Milestones: The First Story I Ever Wrote

[update 1 yr later: having divided my efforts between this and my Lily Singers Series, which will be published April 2016, I am now 3/4 done with my urban fantasy novel draft and will done by the end of the year. If all goes well the novel will publish in spring 2017]

I’m very excited to say I’ve finally finished writing the first half of Book 1 in my Urban Fantasy series. Granted, it’s only the 1st/2nd-ish draft (I’m editing as I go along), but that is still a huge achievement. I started this draft in April, and I’m 70,000 words in. I plan to finish the second half by March 2015.

Though begun in April this year, this isn’t my true first draft. I first conceived the story on during Christmas of 2008. My younger sister, had drawn me a picture for Christmas and I stayed up half the night writing her a short story about it. For many years I worked on it here and there for “fun.” My sister liked reading it, and I liked writing it. It’s original form was more supernatural and less urban as you can see by the very romanticized, Gothic cover art concept Serena drew for me.

Somewhere along the way, I got to thinking about this whole idea of publishing and realized I wanted to do it, but had no idea how. Even after several rewrites, my story was too childish and full of fan fiction elements. After a lot of study into what it actually takes to write a book, I killed my “darling,” went back to the drawing board, and started my “real” first draft.

With much research, hard work, prayer, and feedback from friends and family, I think I’ve finally gotten it right this time. Now all I have to do is finish the second half, edit it all, find a publisher or decide to self publish, get together my marketing strategy, and…sigh. So, yes, there’s much work left to be done, but now, at least, I’m well on my path and know I’ll get it done. Thank you so much, everybody who has supported and encouraged me.

Though this novel is my first “story” in the book-length sense, the first story I ever wrote was in 1999 at ten years old. Granted, I never got past chapter one, but it was a start! The stars were my two pet guinea pigs. I post it here in celebration of my halfway point, along with pictures of some quite smashing illustrations I did to go along with it ;). (The story had several drafts, below is my first one before I had mom check my spelling)

 

The Tale of Sam & Fuzzy

Chapter one: Sam’s budy

Once apone a time there was a guiny pig named Sam. Sam lived with his mother, father, and another femal guiny pig, in a cage, in the basement of Mrs Riple’s house. Now Sam was very lonly in that cage. With food, water, and a warm place to live, Sam should have been happy.  But he was not, for he had no one to play with.

One night he dreemed that the other femal guiny pig had a son and calld him Fuzzy. A few minutes had gone by and Sam and Fuzzy were playing and having the time of ther life. Then POOF!! Sam woke up!

When he found out that it was only a dreem he was very sad. So he whent back to sleep. In the morning, he wolke up at exactly 6:00 and a black, fuzzy monster was squeeking and jumping up and down right in front of his face! By this time Sam was wide awake! He realized that it was not a monster, but a baby guiny pig. Sam was so happy to have a play mate he jumped up and ran around the cage at 300 mph and squeeked! He flung beding all over the place and wolke up every one in the basement (all the guiny pigs that is).

After he had done this for about a minute he stoped and said “Hi, I’m Sam.”

The other guiny pig said “I’m Fuzzy.”

“Fuzzy?” Sam said.

“Yes, Fuzzy. Is there something bad about that?”

“No, its just that…never mind, comon lets play.”

The End of Chapter 1

The best thing I can say about it is, I’ve come a long way since then. One amusing tidbit is that my guinea pigs really did seem to zoom around their cage at 300 miles per hour when they were excited. Obviously, I exaggerated for effect in the story, but at ten years old, their speed and the amount of bedding they threw all over the place must have made a big impression (seeing as how I had to clean it all up).

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the past. Below are some photos of the first draft and of my guinea pings, Sam and Fuzzy, sitting on my little sister’s back.

Please comment and share! Can any of you remember the first story you ever wrote, or read, when you were a kid?