One of the biggest things I've come to realise in this journey of creativity is that progress often looks quite different than I'd expect. To be honest, it's been an ongoing challenge to keep perspective and not lose hope in bigger projects that seemed to be never-ending. Let me tell you about my journey with my fantasy fiction...
It all started in November 2013, when I participated in my very first Nanowrimo (“National Novel Write Month) and managed to complete the first draft of my fantasy novel at the time, ending with a file of 110,000 words. It was a huge milestone for me — even though the manuscript was (and still is) a chaotic mix of scenes, story discovery and world building, I’d set out with the deep desire to write a story through to “The End”, and succeeded!
Fast-forward to 2024. I’ve continued to write and discover stories within this same fantasy realm. I’ve discovered so many wonderful places and characters and story ideas, yet it felt like the more words I wrote, the more difficult it became to wrap up another section of story. I’ve written, many, many words since then, but somehow never all the way to another “The End” of a single story.
Until now :)
Writing “The End”
Last week, Thursday 15 February 2024, I wrote the final part of my latest work in progress, even all the way to a little “Epilogue” that ties up all the loose ends, ending at around 155,000 words. In an effort to help myself simplify in this world that seemed to grow out from under me, I had made my most recent story focus on a cozy mystery set within one part of this fantasy world. It’s a fantasy meets cozy mystery meets Masterchef kind of story. It’s been epic fun to write, to say the least! And a breakthrough in figuring out something about my writing process.
I kept feeling like my writing endeavours would often get left behind, in favour of sketching or illustrating projects, or simply in the delightful busy-ness of life with two little girls (and finding time for hubby too). And then one day I realised - I’ve been writing more than I’ve been giving myself credit for, but I haven’t celebrated the small wins of that writing progress.
Meet the “Creative Chronicles”
“Creative Chronicles” is all about that — a way to keep myself accountable to look back and appreciate the progress, even if I might be right in the “messy middle” of a next creative goal. And a way to bring you along with me and show you the inside-info of what happens along the way.
From Fantasy to Children’s Stories
When I first picked up a paint brush in 2016, it was with the hope to bring stories to life, yes. And it seems obvious when looking back, but at the time I was so focused on writing my fantasy stories that I never imagined that it would bring me to the genre of children’s stories too. And yet, it was my foray into this new genre that finally brought my art and stories back together, where I finally feel that I can start to illustrate some of my writing too.
Now, the journey has come full circle. Over the past year, I’ve managed to complete two children’s stories, with accompanying characters and illustrations, while continuing to make progress on my fantasy novel too. I’ve also created audio files for one of these children’s stories, which you can find (for free) on my website — for kids and parents alike to enjoy! Making progress in these shorter stories (and seeing my kids take part in the storytelling process too) played a huge role in motivating me to finally get one of my fantasy stories done as well.
What about publishing, you ask?
This is a question I get often when telling people about my stories and illustrations. Yes, of course I would love to see the stories in print one day, and I’m working on figuring out the small steps to get there. Where the young adult fantasy story is concerned, the fantasy manuscript is still the first draft, so there’s still a TON of editing to do. For the children’s stories, I’ll be looking at sending out queries to publishers (hopefully) in March.
In the meantime though, I hope to practice that process of sharing in smaller steps and increments by sharing some of my works-in-progress (whether art, illustrations or story snippets) more frequently here. And to get better at chronicling the journey along the way and sharing it too — so that we can remind each other that progress doesn’t just happen over night.
From my studio
In celebration of this writing milestone, I’ve put together a fresh collection of original art, now available on my website. Pieces that speak of that fantastic journey, where imagination meets real life and beyond… I hope to continue to share more frequently with you here, in these Creative Chronicles. To bring encouragement for those of you in your own “messy middles” of the creative journey, and perhaps even hear back from your own journey. Don’t underestimate whatever small steps you can take towards your creative dream today (or even just this week) - even the smallest steps added over time can get you there in the end.
Ps - For some artful inspiration, check out these “Workshop to Go” tutorials now available on my YouTube channel.