So The Journey Beings

Hello, I am Juliann, an absolutely insane eighteen-year-old Californian with an (almost) unhealthy obsession with books and far more imagination than she knows what to do with. I live in Lodi, CA. A town almost no one knows about, but is supposedly known for producing good wine. Not that I'd know, because I am only - as I mentioned - eighteen.

Since I was in... oh, I'd have to say late grade school, I've loved to write. It's a great thing, writing, absolutely glorious. However, nothing ever seemed to work at that young age. I'd never finish anything. EVER. (Unless it was for school, because then I HAD to, lol.) And then... I became part of the Twilight craze before it was a craze. I lent it to friends, and they loved it too. But I was antsy waiting for the next book (I've never been one for patience when it comes to books) and had already reread the two I had a bazillion times.... I found myself at fanfiction and that calmed me for a while. And with great uncertainty, I began writing my own idea that I'd had. In a notebook, of course, because I wasn't sure it was any good and wasn't even sure I'd actually be able to finish a story for once, even if it didn't have my own characters and world.

Then my friend Ana realized I was writing a fanfic for Twilight. She stole that notebook from me during AVID and wouldn't give it back until she'd read everything I wrote. She finished, set it down on my desk, and in a very serious, firm, demanding tone, said two words that honestly changed my life.

"Write more."

So I did. I wrote it and posted it and finished it. A first for me. And an absolute confidence boost.

So I kept on writing more fanfics. They grew more original, my writing improved drastically with the practice, until I had reviewers telling me I should take what I'd written and adjust it to be my own work and get it published.

Me? An author? I didn't think I was that good, but the praise continued and the seed was planted. I loved reading; my mind always loved creating characters and plots and worlds; I enjoyed writing. Why not write my own book?

But I assumed that this would happen far later in my life. Didn't stop me from writing, though.

Then more of my friends began realizing that I wrote, and they encouraged it. They began saying I would be a famous author one day and they couldn't wait to buy a book by me and get me to sign it. The water and sunlight to the seed that had been planted. Obviously they all thought I could do this.

So I went with it, mainly joking but always somewhat serious about trying at the very least.

My main problem - always - had been characters with my own original works. For some reason, they would leave me halfway through and the plot never worked without them being there. And I knew I'd have troubles creating the hero of the story, because I would be tempted to make him so I fell in love with him. Which wouldn't work, because then I wouldn't want to give him an HEA.

Sooo... I came up with a plan. I'd ask all my friends and family for details and throw them together for my hero.

And then, come fall last year, I decided to start. Because at this point, even my mom was on board with the future author plan. (Her joke is that my earnings will be her retirement. Dad has recently joined this plan.) So I asked all the friends I could around me for details.

It started with flowers, Mouagoleah, my muse and best friend. She told me he had to have green eyes. Dark green. Then Brittany said he had to have black hair, spiky and on the short side. Mai said he had to be handsome, not cute. Maddie said he had to be white. Julie said tall, someone else said smart, we all (Mai, Brittany, Julie, flowers, and I) agreed he had to be witty and argumentative. Something of a bad boy, a little mysterious.

There were several other details that weren't taken up. Mathematical genius. Dimpled grin. Those never became his character.

I asked them for names. I got names like Cade and Aydian and Ramses and several others.

He told me his name was Kaden.

Thus he was born, but he was still vague. He needed a story. My planned heroine, Roxie, and the possible plot, never seemed to... jive, though. I got a plot planned out though, finally, and started writing.

Then I had a vision. It was a late winter night when I was dropping a movie in the return slot at Hollywood Video for Mom, and happened to glance up. It was empty inside. For whatever reason, the guy behind the counter glanced up at me and our gazes met.

My imagination took hold from there.

Getting back in the car, I buckled in as Mom pulled out of the parking lot into traffic, and then my lips were forming words that were whirling in my mind.

"You know, it'd be really easy to slip a bomb through the return slot."

Yeah, I know. What a random crazy thought. My mom laughed at me, and I explained my thought process - no one checks those things regularly. Obviously it wouldn't be big and powerful, but it could definitely make a statement.

Of course, I had no idea why someone would do that.

My mom mentioned it could be to attack someone who worked there, as a protest, something like that.

And that was the birth of my plot.

And suddenly, Kaden was more real than ever, and totally not what I'd expected him to be.

And I had a slew of characters that grew more real as I wrote.

During my English class, I'd write down actual conversations in my head with Kaden, even though he wasn't the main character, the heroine. But he just... grew on me.

And now, with about 150 written pages in two notebooks and the story being only about halfway finished, I've started typing rewrites. Various reasons. I wanted to do it in 3rd person and I had to add in things that I hadn't known I'd needed until I was farther in the plot.

So that has been my summer project. Writing. Or, more specifically, rewrites.

I have 49 typed pages, with a good third of them being completely new material. I love the rewrites. I love the story, and I love my characters.

Even if, sometimes, it all makes me feel ready to throw my computer out the window, into the street where construction is happening.

So, welcome to the insanity. Perhaps you will enjoy listening to my "trials". Perhaps you will fall in love with my characters like I have, and my friends have. Or maybe you will simply read to lolz at my ranting. Why-ever you're here and (possibly) stay, I hope it is as fun for you as it is for me.