How Long Did It Take Me to Finish the Book?
I can't remember exactly which decade I first decided to write this book, but it's been in computer format for about eight years. I knew I wanted to write a magical book, and I knew the setting. However, the characters evolved a lot, as did the plot.
I didn't work on it consistently and I kept putting it on the back burner because I kept coming up with plot issues. Then, one day, it all clicked in my head, like an epiphany. I think, though, mainly, perfectionism was to blame for it taking so long. I kept trying to make it into this great, fantastic book. It wasn't until I let go of the idea that it had to be this grand opus that I was able to see through the plot issues. I learned a lot through the process. Like, if something isn't working for me, there's probably a logical reason, and it's probably so simple that I'm missing it. Sometimes I just had to cut some ideas loose and admit that this is not the time nor the place for that idea.
I also went through a period where I felt that my dream was selfish and unrealistic. I denied myself this goal that made me happy and just kind of went through the motions. I felt like I had to justify the need for the book. Then I found myself asking the same thing of art, and I realized that the book didn't have to solve world hunger in order to be worthwhile. I found myself being cheered by the idea of the most trivial things, like watching a favorite TV show. That's when I knew it was okay to write the book. Because it would make me happy to write it. And it did.