Guuuuuuys! I'm SO excited! Because today marks the FIRST guest post in a new series. On the last Friday of every month, I'll be featuring a new-to-this-blog writer, who'll share everything from tips and tricks to writing lessons and personal stories.

It's only fitting that my first guest is James Aries, a middle-grade author and elementary school teacher who's penned some of my favorite books, including Ninth Night, UNDER, and Verve Stones. I've known James for over ten years (he is, after all, married to my best friend Ingrid). And have benefited immensely from his writing advice, story ideas, and editing skills. 

Today, we both talk about how we became writers. To view my post, visit his blog (and then purchase his books. Seriously, you won't be sorry.)

​I started writing fiction at 23 years old, the year after I graduated from Western Washington University. On a hike, my roommates from college participated in a campfire game called Team Story Telling. You might be familiar with it. To start the game, someone contributes the first lines of a story. Then, going around the circle, everyone adds a few lines. We enjoyed the story so much, we decided to continue it over email. We named it Goat vs Ferret Wars. (Yes, you read that correctly. Imagine Narnia with a hint of Lord of the Rings meets immature guys who just graduated from college.) It grew to 12,328 words over three years though it remains unfinished to this day.

During my first emailed addition to Goat vs Ferret Wars, I described the world. Nothing else. My friends’ additions to the novel blew me away. Hilarious. Suspenseful. Epic. I refused to embarrass myself with misspelled words and incomplete thoughts. 

I managed to increase the amount of words I added to our novel. 215 words. 834 words. 3,254 words. Newly married, my wife’s proofreading skills gave me confidence as well. Little did I realize, I was hooked on writing. I had never written that many words, or for that long, ever. Not for fun. Yet, I felt proud of my work. I thought about how to make the story better day and night. I became addicted to crafting the world, the characters, the plot.  

The week after I added my longest chapter, the next friend emailed his section to Goat vs Ferret Wars. His chapter changed a plot line I adored. He ruined my plan for the story. I was so mad. That moment was an epiphany for me. I knew I had to write. Yet, if I wanted full control, I needed to write my own story. 

That’s exactly what I did. I bought a journal, and wrote down the name Spoon. I wanted Spoon to travel to another world to stop an evil king. I wanted him to get superpowers. This is the birth of me as an author. Altrea, too. 

www.jamesaries.wordpress.com 
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Photo of Robin taken by Heidi Ryder Photography 

I am in a reading funk and I know it. By February, I had finished more books than I had read all of last year. No surprise. Last year was a year spent with my Dad, all creativity on hold. But as things went back to "normal," I was hungry to read again. I started my reading journey by finishing The Testing trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau. Oh. My. GOODNESS. Saying I'm addicted to this dystopian series is an understatement. It's Hunger Games meets Divergent, so, really. How can you go wrong? 

Next, I downloaded The Fever Code by James Dashner. As a fan of the Maze Runner series, I was eager to learn more about the maze and its founders. And man, did it deliver. I devoured that book. My affinity for Thomas and Teresa waxed once more, leaving me no choice but to continue the saga once again. It's been a few weeks since I finished the series, and yet...I can't let it go. My heart is tied to these books. To Thomas. Teresa. Chuck. Minho. Newt. Brenda. It's an odd feeling--of not wanting to let go. Their pain became my pain. Their journey became my journey. Their anger, mine. Their friendships, mine. I haven't felt such an ache in my heart for a series to end since Hunger Games.  

I'm trying to resist. Trying to find another series. Trying to discover new characters. But right now? I want nothing more than to fall back into the comfort of Dashner's story. To return to the maze and hunt down WICKED with Thomas. And maybe I will. Because it's a feeling I can't shake.

Have you read something recently that has had a hold on your heart? That's been hard to let go of? I'd love to know--maybe it can help me move on! :D

Sometimes I wish I loved math. Loved solving equations. Where, if I got the problem wrong, I could jump back to the beginning to get it right. The journey might take a few minutes, even hours. But it would be solved within a short period of time. To me, that sounds like a quick resolution. Going from a no to a yes in a matter of minutes? Yes, please! (Math peeps, you'll probably tell me differently, but for the sake of my post, let me have this one, k?)

When it comes to writing novels, there is never a quick resolution. Especially when you hear NO to a book you've worked months, even years on. Am I right, writers? After submitting two of my books for months to literary agents, I heard nothing but, "No, thank you." The no's hurt. The no's dig up every insecurity you've ever had. But it also sets you back to the very beginning of your journey. Game over. Start again. 

With each no, I've started again. Started from the beginning. I've waited for the right idea to hit. Then planned the outline; developed the characters; conceptualized the story. Wrote the first draft. Edited the first draft. Perfected the second and third draft. Until, months and months (and months) later, I have a completed manuscript. And then? I try again. This time, hoping for a yes.

Of course, with each book I write, I grow. I become a stronger writer. A better story teller. No journey is wasted if you desire to grow. But it's long. It's hard. There is no quick resolution. There is months and years from beginning to end. And it can feel overwhelming at times. Especially at the beginning. Wondering if the journey--the long, lengthy, painful journey--is worth it.

But, while I haven't heard my "yes" yet, I am 100% committed to the journey. It's hard. But it sharpens my skills and feeds my soul. It's not a quick resolution, but it allows for creativity to bloom. It's long, yes. But I'll write and write and write until I can't write any more. Because the ending is always worth it. A finished book. A new story. Characters to love. That, in itself, is one big yes.  


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