My Writing Crystal

By Ashley Scheller

To be new at writing can be both exciting and intimidating. I can say with confidence my journey to becoming a new author has been long but also worthwhile.

 I penned my first rough draft of my debut novel back in high school. I would write a bit, let it sit for a month and repeated this process. When I went to college in the fall of 2005, I didn’t write anymore, I was too busy, I didn’t have the time. Then in 2013, years after graduating, I revisited my manuscript.

I think my mistake was trying to write when I didn’t have the ambition or the patience I needed.   I would have made the time to write if it had been important to me.  Saying you don’t have the time is one of the hardest excuses to break. It’s also one of the most popular excuses people use.

I believe a writing habit has to be developed.  You have to train yourself to complete the page, or to get that one sentence scribbled on paper, to meet a word count. Creating any good habit– writing, eating well or getting into an exercise routine is a process. Start small and work up.

When I started, I’d write for short periods.  Now, hours of writing pass, to the point my husband wonders if I’m ever going to stop and eat.

For me, productivity is being there for family and/or friends while completing my writing goals each day.  We each have to determine our own goals of productivity.

I do know, however, that novel isn’t going anywhere until I  sit down and get to work.

__________________________________________________________________ 

Ashley Scheller has always liked creating. Currently residing in Omaha with her family, if she isn’t sewing costumes inspired from medieval times or anime characters she is writing. Passionate about both hobbies, she loves to connect with fellow costumers and writers through social media. The Wielder Diaries: My Crystal is her first book and has planned an exciting trilogy for the title.