2014 has been a year filled with a lot of firsts for me; I took my first steps on European soil, I took my first swim in the Mediterranean and most recently I took my first breath under water, but more than all of these things I will remember 2014 as the year I started my first novel.
Writing a novel has been nowhere near the walk in the park I had first anticipated it to be. From outlining to character development to building plot; I jumped right into the deep-end and while flailing about, I tried to learn about all of them at once. Obviously this wasn’t the best way to learn, but learning is exactly what I did. I have a much better idea now of what it takes to write a novel. Of the preparation, planning and forethought that are needed before you can even begin to sit down and write. I also know that I am more than capable of doing it. I believe that I have a unique way with words and that I can create something wonderful with that ability.
What an adventure this summer was for me. I learned so much about writing and about myself. I found a lot of things this summer, but I lost some things as well. It wasn’t the walk in the park I thought it was going to be and this project didn’t give me all the answers I was looking for, but I am so glad that I did it. I am so happy and proud of myself for following this dream and for taking this giant leap.
I know it’s been quite a while since my last blog post and that is because I am putting the Hemingway Project on hiatus for the time being. I enjoyed plotting and building the characters for this novel and I will return to it soon, but right now there is some other writing projects that I want to focus my energies on. There won’t be a blog to go along with my next project, but please know that I am still writing everyday and hopefully in the coming months I will have some more written work to share with you. Please rest assured that I am not giving up on this novel. I plan to visit it again soon and I will finish it. I am just giving it some time to ferment while I work on some new projects.
As 2014 slowly comes to an end, I just wanted to take a moment to show my appreciation to all of you for following along in this adventure with me. Your support and encouragement have meant the world to me throughout this entire process and I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for all of it.