Beginnings & Milestones

Hello World.

Truth be told, I haven't had an honest-to-god blog since I was in high school (which was more than 15 years ago, yikes). In that time, they've become a "thing" meant to drive SEO and share recipes and broadcast opinions and make money. The last time I used one, it was, more or less, a diary. A very public, very melodramatic diary.

I say this to say— please bear me as I get my sea legs. I'm new to this, figuring it out as I go, and the only thing bigger than my fear of starting is my desire to share what's been happening in my life. I feel like I'm entering choppy waters; who knows what might happen. So, grab a life preserver and let's dive in.

I finished my first manuscript. Yeah, I did that! 115,000 words of a completely new world filled with completely new people. Funny enough, it took me 9 months to finish. Some people joke about their book being their baby, but I have gestation time to prove it.

Of course I know that there's a lot more work to do. I'm under no illusions that this draft is a good draft. And speaking as a first-born child, I know that there's an unspoken pressure that comes with being the first thing created by someone (is it weird that I just compared birth order to manuscript order? probably).

Okay, so maybe not exactly 115,000 words...

So, I'm trying to not put that pressure on this book or myself. I'm excited to take it further, sort through the story I've put together and make it so good, readers can't put it down. But I'm not expecting it to be perfect, which is a hard thing for me to admit. Like I said, I'm figuring this out as I go— not just the blog, but the whole writing thing. Keeping with the baby analogy, now I have to parent this thing into being the best version of itself, so when it's out on its own in the world, it has a fighting chance.

What I'm trying (and failing) to say is that I plan to use this blog to write about writing now that I've written something and want it to see the light of day. I expect it's going to be tumultuous and hard and having a place I can turn to is going to be good for me. And maybe for you too! At the very least, you can laugh at the meltdowns I'm likely to have. It's okay, I won't be offended.

Thanks for reading and coming along with me on this ride.

L.A. Rogers