I've been away from the blogosphere for a while. With all my kids home for summer break, I find it much harder to spend time on social media. But with an end of the summer deadline for the sequel to CATALYST looming, I've been working hard on writing and now revising the sequel. And when I'm immersed in a project, I tend to ignore social media. I tell you all this as a very long, drawn-out excuse of why you haven't seen me around much. :)
So here's the IWSG question for the month:
What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?
This is a great question! I always tell people that the very first manuscript I wrote was an adult contemporary romance (a sweet romance.) But it's actually NOT the first. My first piece of writing was a YA contemporary novel about a girl and a boy living on two different continents. It was inspired by my husband's life as he lived for a while in South Africa and graduated from high school there. But I got three-fourths of the way through and never finished. Then I had the idea for the adult romance and started writing that one instead.
They are both collecting virtual dust on my laptop, with the hope that someday I can take those ideas and write a better story. I was a newbie when I wrote those stories. I had no idea how much I needed to learn and how much I would yet learn. And even now, I'm still learning and improving my craft. With each story I write, I can see the improvement.
In truth, I'm almost scared to go back and reread one of those first stories—I have a feeling I'll be cringing much of the way through!! Lol.
What was your first piece of writing? Is it published?
My first piece of writing is too horrid to ever be published. So are many of the ones that followed it, LOL. Hope you don't end up cringing too much, if you do ever revisit your early stories!
ReplyDeleteAlso, best of luck with your sequel! Not surprised at all that this has been distracting you from the blogosphere. Productivity should always come first!
That's something I love about writing - being able to learn and grow and improve in the craft. :)
ReplyDeleteThat YA contemporary story sounds good, like the type of YA book I'd want to read. I hope you do pick it up one day. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I didn't realize there was a question for the month! And that gif totally made me laugh! And I just scrolled back up took another look, and I'm still laughing. Perhaps b/c that's what I feel like I'm currently writing right now, heh. =)
ReplyDeleteEven now, I have a couple of unfinished (only partly started) stories that got set aside as ideas for a new story popped into my head and took over. This time I swear to stick with the story until it's finished.
ReplyDeleteI know I would cringe if I read my earlier stuff. That was so many years ago.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that he lived in SA. (I live here now. ;-))
ReplyDeleteYou should revisit them again someday. You'll probably rewrite and even greater story.
ReplyDeleteMine are long gone. I'd read them with a glass of wine and a notepad. There could be some gems waiting to inspire you. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
I've cringed when rereading old stuff, but there is usually at least a paragraph or two that reminds me why I was so excited to write the story. I second Anna on the glass of wine and a notepad!
ReplyDeleteI cringe when I crack open my first piece, but at the same time, I'm proud to say I've improved over the years. :) Hope your summer is going well, and happy writing!
ReplyDeleteYou should totally go back and read them. Not even kidding. You may find more gems than you thought possible--and you may find you didn't suck as bad as you think. It's a pleasant experience, and refreshing to see something you wrote just for the love of it. I kinda miss those days. How about you?
ReplyDeleteBoy, the YA about the two kids in different countries sounds so intriguing! I definitely think you should go back and at least take a look. I still like the concept of my first novel, but like you, I made a lot of newbie mistakes. If I ever revisited it, I'd have to rewrite the whole thing probably, although I wouldn't change the main storyline.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who slows to a near stop in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI have several half-finished, half-baked stories gathering virtual dust. I prefer to follow the shiny idea.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe, you won't be cringing. Maybe, you'll see potential and decide that it is time to resurrect them and make them great stories. At least, I hope so.
All the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia
Don't cringe. There's probably a kernel of an idea there that you can use. And you'll write it so much better now.
ReplyDeleteOh, better idea. Think of those stories as your training. How many words does it take before we become true writers? Those were practice words.
Sometimes it's fun to look back:) I remember I wrote a story as a kid, printed it out, cut the pages by hand and put it together with staples and electric tape. It already looked like an artifact then;)
ReplyDelete