WriteLife

From Original to Extraordinary - Hard Work Pays Off

It’s finally happening. Finally. After over a decade, our first novel, When the Rain Falls, is releasing soon (1st of December)! And we are so fricken excited. Between getting the cover back from our amazing designer and receiving the first proof of our book in the mail, we can barely contain ourselves.

All these milestones got me thinking about the journey we have been on to get to this point. The ups, the downs, the twists and the setbacks. And, I sit here (still in lockdown), writing this blog post to encourage all of you. It might be a hard road, a long road, a road of self-discovery, a road you want to get off of sometimes, but all the effort and all those hours writing and editing pays off.

Our book in the paperback proof form - It's come a long way from the original.

When the Rain Falls is a story that has existed in some form ever since we were teenagers. And it has grown along with us. As we grew and developed as writers and people, it came along for the ride. From the first years of high school, into university, and well into our adult lives.

Looking back at original versions, the book is hardly recognisable to what it is today. But there’s something about that still feels like those first versions. There’s a nostalgia I feel whenever I open it and read the words on the page—like teenage Ashley and Sarah are speaking directly to me. And even through we’ve edited it and rewritten the story, its original essence is still there. The souls of the characters are there. And in some sections, original paragraphs from the first version are still there.

The actual journey to publication has been a long one. We tried and failed at traditional publishing (on multiple occasions), and trying to get an agent was equally unsuccessful. While these setbacks were disappointing, we believe self-publishing is the right place for this book. It’s our story, and now we’ve published it the way we want to.

So, where ever you are in your writing journey, keep going! I know it’s hard. I know it takes so much longer than you think it will.

But, I promise you, it’s worth it.

-A

LabLife

Still in lockdown folks.

-A

This fellow is always original. Ashley's dog playing with a bottle