What is it like to publish your first book?

When I first started writing, I never envisioned myself publishing my first book at the age of 20. Though I had started young, writing diaries and stories where it didn’t seem to have an end, it was messy. But I won’t say I’m at par with Danielle Steele or Nicholas Sparks now – not even close. Yet I did grow as a writer on my own.

When I published my first book, it was a big deal. It took time for me to get it in my system that I had written a 300+ page novel in under a year. But I never really thought of how long I had written. What mattered to be me then was if the story I had written made me want to read it. Having exposed to great authors and reading their works, it hadn’t pressured me to be great, rather it inspired me to want to write something that would gave me the same effect as those books had for me in an emotional level.

I don’t want to sugar coat it. The first time I’ve posted my story in the Internet was nerve wrecking. What got me the courage to press the ‘publish’ button was the thought of sharing my story. And what it felt like when someone understood what you had written and connect to that character.

When I read my first ever review on a short story I had written, it gave me a sudden rush of euphoria and accomplishment. Even those constructive criticisms hadn’t dented my will to continue writing, though I had little confidence to go on. But it all comes down to belief on your own strength and capabilities. Even if English wasn’t my mother tongue, it hadn’t stopped me from using it as my main language in writing.

But it doesn’t mean I’ve neglected in learning the language itself. I won’t deny my sloppy grammar and typo errors, which could easily be fix by studying and knowing your own weaknesses. Yet to have the passion to want to learn, it is a different roadblock to face. It wouldn’t really be a hindrance if you love the topic you are studying.

After my first book had published, I saw a lot of faults in my own writing habits and ignorance of the craft. Writing a book isn’t just grabbing a pen and scribbling whatever idea comes up on the top of your head. It is systematic. Every plot twist and turns, how the character acts, even minor details needs to be planned. You live and breathe in these stories and invest in trying to tell the story as clean and direct as possible. It is difficult to hold people’s interest when you don’t know what kind of topic you wanted to tell. Before taking up your computer and laptop to write chapter one, it is best to note down what story are you writing.

It was a learning experience each time I wrote a new book. For me, it is best to learn while applying it at the same time. That way you wouldn’t forget your self, because for one, the world would see it and some level of embarrassment is needed to keep egos in check. Though I’m a published author now, I still have a long way to go as a writer.