Welcome

I’m Hannah, nice to meet you. I created this website both as a way to keep inquiring minds informed about my own journey as an author, and also to cultivate a community of peers perhaps going through the same experience. If that is you, feel free to stick around. If not, thanks for dropping by. Either way, I am glad you are here and wish you all the best.

Let’s cut to the chase. Writing is hard. Truly. The process of gathering up the bits and pieces of story fragments rattling in your head, weaving them into a cohesive narrative, and translating them into written words can be time-consuming, frustrating, and laborious, to say the least. Yet, it is also one of the most fulfilling and exciting things in my life. I am sure there are countless others who agree, each with their own unique spin on the experience. Feel like ranting or raving? You’re welcome to leave a comment.

For as long as I can remember, I have been putting my thoughts onto paper or typing them up. Usually, those thoughts are not of my own life, but that of hypothetical others who do not exist outside of the confines of my mind. Until I write their stories out, that is. I taught myself how to type at age eleven because I was desperate to copy the contents of a stack of spiral notebooks. I had spent every free moment scribbling away in them with a pencil, writing out my very first full-length, completed novel with a structured plot. I considered it my magnum opus. Then I got a year older. Then a few more. As time passed, I realized that while I should be proud of my work, it needed revision after revision to truly flourish. At the same time, I began freeing other stories from the depths of my mind, and each word was more fulfilling than the last.

Growing up, I wanted to become a great many things, some of which were entirely preposterous, such as a princess or the first female astronaut. (Obviously, I had yet to hear about Valentina Tereshkova, Sally Ride, or any of the others since.) One career path that occasionally went to the back burner but never disappeared was being an author. By the time I made it to high school, I knew it was my greatest ambition, whether or not I was ever able to earn income from it. As life went on, I thought of writing less as a career and more as a necessity. There is hardly anything more grating on me than all these stories in my head, scratching and clawing to get out. Honestly, that is often how it feels. Like an itch that needs scratching, a song that needs singing, or a thirst that needs quenching. Even if I do little else in my life, I shall write. That much is clear. The task that remains is ensuring that the work I bring forth into the world consists of stories worth telling.

I am an avid reader, as so many are. Books were and still remain a form of escapism for both my introverted, overwhelmed childhood self and my introverted, overwhelmed adult self. Obviously, little has changed in that regard. I have had the privilege of reading a great number of books, some of which have truly changed my life and my view of the world. Am I aiming to follow in the footsteps of the greats and create the next literary masterpiece? Absolutely not. Do I want to tell stories that matter and touch the hearts of perhaps a few? Definitely. If I can create something that means to someone a fraction of what some books have meant to me, I shall consider it a success. Hopefully, the community built here can help in ensuring that.

So where does that leave me? A twenty-something with far too many word documents saved to her laptop, exactly no industry connections, and a dream. This blog is to serve as the digital timeline of attempting to get what I have written into the world. Currently, I am trying the traditional publishing route. As previously stated, I have not a single industry connection. I do not live in a big city, did not attend an ivy league college, and certainly have no significant social media following. I do not even have a related degree—I am a CPA. All I have to call upon as I go about the querying process are my words, which likely puts me at a disadvantage compared to many others. I am okay with that. I have advantages in other areas. Such is life.

If you happen to find yourself in a similar boat, or you are simply interested in seeing how everything plays out, please stick around! The goal is for this to be first and foremost a community of story lovers who believe there is a certain sort of magic in the written word. This is also a safe space for writers and aspiring writers of all levels of skill and industry success to find solace in one another’s company and celebrate each other.

Thank you for being here and for reading this far! I’ll see you around. :)

- Hannah Kathleen