By "Month" You Mean a Year, Right? ...No

<<< I did it. I completed my entire first draft in just 24 days!!! Holy buckets!

This piece was started on July 14, 2019 and as of today (August 7, 2019), it is completed.

"How did you do it?" << You keep asking me; so here is how I managed to pull it all off while being a mom, a full-time employee, a girlfriend, a sister, and a human being... all wrapped up in one.

In the shortened version; late nights, a few meltdowns, tequila shots, binge eating, and a lot of hard work and dedication. Now, let me break it all down for you.

When I decided I had the idea in my head for my story, I knew it was time to get serious. I wanted to be a writer, that much was clear, but I didn't know how to. Knowing that my first step was to get the story written, I decided that's exactly what I was going to do.

"Writing isn't just writing, it's learning." - Alyssa Lynn.

So much research went into this story - I can't go into the details of the research, or I'll give away the story. Just know that you need to make sure you have the knowledge before you dive into a book. "But you wrote a science-fiction" - Yes I did. And THAT requires research as well. A story isn't a story unless the readers feels like they're inside the book while they swim through the pages. Make sure the reader isn't doing what I do during action movies, yelling "OH COME ON! That could NEVER happen!" << Research!

Many late nights were spent behind my keyboard. I took my Civil Service exam back in 2012 and learned that I can type 72 words per minute (WPM) - that was pretty amazing to me and I took full advantage of it. Giving myself specific goals and deadlines, I met the majority of them. "Not all of them?" - Lord no. I'm human and I can accept that. Another thing that helped me were my "writing sprints". Everything was turned off (TV, cell phone, internet, etc) and I just wrote non-stop for 45-minutes to an hour. I just let my brain and fingers take over and then I would see what I came up with.

My late nights consisted of brownies, coffee, and a lot of cuss words. I had my girls to keep me sane throughout the process and I will always be thankful for them. (Shoutout to my fellow writers >> Lila Grey, T. R. Howard, and Mae Thomas << Y'all are the real VIPs).

Let me give you a bit of advice - get yourself a support group. Mine consists of four (including myself) and we do everything from proofreading, editing, and plotting; to the late night video chats when we're stuck at a spot in our book; to the "hey look at what my shit-head kid did today" messages and memes. You hold each other accountable for your goals and you build each other up when you're feeling down. Go adopt your new writer friends, NOW!

I was dedicated to my work. I set a goal of October (on social media as well as my website) so that I knew I HAD to get it done and out by then. This helped me breakdown what needed to be done each day, which I kept a check-list of in my bullet journal.

"When did you make your list?" - Every night I would cross of the things I finished and make the list for the following day.

I knew I had to keep track of the things I needed to do - otherwise I got overwhelmed and threw my hands up or started ugly crying in my living room (quietly so I didn't wake up my daughter). Getting my thoughts organized and being able to visualize my accomplishments were a huge help.

From me to you: Ask yourself why you want to be a writer. What is your goal for writing your book? Do you hope to someday live off of your work? If so, do what you have to do now to be that much closer to your goal. A year from now, you'll wish you had pushed harder.

Anyway - I have to get down to the edits now. I hope this helped give you a nudge in writing. So, what are you waiting for? Why are you still reading? Go write.

Toodles,

A. Lynn