Memory Lane

I did some meandering down old blog posts. That’s a dangerous endeavor. Hours later and I’m still looking, remembering, appreciating how past years have played out. It’s like reading through a journal, except it’s one I’ve shared with the world.

After all that meandering, I didn’t find what I was looking for. My goal was to find when I started writing Theos Rising. I know it’s been a long journey, but I’m honestly not sure at this point when it all started. My guess is somewhere in 2021. I have a few handwritten scenes that started playing in my head in late 2020 but true, focused writing on the book probably didn’t start until late 2021.

Which means the novel took about 2 1/2-3 years to write and produce. I’m a bit surprised. That’s actually not terrible for a novel. If you’ve been following me for any period of time, you know this book stretched me and took way longer than I originally planned. But now as I look back, the entire process wasn’t nearly as slow as it felt.

I know I finished the rough draft in December of 2022 (Done Right or Done Now, But Not Both), and then in February, I posted about finding ways to balance that feeling of never being finished. (Peace in the Process). That’s the danger of such long projects. They never feel finished and so there’s never that moment where you stop and appreciate the joy of accomplishment.

That’s one of the things I’ve learned about writing and publishing. If you’re not careful, you always feel like you haven’t arrived yet. There’s always more to do. More writing, more editing, more formatting, more advertising, more….

When one book’s done, there’s almost an unspoken expectation that you’re already working on the next while advertising the current one. It can suck the joy out of completing an entire novel.

I’m not always great at doing it, but I’ve learned to pause at the big junctures just to breathe in the joy of seeing the accomplishment. I should have done this after each stage of editing. I think it would have helped me acknowledge the progress more instead of focusing on how much farther I still had to go.

But I’m doing it now. Theos Rising publishes on Saturday. My brain still hasn’t fully taken that in. I’ve completed my second published novel. Quaking Soul wasn’t just a one-off thing. I can make this writing life a reality.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! If there’s one thing better than holding the physical book in my hands, it’s sharing the journey with all of you.

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. What accomplishment can you celebrate today?

P.S.S. There’s still time to pre-order and get a signed copy if you like. Just hop over to the book here and leave me a note on the order if you’d like it personalized. =)