Is there a single author out there who hasn’t been caught off guard by the “big question?”
You know the one.
If you’re anything like me, your worst nightmare has been a crystal clear image of you, surrounded by close friends and complete strangers, dead silent while they smile expectantly.
“What is your book about?” they asked.
And you just don’t know what to tell them! Your book is your heart and soul. It’s your inner world that you’ve painstakingly drawn out of your fingertips in the form of words that never seem to fully express how much you love your characters and their stories. You’ve been discovering and outlining and writing for months or even years, and… and how do you communicate that kind of dedication to others without sounding sappy or phony or–worst of all–crazy.
I began writing my debut novel just before I turned 13. And while it may be true that I was born older, I certainly didn’t have the life experience then that I do now. I didn’t know what it’s like to lose a friend or to be so anxious that one’s body freezes up like an ice cube and refuses to melt. I didn’t know what it’s like to have to choose happiness in the face of despair. I didn’t know what it’s like to have a best friend.
I did know what it’s like to feel so alone that it’s comparable to living in a cage. So, I ran with that. While my 12-year-old-self was writing a story about a woman who can speak to the wind, I was really writing a book about loneliness and the unbreakable bonds of an adopted family.
It wasn’t until I was 16 that I was able to add a new layer of depth and meaning to my little book. After a couple of the most challenging years of my life, I had come to appreciate the concept of freedom more than ever before. Themes of loneliness and family morphed into themes of fear and liberty and love. I finally had the why behind this story completely figured out.
And then I started editing.
If you don’t know, I’m currently nearing the end of my line edits for my debut novel. The same can be said of a few weeks ago when I was plugging away at a new scene for the buildup to the climax. The adding of this particular section was an automatic response to several previously completed scenes, and I had no intention of discovering anything new during the drafting process. But my characters are undeterred by silly things like what I think I want. Thank God.
It all happened in an instant. I knew that I knew that I knew what my main character needs. Yes, she deals with loneliness. Yes, she deals with fear. But she’s an overcomer. What is stopping her from taking action in this moment?! I asked myself.
All at once, my little book was a very big book. In it were ideas and realizations that I never even knew I possessed. And I believed them. I believed me.
And I’ll be darned if I didn’t come up with a title for this debut novel of mine on the spot. (Only took me six-ish years. Reveal coming soon!)
This book is about every major theme in my life, translated into a YA fantasy novel that I hope you love. Can you see where this would become tricky to explain… concisely?
Of course, I had to have an answer for those speechless individuals in my nightmares, so here’s the short-and-sweet answer:
My debut trilogy is about girls who can speak to nature, boys who can read minds and enemies who look like friends.
But if you need it to be about overcoming loneliness, or fear, or the darkness that you just can’t seem to shake–it’s here for that, too.
Get ready, friends.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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