To Become a Writer
I don't know how it started. I have written stories before. I have several Scrivener projects with half-finished outlines and some scenes. I took three months before going to university and ending my job earlier to work on my story. But it never worked out, there was something missing.
When I was in university, I remember carving some free time to write. Make scenes according to my planned outline. But still something was missing.
I graduated, found a job as a software developer and things were good for a while. I would write once in a while. But I didn't like what I was writing. I didn't like the story. Something was missing.
I found other hobbies for a while. One of my favorites is going on hikes and be outside surrounded by nature. I'm very lucky to live with the Canadian Rockies as a backyard. One summer, I'd go to the mountains each weekend until I hurt my ankle. That's when I thought, maybe I'm doing the whole writing wrong. Maybe I'm forcing something to happen. What if my story is actually connected to the mountains?
For my story, I knew the first scene. I knew how it ended. I knew the motivations for the villain. I knew my female main character. And I understood my male main character. I let them simmer inside my mind.
My husband and I welcomed our son in 2023, it was a very transformative experience and one of the best things that has happened in my life. I'm sure it changed my brain chemistry. After that, I could see clearly my story. I just couldn't bother with it, since I was busy being a mom to a newborn and later a baby, now a toddler. But my son slept good since turning one, so soon I found myself with nothing to do from 7pm until bedtime. By inertia I just decided to sleep early and rest, not really having any other hobbies. Maybe watch TV or scroll my phone.
My husband insisted for me to find something joyful to do, a hobby like before becoming a mom. And I decided to give it a go. First day trying to write was awful, second day was still awful. But something happened in May 2025. It was a combination of things: my restlessness with returning to the office for my job since becoming fully remote since 2020 (iykyk), sitting at a crossroads with what to do with my life, some band called Sleep Token releasing an album called Even in Arcadia (I am obsessed with them), exploring the world-building of my story, asking questions about who is the hero? what does he want? who is the villain? what does he want?
The next thing is I know is, I'm drafting non-stop. I'm writing and writing. I know my lore, I know the world, I know the characters. Something sparked in me. And it was beautiful, but also vulnerable and awful in the weirdest way. Becoming a writer, it's not good for my insomnia and it takes a lot of time. But is also full of small moments that feel like serendipity. It's the belief that I have that I want to finish this story and share it with people and at least someone is going to be transformed by it. But I'll take it, it beats the alternative, not having something fulfilling. And that's why pursuing this, I enjoy the craft. It's personal, it's fantastic, creative and it's mine.
Now, almost November, I'm sitting at an almost completed first draft with almost 140,000 words. I'm missing beats and scenes. I know it's a lot. I had to divide the book in two and remove some things that were not serving the story. The plot has remained the same for the most part. I know I have to cut, edit, edit, cut, edit once again. I know it. I think my brain chemistry changed again.
If you are still here reading, welcome! I invite you to follow my journey in how I turn an idea with scenes to a published book. I anticipate more updates, teasers, chapters and definitely sequels to interest you in knowing more about this universe before Entwined: Vulpine Moon is published.
