In case you haven’t heard, this website is finally mine again.

All the characters from Archaic Deception: The Guardian of Emblems have moved over to their own website, which you can visit here. It was lovely having them but to be honest, it was overwhelming. We are writing a story together so I have a deep appreciation and love for them. Unfortunately sharing this small space with all the characters was more than I could handle.

With each of our websites setup, I am focusing more on completing the first round of edits on our World in Progress. Archaic Deception comes to life more with each read through and editing notation. It is difficult to contain my excitement for sharing this story but it must be done properly. It would be an injustice to release it without the proper edits. If you are looking for details on the story or characters, you may want to head over to the character blog (character blogs have currently been removed). They have officially taken over explaining the world of Diveria. They discuss themselves, storylines, history, odd terms, locations…all that sort of stuff. Since Archaic Deception is an in-depth world, it is too much for me to manage. I may be quirky, but I’m not insane.

Opening my mind after writing.

When I began writing my first novel of a fantasy series, now titled Archaic Deception, I was having fun. With no expectation of a story and an unclear message, it was an escape. Writing was something I always loved but never focused on as an adult. Once my mother passed away in June 2019, I found myself using words to help heal my broken mind. I began writing a story early in September from a dream I recently had. It was completely random but after six months and coming out to my husband and friends, my five-hundred page novel was completed. Somehow my creativity sparked this long story that I planned to write into a series of novels. Once I took a break for three weeks and returned, I quickly realized there was a change. My mind opened up to the reality of writing a book and what it entails.

During the writing process, my focus was on the storylines and familiarizing myself with all the characters. This was important because I should not have been distracted by everything else, especially since this was my first novel, ever. As I began editing, I opened my mind to the idea of publishing. This was not a decision to easily make and required research, which I am still in the process of doing. The message was loud and clear though.

If I wanted to write and publish my novel, then completing the final draft of the story was only half the job.

Writing and editing The Guardian of Emblems was entertaining and a wonderful escape. Returning to realty however proved to be slightly different, but fortunately I still love it. If you want your novel published, it either needs to be accepted by a publisher or release it yourself. Regardless which path is right for you, it is important to have a following, readers. Having a beautifully, entertaining story is challenging but if you wish to publish, then it could be considered a failure without preparing yourself early on.

When I began writing in September, I browsed Twitter and found the magical Writing Community. It is filled with thousands of beautiful, caring and supportive individuals. Once I realized the importance of gaining an audience of readers, I was already genuinely involved in the community. Nothing about my interactions changed. I made sure to continue meeting new writers while maintaining the friendships I’ve already had. What did change was the amount of time I spent online. Whether it was writing blog posts, communicating on Twitter, creating an Instagram account for this series or something else, I realized I was often selling myself. It’s a strange feeling and something I would run away from. The struggle I faced was to expose my vulnerabilities or never have my writing see the light of day.

Ultimately I slowly exposed myself to strangers and eventually opened up to family and friends. This was where drinking came in handy, and I don’t just mean alcohol! I frequently drank coffee in the morning while browsing social media, which is strange because I was never one to participate in it (social media or coffee). I did enjoy wine or a cocktail in the evening while meeting others online. It was a great way to mentally decompress from my job as a Radiation Therapist (treating cancer patients). Finally I made sure to be hydrating myself with water throughout the day. When I am consumed in writing, my water intake plummets, which were sometimes followed by headaches. It’s interesting to see how my living habits have changed because of the additional work required with writing.

Marketing isn’t a job, it is a continuous growing opportunity.

Don’t get me wrong, putting myself out there is work, scary work. Fortunately it is enjoyable to me. Meeting other likeminded individuals around the world is magical. Hearing the opinions, seeing the creativity and experiencing their woes and excitement is inspiring. It is equally important to meet others because you never know who you may connect with. You may befriend an editor, find someone who wishes to have you on their podcast, etc. Connecting with others in the community is pivotal and that is true for any field we work in. It’s sometimes about who we know.

Creating websites and blogs like this one and Archaic Deception help me adapt to the exposure. As someone who hates attention, it was difficult, but I knew it was required. Blogs also allow me to look at my writing style. Acknowledge the good, bad and ugly which can sometimes be challenging. Fortunately I dabbled in web development years ago and even though a lot of the knowledge is forgotten, my interest in design and development still live within. It feels like an extended, creative arm coming out of my book, attaching itself to both websites.

It’s never too early.

At the moment, I hope to have this first novel out sometime in 2020 but to be honest, I have no set date. There is a good chance I will be self-publishing my series to maintain creative freedom and control, but that is a discussion for another day. Regardless when this novel is launched, I know how important it is to meet others and build a following. What is critical; however, is to enjoy doing it. I genuinely have fun meeting others, connecting with likeminded individuals. If you feel forced and continuously push your “product” onto others, it will be short lived.

We are all here writing our stories, expressing our creativity. Some find fulfillment in writing with no desire to have others read their work. Others want to share and yell their work from the rooftops, hoping even one person would listen. Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum, there are positives for you in meeting others in a writing community, so long as you participate for the right reasons.

Please Subscribe

At the time of writing this, I have 15 dedicated subscribers to both here and the Archaic Deception website. It would be wonderful to connect with even more of you 🙂 Feel free to leave a comment below, subscribe to our mailing list or simply contact me if you’d like.

jD