Launching a Novel

Today, I celebrated the release of my first novel, Okey-Dokey Sensei. I officially started writing this book in 2015 while I was between jobs. After I landed into stable work, however, it quickly took a back seat to “real life” and was something I only chipped away at once in a while. In 2019, I finished the first draft of the novel, but was extremely unhappy with it. It was a drab, depressing work. None of the characters had a happy ending, and although that style might appeal to some, it wasn’t the story I felt that I wanted to tell. Not this time, anyway.

So in mid-2019 I started very heavily rewriting and revising entire sections. Entirely new characters were brought in, and some old characters were relegated to the background. I took a look at the main character, Martin, and decided that he was too much of a lovable idiot to put through the hell I had put him through during the first draft, and decided to focus a story based on his personality. A world that teased him out of naivete and into adulthood, but not without laughter and love.

The point of all this is, and it is a point that has been made so many times by so many writers, is that you control the story, the story doesn’t control you. It’s your ship to sail wherever you would like. You can crew it, supply it, set wind in its sails and send it off on adventure. Or you can neglect it. Fight it. Even sink it. There isn’t a real magic to it. It’s just a matter of choosing a destination and taking that first step out the door. And to be frank, writing and editing and going through the story is the easy part. Dealing with the business side of writing is soul-suckingly awful. I chose to self publish this particular novel due to some personal circumstances, but given the opportunity, I’m not sure if I would go down the same path again.

That’s a story for another blog though. For now, take care. Stay safe. Dream.

-CA