Have you ever thought to yourself, I can write a book… how hard could it be?

You put words on paper, passed the manuscript off to an editor who’d correct a misspelled word here or there and viola, a novel is born. Well, that’s what I thought anyway. My journey to become a published author has been both eye opening and one hundred eighty degrees from my naïve preconceived notions. Along the way, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who has successfully made the journey to become a published author.

Before my fingers touched the computer keyboard, I assumed the hardest parts of the process to be the formulation of an interesting plot, the creation of compelling characters, and crafting prose that would engage the reader. I was partially right, as those proved to be harder than I imagine. The real surprise awaited me after finishing the manuscript. As I pursued the process of getting it published, the realization set in that I’d completed less than a quarter of the journey. There was a lot more road ahead and I didn’t have a map to get there.

But let’s back up.

This all started more than thirteen years ago when an idea sparked about a story rolling around in my head while lying awake many a night. Sleep did not always come easy with the pressures of “work stuff” and not wanting to wake up my wife who was fast asleep next to me. I’d make up stories lying there in the dark to give my brain something else to focus on. The hope was to distract myself, quiet my mind, and drift off. It did the trick more often than not. However, unlike a dream, remembering the details from night to night wasn’t too difficult, and I’d push the story further and further, night after night. A few of the details were lost along the way, but the gist of things progressed to the point of coalescing into something worthy of putting down on paper. Or so I thought.

With pen in hand, the first thirty pages quickly took shape. The only problem was it had all been said before. Sure, the names were different, and the places had different labels, but the plot wasn’t original. I’d spit out a well-worn sci-fi fantasy trope without realizing it. While it proved good enough to put me to sleep, the tale I’d spun might have done the same thing to anyone who would read it. So, I set it aside.

Ten years later, while cleaning out my basement, I came across those thirty pages and thought, alright, let’s take another shot at this, but do it right this time; find out how to write a novel.

It’s funny how little things in life can have such a big impact. If I hadn’t made an arbitrary decision born out of boredom to clean a storage area some random weekend, I might not have ever begun the multi-year journey to author Utopia Falling.

In the months ahead, I plan on sharing my experiences—both the successes and failures. So, stick with me as I share the good, the bad, and the ugly, in blogs to come.

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