Lason, My First Book
The Whys and Struggles
To start with, I have always had a very active imagination -- almost to a
fault. I never wanted to write a book and, being dyslexic, never thought I
could. For my day job I do write technical documentation, along with computer
scripting and programming, but none of it prepared me for writing a novel. I
made every newb mistake possible. I wish I was a better writer and could
actually do justice to the hundreds of stories rattling around in my head. I
don't really plan on writing another book, but then I didn't plan on writing
this one either. I once defined writing as having to make thousands and
thousands of decisions and never being happy with any of them.
So why did I do it? Below is a Facebook post I did during the creative stage.
I loved this stage. It was a pure rush of inspiration that I could not dump
out of my head fast enough. I don't know how to describe it, but at some
point I decided to see it through. Sometimes I push myself to do very hard
things so I can grow and learn.
First, I wrote the story from Lason's viewpoint from the beginning to the end.
Then I did the same for Kelly and later added others. I then had to merge
them together. My first attempts failed, and even now many details have been
cut to maintain the arc of the story. Some of it I was able to add back in as
flashbacks.
The part of the project I enjoyed most was all the learning. I learned so
much, and I love learning new things. I loved learning the technical side of
it (like formatting the book for print, epub, kindle, etc.) and playing with
Kindles, Nooks, Androids, iPads, and Windows tablets to make everything look
how I wanted. It is far from perfect, but I hope it is enjoyable.
The parts I hated were the massive rewrites, edits, and the hours and hours
of struggling to make it better. Not only that, but also paying for
professional reviews and then having to address the issues involved in that
process. I have read this book so many times, and some sections of it have
been reworded over and over. I would rank this as one of the hardest things
I have ever done. Again, far from perfect, but I hope it is understandable
and enjoyable.
Was it worth it? I don't know yet, but I am very happy I stuck with it.
Facebook Post
I have never been more obsessed with a book then I am with this book.
Every minute of every day it is my thoughts. Every break at work even if it
is only two minutes long I spend with it. Every evening when I come home I
go straight for the book. I am with it five to six hours a day. I am having
problems sleeping because I can't stop thinking about it. I have skipped
dinner almost every night. I have not filled my proscriptions because I
keep forgetting. I don't go to the bathroom when I should because I can't
leave it. My neck is stiff from hours being with it. My wife wonders who I
am. This has been going on for weeks. For the first couple of weeks I hid it
from everyone. If someone walked into the room I would hide it. My wife
didn't know about it until last week and now she is sick of me talking
about it. My son living at home does not know about it. I am obsessed and
I cannot stop. The characters continue to grow and expand. Their unique
personalities continue to develop. After all these hours I still don't even
know the name of the book. It may take months and I may need help but I
can't stop. I am possessed yet in the end it will most likely end up
being worthless. A big waste of time.
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