With March here, it marks several milestones. Not only is spring almost here, this month also marks the one year anniversary of my families big move across the country. While we had some hiccups along the way, it has been the best things we have done in a long time. This month marks my official return to writing since the move. I’ve tried several times since the move but just couldn’t get it write and would step away from it. I later learned that I had a plot problem. It took a while for me to get the plot down for book 2 but I am pleased to announce that it is in the drafting stage once again. This time with a plot that fits the main character and all the supporting ones.
While talking with fellow Young Adult writers and a good friend of mine, I learned my original plot no longer fit what ended up happening in book 1. It was the realization I needed to be able to move forward with the project. I had a vision for book 2 but with the major shift in book 1 that happened from the original plot, it no longer fit the main character and how he would react and do things.
I nailed the new plot with the help of another writing friend. She listened and helped me work through all the things I had to. It was with her help that I was able to see fully what needed to happen. I also returned the favor and helped her work through her own plot problems. Seriously! I can’t wait for her book to come out. It’s going to be amazing.
I also reached out to a producer who had listen to my pitch. She had requested the book once it was published. She still wants it. I will be shipping that off tomorrow for her to read. I’m so excited to be taking the next step in my writing journey. It is a dream to not only be a published author (check that off the list) but to have my books made into a TV series or a Movie.
March also marked another thing that happened. COVID finally hit my house. While my husband and me are fully vaccinated and our oldest has received the first two doses. The youngest had only received one. He’s the one who got COVID. Luckily, he had mild symptoms and was fever free within the first day or so and as I write this, the rest of us have yet to get it or at least show any symptoms at all. So, it’s been a fun week with him home from school (again) and now we have a stack of homework for him to catch up on. He’s a red head and is very stubborn. You can see where this is going, right?
Last month I visited my home state of Utah. It was weird visiting and seeing the mountains again. I didn’t miss the traffic and the amount of people. It was good to help my mother-in-law out with a quilt and to spend some much needed and overdue time with my best friend (also my writing friend). It was this visit that we helped her plot out. I was scheduled to do a book signing for a local Barnes and Noble but with shipping delays, the books didn’t arrive in time. I still went in and signed name plates for them. Those books are now on a display, ready for their forever home.
Mentally, I still have my struggles, but I believe this move was just what I needed to get more on top of my mental wellbeing. My functioning level has been higher, and my dips are not as drastic or long now. I was thinking the other day about how I would approach my target audience in a speech about mental illness. I would go over steps they could do to take control of their mental health and the first thing on the list was to reach out for help. Besides recognizing you have a problem, taking action to get help is the first step. How you take that step can be different but just taking that step, is important in your journey.
I do have some exciting news! In December I participated in an anthology where I wrote two chapters. One on depression and one on anxiety. It mainly went over my journey, plus what I learned, plus what you can do. That anthology is set to launch next December. I’ll post more about it as we get closer but I’m so grateful to have been a part of this project. Not only in the speaking that I did last year in March and April, but now in written form to reach more people.
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