Three Years Later

Almost exactly three years ago I began brainstorming for what would eventually become the 109 page manuscript of Guardians of Cornerstone. It took me a year and a half to finish a draft and I've given myself another two years (plus the year and a half I've already had) to double it, edit it, and make it ready for submission. Through this experience I've definitely learned about how I function as a writer, started to find my voice, and figured out what I want my story to do. It's weird to think of a story as doing something but if it didn't behave a certain way (pace, tone, etc.) then it wouldn't be distinct. (Sorry if that didn't quite make sense, it's only the second week of school and I'm already exhausted.)

I'm really proud of myself for still working on Guardians. This is the first story that I've written that I haven't given up on. As I've been writing I've started to realize that I can do this (this being finish) and potentially one day even get published. Not that there won't be anxiety or self-doubt but it's nice to know that I can have moments of calm.

To celebrate, and because I was bored in class, I made a word cloud of my Guardians draft. First I have to say that I'm amazed that technology can process 41,000 words in under a minute and turn it into a word cloud. Secondly, it gave me a good idea of which words I use the most. Predictably, Shana, Ben, Kalynn, and Rafi's names were the most frequent (in that order.) However, words like eyes, mouth, and shook, also made appearances. During the editing process I've been trying to see what words and phrases I use too much and this was a great visual. 

So happy anniversary Guardians and may you one day be sitting on a shelf somewhere.