Welcome! A. E. here. Today is another “Written So Far” post about where I’m coming along in my Writing Journey with my upcoming novel Zippy Mae and the Seven Kingdoms. Said book is the first of a new series I’m kicking off about the titular character Zipporah Mae Freedman. Call her Zippy please.

So today’s topic!

Shedding Skin: In With the Out, Old with the New

I’ve had to the shed the skin of Zippy Mae and the Seven Kingdoms. Basically I scrubbed off its outer coating, and dug down until I only had the bare minimum of my original thoughts and ideas. Then I started over. So as of now, the only solid thing remaining is the Title and the Title Character.

Yay!

Back to the drawing board!

It had to happen, folks. I realized that’s why I never felt like writing. Because I didn’t have any feelings towards the novel, the story. Feelings as in “feels.” I didn’t have any hope or joy or excitement or interest or desire. There was nothing driving me towards writing the book.

So start all over.

I’m quite happy to be starting all over. Now I once more feel intrigued and interested in my own story.

I want to talk about the initial drive that brought me over into Zippy Mae and the Seven Kingdoms.

It honestly comes from a Toni Morrison quote.

“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”

Toni Morrison

Around four months ago, maybe five, I was looking for a book to read. And looking. And looking. And honestly, I realized I couldn’t find the book I wanted to read anywhere. No one had written the book (that I could find with the specifics I wanted) that fit the criteria of what I wanted to read.

That’s when it hit me, and also the quote hit me since I’ve long since heard of it.

I couldn’t find the book I wanted to read because no one had written it yet. It was up to me to write the book that was banging around in my head, urging me to write it. That feeling I had thought was me needing to read, but it was actually the need to write.

So I set off on the Writing Journey. I’ll keep talking about this journey until it ends up with my book in the laps or Kindles of everyone who wants to read Zippy Mae and the Seven Kingdoms.

Where am I right now? What’s written so far?

Nothing!

A very cheerful nothing. A blank page represents boundless endless and limitless opportunity. It’ll remain blank until I fill it up.

Fill it with words. Voices. Action. Worlds. Adventure. Beginning. Middle. End. Story.

I don’t know where I’m headed at all. That’s because I’m a discovery writer. Planning is death to my story. Jumping in recklessly and kicking my horse into a gallop and tearing off at full speed into the wilds of story-writing is FUN and that’s what I’m about to do.

So, onward!

And as always, while I write my cat Aomine keeps me company by my side.