Writing a Book

Yesterday I posted the final chapters of the novel I wrote, Fishbowls and Birdcages, on the blog site I set up for the purpose of putting my book out into the world for people to read. What a relief! When I came up with the brilliant idea to do this, I didn’t anticipate how it would affect me.

Writing the book was similar to a pregnancy. It began with a nugget of an idea, and as I wrote, the story developed into a living, breathing entity. I struggled with the theme, the characters (which included naming each one), the setting, and the story line. I encountered several bouts of ‘false labor’, where the story tried to speed itself up and take me down some roads I didn’t want to follow. When I wrote the words “The End” on the final page, I felt like I had given birth. WHEW! I actually sat at my computer desk and sobbed.

But like a newborn baby, the story didn’t end at birth. It continued to grow and change, as I read and re-read it, and then as I entrusted the manuscript to selected people to read and critique. I revised it, re-worked parts of it, and did my best to make it read more smoothly. I took some suggestions to heart, and made changes, while ignoring others which I determined were given with the best of intentions, but which I believed would change the character of the story. In the end, I finally laid down my editing pencil, took a deep breath, and declared the story finished.

My next big step was to decide how to get the story out into the world. I didn’t have the time or the money to research publishing the book, and I wasn’t sure if it was the kind of story that would sell enough copies to make it worth my time and effort. The blog seemed to be the perfect avenue, and I decided to set up a new blog site, and post the book in serial fashion. In a heart-to-heart conversation with myself, I realized that my intent in writing the book wasn’t to make a ton of money. I had always wanted to write a novel, and the exercise of writing it was enough to satisfy me.

I posted the link to each chapter on my Facebook page, and soon I had a small following of Loyal Readers. I looked forward to messages posted on my Facebook page and to private ones sent to me via email. Everyone was very kind – I didn’t receive any negative comments throughout the entire project. I found myself speeding up the process of posting chapters. My intention had been to post one chapter per week, but as the story progressed and Loyal Readers clamored for the next installation, I began posting two-three times a week.

Posting the final chapter yesterday was like giving birth all over again. I felt a huge sense of anticipation, with butterflies dancing around in my stomach as I wondered what my Loyal Readers were going to say. Thankfully, favorable comments have trickled in, and I feel fulfilled in completing this project. I did what I said I was going to do over two years ago – write a novel – and in a strange and unique way, I have published it. I will leave the book in its entirety online for awhile before taking it down, and hope that more readers will either stumble onto it, or be forwarded the link to read the story.

Now I am trying to decide whether to bare my soul in writing another story. I think I may have another one in me somewhere, but I’m not sure what it is. I have some ideas, so I think I’ll lay low for awhile and see if a seed will sprout, showing me the way to a new adventure for some unsuspecting story character. I am toying with the idea of continuing Lou’s story in some manner, but I’m just not sure yet.

We’ll see what grows!

Please feel free to read Fishbowls and Birdcages at http://fishbowlsandbirdcages.blogspot.com/ and forward the URL to people you think might enjoy reading it.