As ironic as it sounds, writing my first book was the most stressful yet most satisfying experience.
To give some context I published my first book in my senior year of high school. It was a collection of poetry that I had written throughout my high school years. With almost 100 pages I pushed my limits to show it to the public. All my poems were about broken friendships and terrible romances.
I often said my friends would joke not to mess with me because I would write a poem about them… and I would.
Regardless, my pushing point was leaving high school. I was at the point where I was going to leave everything I knew and loved. Quite dramatic but I do write poetry after all.
My book was titled “Seventeenth bridge” and it is currently on Amazon, I published through them. I picked that title because it symbolized my last bridge to cross before adulthood/being a legal adult. Picking a title that had strong meaning was essential for me. The cover has a cute bridge my friend drew, shouting out to Lena!
Next, I would argue was the hardest part was editing and putting the poems in the book. I used to Google Docs to create a draft, but it was hard because I did not plan where I wanted everything to be. This book didn’t even have a table of context because it was all over the place. I did have another friend editing my book, love you, Winnie!
My biggest tip for others and my future self would just be to write it down. The chapter layout or poems all written out and using a checklist to ensure they ae all there. I am a huge visual person and seeing a checklist completed makes my heart happy.
After that it was timing the book launch. I was still a high school student, so I did not really share it around. I handed a copy to my creative writing teacher a month after it being released, and he immediately told the whole class. I was a tad bit embarrassed, but I realized a lot of people do enjoy poetry.
Overall, the book writing experience was slightly rushed but it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I was able to write about my mistakes and finally say how I felt about situations, without name dropping. Writing has always been my outlet and sharing it with people has warmed my heart.
Good luck to anyone who wants to write a book! You can contact me if you have any questions further. My information is connected to this account.