I’m just pointing out all the things I’m realizing now. I will say, though, while I am proud of myself for the fact that I wrote and managed to publish this book, I’m also bothered by it at the same time, because of the fact that the original is out there in the world, when I have all these changes I’m making in this new draft. One of the main things I want to do with this rewrite is make it A LOT better then the original was. I’ve honestly learned so much since that time, and my growth as a writer is much better now). The point is, though, having to start over doesn’t hurt me. In fact, I’m energized by this rewrite, and I’m glad I’m deciding to do it.

PART TWO-MY PROGRESS SO FAR:

 Although I started the SEC rewrite not to long ago, I’m not very far into the rewrite, and I am more than ok with that.  Last night, I finish writing chapter 2, which is titled The Holographic Knight,  and  I plan to start writing chapter 3-THE MAGICAL BOAT-within the next few days or so. To be honest, I’m not in much of a rush to get it done. With this rewrite, my main goal is to take as much time as I need with it, and not stress over it.  I’m not even going to worry about the fact that this rewrite is a first draft.  I just want to enjoy every moment of the writing process behind it, and fix any changes to the draft later, in the revision phase.

PART THREE-THE MUSIC IVE BEEN LISTENING TO DURING THIS REWRITE:

This is something, that, in my previous posts, I don’t talk about much, but would like to as well.  Music has always played a huge role throughout my life, and also just so happens to be an Integral part in my writing process.  Music is one of the main ways I fuel myself during a writing session. It allows me to get into the writing zone, and I perfer having it when I work. While I can write in silence, I like listening to music while I write even more. There’s something about music that just does it for me. I’ve discovered that music can open me up creatively, and help inspire me to write, and is one of my writing triggers. I’m a big fan of the moments where I can just drown out the world with music, write to my heart’s content, by allowing my imagination to grip hold of me. With that being said, I can listen to music with and without lyrics. (However, I can occasionally get distracted when it comes to music with words, but that doesn’t happen too often). Lately, I’ve been primarily listening to instrumental music, during this rewrite. I’ve been really loving the music of an independent composer from Australia named Peter Gundry. I personally think his music is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. He’s a composer of mostly dark fantasy, Celtic, vampric, orchestral, and emotional music, and I genuinely can’t get enough of his work! His pieces are very immersive, which I absolutely love. Alongside Peter Gundry, though, another artist I tend to listen to a lot during a writing session is Ellie Goulding. Music is something that’s really special to me, and as a writer, I don’t know where I’d be without it.

PART FOUR-CONCLUSION:

Writing a book is a very difficult project to take on, but I feel as though that difficulty is amplified when you choose to write a series or trilogy. I’m saying this because with a series or trilogy, authors are spending a lot more time with the same characters and world of their story, (since it’s being expanded upon) unlike a standalone, where the story is completed in one book. (I’m not saying that writing a standalone ISN’T hard. I just don’t have experience with that yet). There’ s just so much more to writing a trilogy-an entire behind the scenes view-that I feel as though isn’t being talked about enough, and that is expressing the various difficulties of writing a trilogy. The idea for this post came to my mind when I was reflecting on my experiences with writing a trilogy, and what doing so has really been like for me. (This is a project I’m still working on today, and has been one of the biggest commitments of my life so far, due to the fact that I’ve been working on it for five years already, which honestly blows my mind!). All the frustrations and doubts I’ve had throughout this process sticks with me, which inspires me to give this particular behind the scenes look of writing a trilogy. Each of these three big picture things also tie in to why writing The Stacey Williams Chronicles trilogy has been so difficult for me, since I’ll be drawing from my personal experiences as well.

The way I see it, the most difficult parts of writing a trilogy are broken into three sections: The commitment working on a trilogy takes, making sure the entire trilogy makes sense logically, and ensuring that there’s enough story to tell over the course of three books. I see each of these reasons as the ‘big picture’ of why writing a trilogy is so difficult, and I’m going to talk about them all separately, within this post.

SECTION #1: The Commitment It Takes To Work On a Trilogy.

I feel like this is pretty self explanatory. Commitment to a trilogy isn’t a short-lived thing, and this sort of commitment can vary. This is because, with a trilogy, a lot of development, groundwork, and plotting goes into it, and that alone is what requires all this commitment. The time it takes to develop entire plotlines, character arcs, and the arc of the trilogy as a whole isn’t a quick process, and can usually take years, and is genuinely a lot of hard work. In my experience, one of the main reasons why The Stacey Williams Chronicles trilogy has taken me five years so far, is because of how much developing I’m doing to it, in terms of plotline, worldbuilding, character arcs, and the arc of the trilogy as a whole, especially since the genre I’m writing in is fantasy. (In fact, there are still new things I’m discovering about it even now. I won’t give any spoilers away, but I recently discovered the motivation behind one particular character who’s introduced in the third book, which not only explains the reason behind why he does what he does, but-I also feel like-adds more logic to the story that was missing before I’d figured this out. If I hadn’t figured out his motivation, then the plot of the whole book-the plotline of the entire trilogy, really-would’ve had one MAJOR plot hole within it. And that’s something I REALLY hope I can prevent). However, not only does development of a trilogy require the most commitment, but so does writing each book as well. Once the first draft of each book is written, though, the writing process doesn’t end there, because next comes revisions, which is crucial for any story if you want to make it better. You must revise afterwards, no matter how many rounds of revisions and drafts each book goes through. The only way to make it better is by revising. I can’t stress this enough! The second reason why working on my trilogy has taken me so long is because I’m someone who’s typically a slow drafter, and with that, the writing process-including revisions-of each book has literally taken me years. (I originally came up with the concept for book one of the trilogy in February of 2013, and since then, the other two books have followed, and with that, so has the concept for the trilogy as a whole, with development over time). These two reasons are what truly (to me) sum up the commitment working on a trilogy takes. In the end, though, you just have to be determined, because while it’ s a lot of work, developing and writing a trilogy ends up being worth it. 

SECTION #2: Making Sure Everything In The Trilogy Lines Up Logically.

This is the next key reason as to why writing a trilogy is so difficult. Making sure everything within the trilogy lines up in a way that’s logical takes a lot of work and thought, too. With doing this, it’s important to make sure that there aren’t any plot holes within a trilogy, because logic will make the story better. The reason why logic is so important is because it gives reasoning behind why things such as events and character motivation are the way they are. (Again, this also goes back to my discovery of a particular character’s motivation within the third book, as well as some other things I’ve discovered about the trilogy as a whole).Plot holes are a pain to have to deal with, and can also open the doors for inconsistencies to crop up. One way to make sure everything lines up logically within whatever trilogy your trying to write, is to pay close attention to detail within your story, over the course of the three books, and if you notice anything off, go back and fix it. This can range from character motivation, to overall plot, to worldbuilding, to anything that’s significant to the trilogy, really. I get it, knowing where to look for plot holes can be a challenge, and understanding how to line things up logically takes practice, but I promise that you’ll learn how to do it eventually. You just have to develop a critical eye for this sort of thing, because it’ll be helpful, in the long run. (I’ve definitely developed this, and now know how to look at my work more critically, but even so, doing so took practice. When I first began writing eight years ago, I didn’t know nearly as much as I do now). Aside from developing and writing a trilogy, a writer should always know how it’s going to end, and what it’ll take to get there. This includes wrapping things up nicely, so that when the last page is reached, the story will feel satisfactory, with no more loose ends. (Once a trilogy is over, I feel as though the story should be completed, by the end of the last book. At this point, continuing the story would just be pointless).

And now, onto my last point.

SECTION #3: Having Enough Story To Tell Over The Course of Three Books.

When writing a trilogy, this is something a writer MUST take into consideration. Is the story long enough to tell over three books? This is important because not only does it determine whether or not a trilogy should be written in the first place, but it also determines how long this project is. Again, from my experience, the reason why I decided to write a trilogy, is because the story in my head ended up being longer than anticipated. I knew then that it wasn’t going to be finished in just one book, because I saw it going in different directions. (I discuss this more thoroughly in my blog post titled, Why I Chose To Write A Trilogy). The reason why knowing if you have enough story for three books can be so difficult is because sometimes, a writer may not know from the very beginning whether this is the case or not, and that’s totally okay! What matters, though, is that it’s figured out overtime. However, this is also where I find that doubt can set in, because then you wonder: is writing three books really necessary for this story? Is it even worth it at all? Will it make sense? These questions have definitely been the center of my doubt, when I first began developing The Stacey Williams Chronicles trilogy, around the time of outlining the second book, This Damaged World. During that time, I was met with a lot of doubt, and I began to wonder if turning my idea into a trilogy was even worth it. Strangely enough, while I knew that I wanted Stacey’s story to become a trilogy, I was doubting myself so much because I didn’t fully know where I wanted to take the arc of the trilogy. I had no third book planned, at the time! I only had the first one written, and the second one in the beginning stages of planning! This was the center of all of my doubts, because with no third book planned, I contemplated if writing a trilogy was even worth my time. However, luck did eventually strike me, because several months later-within 2015, the year I had written the sequel-the plot for book three sort of fell into my lap, and with that, I knew where I wanted to take the arc of a trilogy. With that, I actually had a trilogy to work with now! And the thought was very exciting to me, and still is very exciting to me, five years later. I absolutely love this trilogy, and will do all that I can to make it the best version. 

I know that in one of my last posts, I covered the topic of lessons I learned while writing my first book, Saving Emblem City. Today, I wanted to discuss a different angle to that: lessons I learned publishing my first book. (Now, this post isn’t to say that I’m NOT grateful for this opportunity, I AM VERY grateful for it, and that my dreams were able to come true, regardless. This post just centers around the lessons I’ve learned because of it. Also, this post is to not intentionally bash the company I used to publish my book).

When I was thirteen, I began writing my first book, and a year later, when I was fourteen, I finished writing the first draft. Around the time when I was fifteen, I published my first book, months after finishing the first draft. This is where my lessons from publishing come into play, and where I personally feel I went wrong with it.

Lesson #1: Never Publish A First Draft.  

As I said, shortly after I finished writing the first draft of my first book, I pretty much published it straight away, which is the first point I can acknowledge as to where I went wrong. As a result, since it’s a first draft, it’s resulted in a huge mess of a book that needs A LOT of work, with major plot inconsistencies threaded throughout. One very important piece of advice that writers should keep in mind is that you SHOULDN’T EVER publish a first draft, and this is something I wish I’d kept in mind. The lesson I learned from this is that taking time away from it, coming back to it, and doing however many edits and revisions you need, is VERY important. (This also accounts for taking time to improve your craft before you publish, and discovering on your own how you can make the first draft better. A first draft is just a place for you to tell the story on paper, then fix it later-not something you publish straight away after you finish). Needless to say, I’ve definitely learned from this mistake, and am currently in the process of re-plotting the book to prepare it for a much needed rewrite. (I’m pretty sure no author wants this for their book, especially if its a debut).

Lesson #2: Don’t Rush Into The Publishing Process When The Opportunity Arises.

This lesson is also one of my biggest takeaways when I published my first book. I was so eager, so desperate to publish my work, that I jumped into this process the moment it arose. (I jumped into it naively). With this, I wish I hadn’t been so eager to rush into it all. I wish I had taken the time to actually do more research into the publishing industry (along with doing a lot more work on my book), and the company I used to publish my book, XLIBRIS. This leads into my next few points.To be fair, though, I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, and I hope that the rest of the points within this blog post reflect that, because I am essentially also giving advice on what not to do when publishing a debut novel.

Lesson #3: Not Doing Enough Research.

This is another thing that really sticks with me. While I did do some research into the publishing industry, during the time when I was writing my first book, and after I’d finished it, I know that I didn’t do enough research, and didn’t know as much about the publishing industry like I do now. (Though I wouldn’t consider myself an expert). This even included not doing ANY research into XLIBRIS, which is a small publishing company that also specializes in self-publishing services that I had used to publish my first book. (To be fair, after I’d finished the book, I had my mom help me look into possible publishing options, and she was the one who first told me about XLIBRIS). Even still, I wish I had looked into them before deciding to go with them, because then I would be familiarizing myself with how this company does things, when it comes to all things books. 

Lesson #4: Publishing At A Young Age.

Now, I’m not saying that publishing at a young age is bad, but if I’m being honest, I wish I had waited until I was older and until I had improved my craft before I published. That way, my work would be more mature, and so much better than it is now. (I wonder what my debut year would’ve been like, had I published my first book now, at the age of 19, instead of 15). However, this isn’t to say that I’m mad that I got a book deal at such a young age. (In fact, I think that’s amazing! I just wish I’d been older when I dived into the publishing process. That is the only thing I would’ve done differently, when it came to my debut year).

Lesson #5: Not Doing Enough Editing/Rushing Through The Editing Process.

I think this lesson is pretty straightforward. Not doing enough editing and rushing through the editing process is not going to produce a good book in the end. (I strongly feel this way about my first book). Editing is a process that should never be rushed, and is one I think should be treated with care. Also, editing is so much more than just checking for spelling errors, and making sure various phrases and lines within the book sound great. Editing also includes big picture things about books, such as developmental edits, structure edits, copy edits, and content edits. These were all edits I had skipped on. When I went through the book, I barely did any proofreading of it, and just assumed that my book was good, but also, even with the editors I was working with, (and this isn’t meant to intentionally bash them) while I was given a few suggestions of things I could change, not a lot of suggestions came up. (I should also point out that with professional editors, their job is to also give the author more input on what they should change, and what is or isn’t working with the story, as well as giving the author notes as to how they should go about revising the book. This, looking back on it now, wasn’t something the editors over at XLIBRIS did for me, which is strange, but because of this, and also because of my initial skipping over the editing of the book, is why the book itself is such a mess). The  lesson I learned from this is that editing is extremely crucial for any book, and that in order to produce a good book in the end, editing should be treated with as much care as possible, and isn’t something that should ever be skipped over. While I did in fact do some self-editing on my own, I clearly didn’t do enough, and it shows in the book. But I still find it very strange that the editors over at XLIBRIS didn’t acknowledge anything that was problematic with various aspects of the book. (However, I am not placing the blame on them for this at all. Even so, this is also a huge reason why I personally don’t see myself working with them again. I’ve reached the point where I can recognize the big picture problems with my work, and I know how to look at my work with a critical eye, so that I can fix what I see is wrong with my work, but it is also nice to be aided by professional editors, who can help improve your work even more). One of my biggest newbie writing mistakes from back when I was first starting out was not catching big picture things that were wrong with my work, let alone knowing how to go through these sorts of edits on my own. All of that has completely changed now, and I know how to edit on my own, although I think having an extra hand with it would be nice, especially when it comes to professions, whether that be other fellow writers, or editors.

Those are the five lessons-the five crucial lessons-I learned while publishing my first book, Saving Emblem City. I hope fellow writers reading this, even though it mostly centers around the lessons I learned, can learn from this as well. I hope this post also provides some insight and advice on what you shouldn’t do when publishing your book, whether it’s your first or fifth. Helping others is another thing I really like to do, and giving insight is one of the ways I like to do so. Learning lessons is very important for anything, and being able to grow from them is an amazing thing. I know I won’t ever take my personal growth for granted.

In terms of revisions of their work, every author goes about it differently, and no process is the same. Whatever method an author uses to go about the revision process is unique to them, and I, even with my own current method, can verify this. As I’ve mentioned before, I am currently in the process of revising each novel within my YA fantasy trilogy, The Stacey Williams Chronicles. (I am currently on the second draft of the third book, The Burning Land). 

Revisions can vary within an author’s work, but mostly refer to things such as content, developmental edits, structure edits, line edits, etc. For me, my current revision process is quite simple. Even when writing a first draft, I start to become aware of the things I need to change within the story, and am sure of the many mistakes I made along the way, which can easily be fixed. When I mean that my revision process is simple, it really is. (To me, anyway).

Honestly, with revisions, I just dive right in. Yes, I will make mental notes of the things I need to change within the story, such as plot inconsistencies and things like that, but even so, I just dive in to it. Currently, a lot of these revisions include cleaning up things about the plot of the book itself, such as re-writing entire scenes and sections when I feel as though they haven’t come out right, line edits, structure edits, and developmental edits. For starters, I’m an overwriter, and I have a tendency to overwrite a lot of things, and go into way too much detail then is needed, and with this, I typically know exactly what to cut. 

This is why, when I dive in to revisions, being an overwriter, I know what to cut, and even to re-write, if necessary. (Which I’m having to do a lot of, but I’m very happy about it, nonetheless. Whatever I have to do to make the story better, I will). But yes, that’s my current revision process, and I’m curious to see whether it’ll change or not, with my other books. I’m one of those people who absolutely loves revising and editing, which is funny, considering that I used to hate it, and somewhat dread the process altogether. I don’t anymore, though.

Young Adult is one of the most recognized genres within our society today, and it’s also one that many writers gravitate towards. (There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, because being a YA lover myself, I think the genre is really a great one to be in, and I mean that sincerely). Even I would consider myself to be primarily a young adult writer, because most of what I write falls into that category. But my love for YA actually started for me as a reader, and has just blended into my writing, and has become the genre I prefer to read and write. Today, I just want to discuss a bit more on why I write young adult fiction.

Now, to start off, I don’t write YA to come off as a relatable writer. I don’t write YA for the sole purpose of writing what others can relate to, or for writing for others within a specific age group. What I’mm trying to say is that I don’t write YA to appeal to anyone, due to the popularity of the genre. I just write for myself, and myself only.

I write young adult because it’s a genre that I truly love, and it’s one I don’t see myself leaving, even as I enter my twenties and beyond. I write young adult because it’s what I want to read. I personally think that some of the best writing advice is to write what you want to read. What I write is what I want to read, so that’s why I’m keeping at it. 

Plus, I just think the genre is really fun to write, and I love getting inside the head of characters who are teenagers, as well as getting to explore YA themes such as self discovery, first love, coming of age...that sort of thing. In fact, (because I know I’ve been known to mention this a lot here on my blog, but I’m trying to prove a point) my first trilogy, The Stacey Williams Chronicles, is YA, and I’ve had a blast being inside Stacey’s head, and getting to write her character, as well as getting to explore themes that she, as a teenager, would normally experience...with a slight twist, of course. That trilogy, I just know, will have a special place in my heart, because the storyline and the arc of the trilogy as a whole mean so much to me. I began writing my first book, Saving Emblem City-the first book in the trilogy-when I was 13. This trilogy has taken me a total of five years now, and I’m currently in the process of revising each book.

As someone who lives with cerebral palsy, I think the topic of disability and the overall representation of disability is a very important topic to discuss, and it’s one the world shouldn’t shy away from or not write about. With representation, people are given a chance to see themselves portrayed on screen, in books, and in mainstream media. With representation, it shows, portrays something, that people can relate to. And without representation, (specifically referring to disability) we don’t get that relatable element. We don’t get the chance to see ourselves portrayed enough, with whatever disability we have, and say, “That’s me! That character is portraying my disability, and is going through what I go through on a daily basis, and I can relate to that!” 

This is why I think representation is important. Because with it, this is what it entails, and being able to relate to something is an amazing feeling. Not only that, but representation should be done in a way that’s respectful and right. Now, what about when it comes to writing about disabled characters? What sort of things should be approached when writing about characters who have disabilities? (Whether it be physical, mental, or invisible). Well, that’s what I’d like to discuss with all of you. 

 When it comes to writing disabled characters, the important thing to keep in mind is that not all cases of whatever disability you’re writing about are the same, and that it can affect people who live with it in different ways. (Take Autism and Cerebral Palsy, for example). It’s also important to keep in mind that research is KEY when choosing to write about a topic like this, (for any able-bodied writers out there, or frankly even disabled writers, choosing to write about a disability different from their own), but also know that if a disabled writer choses to write about a character with the same disability as them, they are the only ones who can write that character more authentically, because they have personal experience with it. That’s the truth. They know exactly what that character is going through, and how to portray that character best. (You can’t just write about a topic you’re not familiar with without doing any research on it first).

However, when it comes to actually writing and portraying disabled characters, it’s important to do that in a way that doesn’t come off with any implications or assumptions about that disability, or disabled life in general. For instance, when writing a disabled character, you DON’T want to write them with the implication that disabled life is not living, or that that person is miserable in life because of their disability, or that their life will continue to be nothing but horrible due to their disability. Writing a disabled character with those implications, I feel like, really defeats the purpose, if you are aiming to write the character in a way you think to be respectful. THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT AT ALL, AND SHOULD NEVER BE DONE IN THAT WAY!

Also, when doing so, please keep in mind that not all disabled characters or people are “helpless”, and that we can’t do anything for ourselves. Despite the fact that someone may be disabled, doesn’t mean that they’re entirely helpless. There are some things that they can do for themselves just fine, but sometimes, there will come a time where they need help with something. Aside from research and all that, one other thing to consider when writing disabled characters, is how they truly feel about being disabled, and maybe even evoke a bit on some of the challenges they face in daily life. (Because I can definitely tell you now, being disabled really isn’t easy. At all). It’s also good to note to do the character representation justice with this, and to not do it in a mockery sort of way, because that’s definitely not cool, and if you’re anything like me, I find this sort of mockery to be very offensive.

The last point I wanted to adress is that writing from personal experience is great, too. (Mainly for disabled writers writing about characters with their same disability). Writing from personal experience, as a person with the same disability as their character, is one way to make things so much more realistic, and to really dig deep into what being disabled is really like. Doing this, I feel like, can make the story more enriched and relatable. The point with doing all of this, and with writing disabled characters, not only adds more diversity amongst the disabled community, but the big thing with this is that it’s purpose may also be to educate people as well...people who don’t understand life with a disability, and have never personally experienced it themselves. This could be your chance to give insight into that. In fact, I’m even planning on doing this myself, later on, with one of my future books. I’m planning on writing a character who also has cerebral palsy like me, and within his character, I’m going to write about some things that I have personally experienced with cerebral palsy, which to me, will make his story very realistic. The character’s name is Barett, and he, like me, has mild CP, but there are some differences between us. However, his story is mainly going to be a coming of age story, and one where he’s learning to accept himself for his disability, along with his bisexuality. (I’m not writing him as bisexual just to come off as more diverse. I’m writing him as bisexual because that’s how I originally see him).

Writing characters who are different than you isn’t easy, but it’s important to keep in mind that your doing this in a way that’s filled with justice, and will add more representation into the disabled community. But first: research, research, research. It’s always good to research as much as you can, if you’re writing about a topic you don’t know much on. 

As many of you know, if you’ve read the intro to my bio of what my blog is about, I address being a writer with cerebral palsy in the first line. Although I openly mention it, I have never discussed it with you guys before. What is being a writer with cerebral palsy really like? How do I even write at all, with a physical disability? This topic just came to my mind on a whim, and I thought-no, I knew-that I wanted to write about in a blog post. (Since I’m beginning to be more vocal about having cerebral palsy).

For me, being a writer with cerebral palsy is no different-it’s really not that complicated. My physical disability doesn’t get in the way of me being a writer either, in case you were wondering. (Well, in the case of handwriting vs. typing...while I do still have full use of both my hands, and CAN still handwrite, handwriting can be very hard for me at times, and takes me physically longer. With typing, I am much faster, and it’s the one out of the two that I prefer the most. That being said, though, I do like to write in a journal from time to time, and do so when I feel like I need to get something off my chest. That’s what journaling is for, after all).

As I said, my physical disability doesn’t get in the way of me being a writer-it really doesn’t. As a writer, I primarily write just novels, but have even bigger dreams of expanding my craft to writing scripts. (Mainly for stage, but I’d be very open to possibly writing for screen as well). I also write short stories as well, and while it’s something with my writing that I enjoy doing, it’s not something I do very often, but I have written a few. In fact, I’ve actually thought about doing this really cool thing with posting them. If any of you would be open to that, feel free to let me know. (I might just end up doing it anyway-might-not sure yet). 

But when it comes to my writing process-the act of writing as a whole-how do I do that with a physical disability? Well, with each of the three books I’ve written so far, I type all my books, and will continue to do that with everything I write in the future. If I were to ever handwrite an entire book, that would take me AGES to complete, because my fluency with writing by hand is not nearly as fast as my fluency with typing is. Now, as far as typing goes, I don’t type the way most people do. I don’t do it the way your taught. I don’t do it in a way that’s considered “normal”. I do it in my own way, a way that’s unique to me, and is one in which I’ve always known. To clarify, yes, I was taught the proper way to type-the using all your fingers on the keyboard way-and I did attempt it. I did. It’s just, typing on a keyboard with all my fingers is difficult for me, because of my hands, which tend to shake a lot. (They do, and at times, the shaking in my hands can vary. I sometimes have days where the shaking in my hands is really bad, and days where it’s not so bad).

The way I type is by using my two index fingers, and only my two index fingers. I’ve been using this method for years, and don’t see myself stopping. And I’m not self-conscious about it, either. And no, typing this way doesn’t take me very long at all. A lot of people might wander whether or not typing this way might take me, a person with mild CP, a long time, but I can say truthfully that it never has, Typing with my two index fingers doesn’t hinder me. My fingers don’t hurt, and my wrists hardly ever get tired. (With writing by hand, both my wrist and dominant writing hand tend to ache a lot more, but with typing, it’s not like that). In fact, with the books and short stories I’ve written, I’ve typed them all this way. I’m just glad that I found a way to type that works for me, and one that’s easiest for me, given the fact that I have a physical disability.

So, the point I’m trying to make with this blog post is that being a writer with cerebral palsy (at least in my experience) really isn’t that much different. Sure, I may do things differently than other people would, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t find adaptive ways to do the things that normal people would. Writing has been a part of my life for seven years now, and I don’t see myself EVER giving it up. Writing is something I’ve been very passionate about since I was eleven, and it’s something I have the motivation to try and make a career out of. My dream has been to establish myself as a writer, and I want to put myself out there, and hopefully make myself known in some way or another. My goal as a writer is to reach people with my work. I want to write things that other people can connect with, relate to, and truly enjoy. I’ve never been in writing for the money, and while making money doing what I love would be nice, all I care about is just getting my work out into the world, and hoping that it al least reaches someone-or better yet, a whole mass of people and fellow readers.

I have so many writing projects that I’d like to work on in the future, and I have an intense drive to make that happen someday, in some way or another, even if it’s on the side. I have so many visions for how I want my various projects to turn out, and my imagination is very vivid. The books I’ve written so far include Saving Emblem City, This Damaged World, and The Burning Land (previously known as The Ruined City). All three of these books are part of a trilogy called The Stacey Williams Chronicles. Saving Emblem City is the only one of them that is published, and I have plans to do some major editing/re-writing for it, as well as the other books in the trilogy. My hope is to get it republished after this happens-I would actually love to publish the entire trilogy someday. In addition to those books, I’m constantly outlining and thinking about other books that I want to write. Currently, I am in the stages of outlining a completely different book titled A Heart of Shattered Glass, which is not a part of the Emblem City Universe.