Falling Backwards

 

December 1, 2021: the book is officially in its final stage. It took six months to write, three months to wait patiently and see if it was accepted by a publisher, a month and a half between myself and my editor for revisions and edits, and about a week for final revisions and grammar checks. 

And… According to my Spotify Wrapped 2021 List 32,528 minutes of music!

What I have learned from this experience? A few things actually and here they are… In no specific order.

1. Being rejected is a rite of passage. I was rejected on my first try and I was terribly disappointed in myself. I felt like a failure and I pouted for an entire weekend. I sat with my depression and cried. I felt defeated and gutted. But then, I pulled myself back up and submitted to more places because I didn’t want to give up on this dream. I wanted to prove to myself that I could and would and I did. 
2. Music, a memory, and the Pandemic made me do it. So if you feel called to any sort of creative energy, please ride that wave and see where it takes you. It might very well lead to a spectacular destination. 
3. This didn’t happen over night! I have been writing my entire life and I have always dreamed of getting a book published. This career path has been on every vision board I have ever created. Timing is everything and although I have written many short fictional stories, they were nothing like this. This was divine timing at work. The premise, the energy, the creative spark, and dedication all aligned when they were supposed to but the foundation has been getting carefully built for decades. 
4. You will most definitely step away for a bit. Don’t feel bad about this. Your brain will be fried and your eyes will start to hurt. Your back will get tense and you will not only be physically drained but mentally as well. Take a few days or a week or however long you need to recharge. It’s the only way you will survive. Just don’t take forever. It’s a book not a life sentence and I promise you, you don’t need years to get this done. You just have to commit and multitask your time. 
5. Not everyone will like your work. You will experience negative feedback from critics, strangers, and even people you know. Before, during and even after this process. It’s part of the gig so get some thick skin. Regardless, don’t let this crush you. Writing a book is no easy feat. It’s an intense mountain to climb and the fact that you are hiking it, says more than any naysayer ever will. God willing, my book will be successful! The few negative experiences I have already endured are preparing me for what possibly could come? Jealousy? Criticism? Rejection? Opposition? It all comes with the territory. However, just as much as there is this; there will be a crowd of folks that completely love every word you wrote. They will support you and this adventure. Focus on them instead of the killjoys. Haters are a dime a dozen and should not be allowed to dictate how you feel towards the things you are passionate about.
6. By the end of the book writing process, you will understand why so many people never want to look back at their book. You will understand why musicians clinch up when asked about that one specific song. Lol. I honestly won’t have time to read my novel once it’s on shelves because I will be working on the second one in the series and I am actually happy about that. I have done nothing but eat, sleep, and ingest this book for about a year. I am ready to move on with the next one. I am ready for the cover and to see it on shelves instead of staring aggressively back at me on my computer screen. It needs to be in your care now. 
7. I am terrified. Every time I hit send after something needs to be done to it, my heart races and my palms get sweaty. All the what ifs come rushing in. I am hoping this is normal and I assume that it is but it still needed to be said. Being anxious doesn’t necessarily mean this is a negative emotion. It just is. It’s a weird and nervous excitement. 
8. There will be a lot of red. The book you started out with will evolve into a whole other beast. This is good and the reason why you have a team of editors. They are the professionals in this sector. Be a sponge and allow yourself this experience for growth. It’s a lesson that you need and a lesson that will teach you how to become a stronger writer. Do not get discouraged or overwhelmed or feel insulted. All the red markups and revisions in my book were created by me, after my initial meeting with my editor. It took three weeks of every spare second I had to do this and with this task, took my book to the next level. I am more confident about it and love the direction it took. None of this would have been done without me taking my ego out of the equation. No one is perfect and experts in fields were created for a reason. When I had my second meeting with my editor, her tone completely changed. She liked my first book and compared me to Jane Austin but the second round she loved. She loved everything. She loved that I got it done as quickly as I did. She loved that I took all her suggestions and had fun with them. She loved that I allowed her to guide me and was open to suggestions. She loved my titles, characters, sex scenes, and the ending. She compared this newer version to Bridget Jones Diary. And I couldn’t be prouder. 
9. This has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do but I am doing it and have since decided it’s the only career that will truly make me the happiest. I should have listened to my mom years ago when she said,“I wish you would focus on your writing and send more things out. I wish you would make this your profession.” Then again, as I said before everything works within its own timeframe. Trust the process.
10. You are never too old or too young to chase your dreams. Those adversities that throw you off course or just obstacles and hurdles you have to overcome. Life is full of them and they don’t just come with chasing goals. You can let them break you are you can take what you learned and keep going. There is nothing wrong with detours because as long as you know where you want to end up, you will get there eventually. At the end of the day though, the choice is yours. Either go after what you want or don’t? Both choices will still come with their own set of complexities. 

What a wild writing ride it’s been but you know what? I wouldn’t have changed a damn thing along the way. And although this is just a list of ten, I feel certain that the further I dive into these uncharted waters, the longer this list will grow. 

Thank you for swimming with me and look for me in 2022! 

~x~

The Blogging Bae

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EUMDoJuT8yJsl?si=RUdnq6hzSr6rAQecktM6hw