From 9-to-5 to Fantasy: My Leap into Authorship

I used to think becoming an author was one giant leap. Put your words on paper, and you’ve done it. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking the jump into a new skill or job shouldn’t be too hard. 

If others can do it, maybe I can too. I’ve come to learn that it’s usually harder than we realize, and other people make it look so easy because they’ve spent hours honing their skills. In my experience, it’s the small decisions and regular disciplines that help you move towards achieving a new skill. In this case, becoming an author. 

I started writing stories in second grade. When the rest of the class had gone out to recess, I was still frantically penciling away my story that was already ten little pages long, but it wasn’t done! I had to finish my story and I could not abandon it. I remember the joy and excitement I felt when I was writing. Creating something out of nothing. Creating magic.

Maybe you’re here wondering how to become an author. Or maybe you’re just wanting some insight into the process. I’m honored to share my experience with you! 

I admit, I don’t have everything figured out. My first book is in the throes of edits as I write this in January 2024. 

My process for my first novel started in 2020 during the pandemic. I hadn’t written for fun since high school, and with all the extra time at home, I gave little K.T’s dream of writing a book a chance. I had a general idea of the book I wanted to write–a portal fantasy. Since childhood, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a portal connecting our ordinary world to a magical one. Who wouldn’t want to discover a Narnia-bound wardrobe? Or fly to the second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning to find Neverland? 

I’m the type of person who likes to learn everything I can about a topic before I dive into it, so that’s what I did with writing a novel. I read books, blogs, listened to podcasts, and consumed as much educational content about writing a novel as I could. 

Based on my research, I concluded that beginning with an outline was the optimal place to start my book. 

Taking an idea and stoking it into a story takes more time than I naively realized. As a reader, I can walk into a book store and see hundreds or thousands of books on the shelves. Ideas, worlds, and adventures ready for me to dive into. Until recently, I didn’t really think about what it took to get a book on the shelf. I didn’t really need to as a reader and consumer of books. 

As I transitioned to creating a book though, my appreciation for authors who had come before me emerged. Creating a book takes:

How was someone supposed to go through all those steps? 

I was getting ahead of myself. First, I needed to focus on writing the thing. So we shall start there.

For me, my story started with an idea that is wildly different from my book now. It’s funny how ideas mold and change. For months I researched, outlined the plot, worked through plot holes, world-building, and character development all before I actually started writing the actual manuscript. 

Each author is different, I’ve learned. Some like to just go for it and write what comes out at each of their writing sessions, figuring out the story and plot as they go. To me, that sounds like a bit of a nightmare and quite inefficient. What if I write something and then it has to change completely? What would have all that work been for? 

Oh naive K.T. once again 🙂 

Even with my planning, plotting, and thinking through the story, there have been plenty of things I cut, rewrote, or developed further. It’s just part of the process. Every word written is getting you closer to the goal. Nothing is truly wasted. 

So, for months I would outline my book when I got home from work from anywhere to 1-3 hours depending on the day. Since this was my first time learning how to write a novel, it understandably took me longer than I expected. This is normal too, I learned.The process taking longer than you expected.  

Once I finally outlined as much as I felt I needed to, I started writing words for my actual manuscript. Initially I started with writing 500 words a day. Gradually my ability to write more words a day increased. 

As I was writing more and more, I was discovering how personal of an activity writing is. It is deep work. My book was requiring me to go to emotional places in myself that I didn’t expect to go to. It was exhausting to open myself up again and again and spill my heart onto the page. 

With that comes so many doubts. What if people don’t like my soul that I’m sharing? What if it gets rejected? Do my words really matter? What if no one reads them? Or worse, what if they read them and hate them? 

I think at that point, I’d reached an emotional mountain I had to climb. Do I keep going, opening up this vulnerable place to share a story that I hope helps other people, or do I just count all this as a great experiment, say it didn’t work out and keep going? 

I need to give lots of credit to my husband for all of these emotional mountains he helped me climb. This was just the first of many to come. Each time, he helped me stand up, ask myself the hard questions, and keep going towards this calling and passion I had in my heart. 

Spouses of creatives should get more recognition and love than they do. I’ve read several books where the writers will thank their spouses for putting up with all their quirks and turmoil, but I didn’t really understand it until I started writing myself. So Tyler, thank you. Thank you for being my rock and never letting me give up. I love you. 

Now that I have tears blurring my vision, let’s get back to the emotional mountain. As I’m sure you’ve inferred, I decided to keep climbing the mountain. To keep going and continue writing the story that was on my heart. Even as I continued there were many moments where I would write something and wonder “Did any of that make any sense?” or “All of this is just rubbish. I’m going to throw it all out the window!” (A frequently recurring thought.)

Apparently this is a common pit stop for writers along the journey to writing a book. Upon finding that out, I felt a sense of camaraderie, but also reassurance. I wasn’t alone in this. If one of the best writers and best-selling authors of our time, Neil Gaiman, felt like that, then surely I could keep going. 

“You don’t know why you started your novel, you no longer remember why you imagined that anyone would want to read it, and you’re pretty sure that even if you finish it it won’t have been worth the time or energy and every time you stop long enough to compare it to the thing that you had in your head when you began—a glittering, brilliant, wonderful novel, in which every word spits fire and burns, a book as good or better than the best book you ever read—it falls so painfully short that you’re pretty sure that it would be a mercy simply to delete the whole thing.
Welcome to the club.
That’s how novels get written.”

Neil Gaiman

So I did. I dug in, gritted my teeth, and refused to give up. Day after day, I chipped away at it.

And then it happened…after about two and a half years of work, I finished my manuscript!

I had done it! I’d really written it from beginning to end. Were all of those words good words? Absolutely not. But they were there and I was proud of them! 

To celebrate, my husband and I went to our favorite sushi restaurant and ordered our favorites. I ate my sushi with a big, tired, happy grin on my face. 

Now that my resolve had hardened and I knew I wasn’t going to give up, a new desire formed in my heart; I wanted to dedicate all my time to writing my book. 

Tucking that desire towards the back for a little bit, I kept working an office job full time and writing in all my spare moments. More and more, that spark of desire to write full time flared bigger and bigger.

After much consideration, prayer, weighing pros and cons, my husband and I decided that it was time for me to make the jump into uncharted waters and make my dream of becoming an author come true! So in April 2024, I took the leap and left my job full of excitement, trepidation, and dreams. 

For a few weeks, I got to soak in the excitement of starting something new, chasing my dream, and having agency over my days. I could design my own schedule! Who wouldn’t want that amount of freedom? 

Turns out, it’s a lot harder to be your own boss than I thought. I was now in charge of setting my own goals, deadlines, deliverables, systems, structures, etc. I was in charge of my own author business now. I felt like I’d gotten the keys to drive a spaceship and the directions were in another language. But this was what I wanted. This was the dream! How could I be struggling trying to figure it out? 

Nonetheless, I was. And after a few months of trial and error, I figured out a system and process that works for me. Even now, everyday doesn’t look the same, but that’s okay. I’m learning to be okay with the ebb and flow of change. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much my family, friends, and community has helped me through this journey. A book takes lots of hands to create. I’m eternally grateful for your endless support. Thank you.Thank you.

If you made it this far, I appreciate and applaud you for reading the musings of a book loving, tea drinking, writer who is hoping her words spouted into the ethernet make some sort of impact on you. I’d like to leave you with some parting words. 

Know that you’re not alone. Know that you’re worth you following your passion. Know that I’m figuring it out right along with you. You can do this. Sending you love. 

Keep dreaming, 

K.T.