I’m starting my journey as an author

Super cool, super fun stuff going on over here.

I had a rough idea for a children’s book about my dog, Barney, and when I mentioned it to Dawson’s dad, he hyped me up bigtime. I felt so proud and happy; he told me he loved the idea and frequently asks if I’ve started it yet. Well, I finally did—and I have to say that his encouragement was what drove me to do it.

I’m in the planning stages of the book right now—some storyboarding and preliminary writing—but I’m really excited about it. As I read it aloud, it’s beginning to sound like a book I would have read as a child. That’s exactly what I’m going for

I can’t decide on a plan for illustration, but I think I have a bit of time there. I could try to illustrate it myself or farm it out online. I think it would be rewarding to write and illustrate, especially because I have some doubts in my illustration skills. I’m not a bad artist, but I’ve never drawn the same character in different scenes before. It would be a thing of pride for me to say I’d done it.

The universe has interesting timing; my mother has also begun work on her book, which I’ll be assisting with. For years, she’s talked about penning a nonfiction work about her mother—my grandmother, Rita—including Rita’s interesting stories, thoughts, and personality. At the moment, we’re gathering as much information about Rita as we can, reflecting on our own memories of her and reaching out to family to do the same. My mom has a page or two written already, but we’re taking a step back from writing to research, organize, and plan.

In my youth, I dreamt of being a writer. I’m excited about this process, both for the creative aspects and the learning involved. I don’t know how to publish a book, but I’m going to find out by doing it. Isn’t that magical?