Then and now.

I'm so excited to be able to share with you my past journey about this book I'm writing! As promised, here is the second part of that journey about the early challenges and changes my book has been through.

After I lost the first copy of my story, I was too upset about it to really do anything about it. I could have rewritten the story. I have to admit that at first I DID try to rewrite the story, but I couldn't remember all the details. I couldn't remember some of the phrases I had used. I couldn't get it to sound as good as it had before and I gave up on it. Let me also add that the title of my first draft became The Story Of Hollyhocks, making Hollyhocks one word rather than Holly Hocks, and somewhere along the way the date had changed from 1406 to 1463 to 1493. 

Over the next 6 years we'll say, I wrote and completed 2 books, both within the fantasy genre, both set in mythical places in England. I suppose they'd be considered short stories, as they are both right around 25,000 words. After a failed attempt to write in a different genre completely, I decided I wanted to go back to Hollyhocks. I first began by calling it The Enchanting Tale Of Hollyhocks. Instead of trying to rewrite the story from memory, I decided to write a new story, a sort of reboot if you will. Set in 1483 now for accurate historical reasons, Hollyhocks was no longer the same character she was first intended to be. Many of my original characters do not exist any more. Many specific settings and events do not exist any more, and I think it's for the better.

I wrote the first chapter on my new laptop and I had started the second chapter. I loved the way it sounded, but was a little unsure of where I wanted the story to go, or rather, I knew where I wanted the story to go, but I was unsure of how to get there. I was so busy with college, I kind of pushed the book to the back of my mind. I hadn't read any books (outside of boring textbooks) or written anything in a long time. Until just a few months ago. I decided this year (late winter/early spring I think) that I would read at least 20 books (I'm reading my 21st now) and I would write my book. I pulled Hollyhocks back out. I rewrote the first chapter once again and it's been going very well for the most part.

Again, here are 2 more pictures of Hollyhocks. These were drawn 2 years ago when I started the reboot. If there are any questions you guys have for me, or maybe something particular you'd like to know about, please let me know, I'd love to post something that was requested! ;)