Behind the Scenes of My Debut Novel's Journey

Writing a novel is often portrayed as a solitary endeavor, filled with inspiration and creativity. However, the reality is much more complex. My journey to publishing my debut novel was a rollercoaster of emotions involving moments of triumph, overcoming challenges, and embracing small miracles. In this post, I will take you behind the scenes of my writing process, the hurdles I faced, and the lessons I learned along the way.

Close-up view of a typewriter with a blank page

The Spark of Inspiration

Every story begins with an idea. Run-in with a Royal traces its origins to January of 2019 when an idea for a story first entered my mind. An incognito prince and his bodyguard best friend encounter a seriously ill young woman on the side of dark and rainy English country road. In romance terms, that's what they call the meet cute. I just thought it interesting and let my mind go from there. I managed to capture the intial concept and wrote a few chapters. Then -- life got in the way. For years. As a busy wife, mom, and school teacher there was never enought time to finish the story. So it sat, in a folder on my laptop, gathering the proverbial virtual dust.

Retirement is upon me now, and with it the freedom to write and to finish this idea that has been sitting and waiting to be heard for over seven years. I think it's waited long enough.

Finding My Voice

One of the first challenges I discovered was how to go about finding my voice - one that is unique to me and to apply it with consistency across the range of characters in a way that rang true to their personalities. I hope I have accomplished that in this novel. I have always been a voracious reader of more than 100-200 books a year. My experience as a consumer of romantic fiction is a wide variety of forms coupled with an abiding appreciation for the talent of other authors and their interpretations of the romance genre were critical factors in my own personal journey to finding my voice. The result, I hope, is a mixture of introspection, humor, and emotion that will resonate with others who love to read about love.

The Writing Process

I can be doggedly determined when I decide to pursue a goal. Once I made the decision to finish the story idea for Run-in with a Royal, the writing was remarkably easy. I had already drafted almost half of the chapters in fits and starts over the intervening years and had been carrying the remainder of the story in my head for a long for a very long time. It was as if a valve had been opened, and the words and images, grateful for the release of the pressure that had been holding them back came pouring out.

Drafting the Manuscript

As I began to complete the draft of my manuscript, I found that writing in the early mornings when I was fresh and rested worked well. My goal was words and ideas on paper with very little self-editing. I was lucky that I knew the story and the characters who had taken up residence rent-free in my brain, so never experienced an issue with the dreaded writers block that I have heard about. What I did find useful, were moments when I took a break for research purposes. These were straightforward more analytical tasks that served to provide a break from the creative process. In the course of my research, I also learned a lot, which, as a former educator I highly encourage in others and plan never to stop doing myself.

The Revision Stage

Once I completed my first draft, I paused for approximately one hour of mental high-fives and celebration and then began with revisions. The manuscript was heavy at over 105,000 words. I began by using some editing tools that provided excellent date on words usage and high frequency words, adverbs, long paragraphs, etc. Armed with that data, I began the process of finding opportunities to either cut, revise, or keep. It was a daunting and tediously time-consuming process; however the final manuscript was much improved for having done it. All told, I made more than sixteen individual passes through the manuscript targeting specific words or phrases, or other aspects related to dialogue tags and the consistency of specific character voicing. Once the editing was complete, I sat down and reread the fully edited manuscript from start to finish as a reader. I made notes on issues with inconsistencies in both the storyline, the timeline, or the characters and identified remaining opportunities to further tighten specific scenes to improve overall pacing. Using those notes, I made yet another round of edits. All told, it was a LOT. I hope you find the diligence and hard work paid off when you read the book.

Seeking Feedback

I have shared my manuscript with trusted friends and family members. Their feedback is invaluable, and provides fresh perspectives and constructive criticism. Based upon their feedback, I will polish the manuscript one final time before releasing in on Amazon's website.

The Publishing Journey

I feel confident enough in my manuscript to have begun the publishing process. Self-publishing was an easy decision for me. I was not interested in query letters and lengthy traditional publishing timelines. I also like the control the self-publishing process gives me over my work. As a first-time novelist, the learning curve has been steep - everything from obtaining ISBN numbers to properly formatting the manuscript for ePub and print output to cover design decisions. Knowing this book is the first in planned series made it worth the investment to learn the steps and I am confident that process will be easier for book 2. Next steps: I will learn to wear a marketing hat to promote my work. I've started with an author website and will learn more about social media platforms like BookTok and Instagram. I know there will be more for me to learn and do, but as with all things in life, it will take time. This is a journey -- and I've only just now taken my first tentative steps.

Lessons Learned

Reflecting on where I am now and what I will take away from this experience, I realize that writing and publishing a novel is about much more than the end product. It is about growth, and resilience, and persistence. Some days are better than others and that is to be expected. And I've learned that dreams do come true.

Final Thoughts

As I prepare for the release of my debut novel, I am filled with gratitude for the journey that brought me here. Writing is a labor of love, and I hope my story inspires others to pursue their own creative endeavors.

If you’re an aspiring writer, remember that every journey is unique. Embrace the challenges, learn from them, and keep writing. Your story deserves to be told.

Call to Action

I invite you to share your own writing journey in the comments below. What challenges have you faced, and what lessons have you learned? Let’s support each other as a creative community!