In early spring, I was watching my kids play in our backyard. They were solving a mystery—who stole the fairy house they had built? They each played a role as a detective, and they loudly ran around looking for clues. My oldest daughter wore a pink vest and carried a small magnifying glass, while my youngest daughter used a bug catcher to store the clues they found. They gathered bugs, leaves, and twigs as part of their elaborate game, and they each adopted different voices as different roles. As I observed their game, I smiled. What joy to be 5 and 7 and search for missing fairy homes!
I was in the midst of thinking about a career change (the subject of another blog post!), and I recall thinking in that moment that I wanted to capture that joy, that mystery, in a book that my own kids could enjoy. Later, I told both kids that I wanted to write a middle-grade mystery novel (I've had some of these stories trapped in my head for more than a decade!). They seemed delighted at the idea and asked if I would read them chapters as I drafted them. My oldest daughter even pointed out that this would be a less boring book than my others, and you know, she's not wrong! And so I was off on my novel-writing adventure.
Each day brought new challenges, such as writer's block or anxiety. But each day also brought unexpected delights, especially as I grew to know my characters better. Writing this novel was so different than any other writing project I'd completed before, but I was ready for the challenge. Six weeks later, I had a draft. It was a very rough draft, filled with problems to solve, but a draft nonetheless.
I read a chapter each night to my kids, and they offer amazing feedback and ask interesting questions. So now I am in the thicket of revisions, and I imagine I will be here for awhile. If you'd like to join me on this adventure, check back here for updates—or join my newsletter!
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