Welcome to my adventure! I set out on this journey several years ago. I was working for a non-profit in Santa Monica, California and while I was using the bathroom I saw a door to a room in front of me. I looked up and on the door was a sign that read "The Mechanical Room," and I thought that's funny, who would put a room inside of a bathroom stall? Then I began to wonder what was on the other side of that door, and my imagination took over.
This is the point where my mother would say, "oh boy, we know what a crazy imagination you have," and it's true I do have a crazy imagination. I have always loved fantasy and science fiction. I think it's partly due to my tendency to escape reality and what better place to escape to other than a fantastical one?
My imagination, sitting on the toilet and staring at that door, allowed a spark of creativity. The spark gave birth to a novel that I am very proud of. I wrote The Mechanical Room over a span of a couple years. The bulk of it I wrote after being fired from my job... nothing better to do, why not write a novel!? It was the perfect escape.
THE MECHANICAL ROOM combines elements of both science fiction and fantasy. My main character, John Noah, is dying from a terminal illness that over half of the human population suffers from called Miller's Disease. In the year 2109, the autoimmune illness Miller's Disease claims a 100% mortality rate. John, however, is resistant to it. Doctors desperately try to convince him to volunteer for an experimental treatment, but John refuses. He has recently lost his wife to the disease and couldn't care less whether he lives or dies. As John's health deteriorates, his employers feel it is in his best interest to terminate his position. On John's last day of work, he investigates strange noises coming from a room inside a bathroom stall. Feeling his way through the dark room, he stumbles and falls through a gaping hole in the floor. He wakes up in a fantastical world and soon realizes he is literally in for the fight of his life.
I know there are many of you out there who are going through trying times. I encourage everyone to explore their creative side and turn something negative into something positive. This is not just my journey, but a journey for all like me who dare to turn their dreams into a reality.
Here I hope to chronicle my writing process and my tireless efforts to get published. My goal is to obtain a literary agent within the next six months. I then plan to be published by the end of 2010.
So, let's get started! Wish me luck!
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4 comments:
Wow! So I've been wanting to sit down and read this blog for the past few days. Boy am I glad I finally did! I am so happy for you that you are working on a dream of yours that I've been hearing you talk about since I can remember! Getting published is huge, and you are over the biggest hurdle many writers face - actually WRITING the book!
I have a story in my head that stemmed from from a thought I had many, many years ago. Recently, I've become interested in reading and writing again and I plan on one day writing this story that just won't leave me alone (as in, I can't stop thinking about it!) For me, though toughest challenge I face is I don't have much of a formal education in English. Sure, I got A's all throughout school in the subject, but my punctuation and grammar could definitely use a tune-up. I plan on taking a few creative writing/english courses at a community college once Nathan and I move (he is re-joining the Navy), so I think those will help me become more confident in my writing abilities.
This blog is very inspirational! Your story sounds interesting and I demand a signed copy once you are published! :-) I am a huge fan of science fiction as well, so I'm pretty sure I will enjoy your novel very much.
Thanks Suzanne! I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts and leave a comment. I think grammar and punctuation are important. I think equally, if not more, important is style. Every author has their own unique style I believe that separates them from the rest of the herd. My grammar and punctuation is decent enough lol. As long as it doesn't frustrate an editor or publisher than you should be okay!
Some of our greatest authors have had the same doubts in their writings as you do. J.R.R. Tolkien, as I mentioned in one of my blog posts, didn't think he would be so successful. He thought he was too old (HA! Imagine that) and he didn't think people would be interested in his work. He primarily wrote The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit because he didn't feel there were stories out there like it and he, along with C.S. Lewis, wanted to read these kinds of stories... so they wrote them.
Turn a deaf ear to what others think and say, write your story for your self, and I guarantee the words will flow like a river.
Nathan is going back to the Navy?! You must tell me more about this! Lol.
Hey! The concept of your novel sounds really interesting. Sorry it's taken me so long to check out your blog. Good luck with your novel. You are so right about channeling negativity into positive things. I was actually just thinking about that yesterday. I have a great script idea that's been sitting in my head for so long but I often let negative events and thoughts keep me on the road to procrastination. I'm glad you have turned out something positive from a negative situation. Sometimes it's the difficult situations in life that drive us to new and exciting things. I believe everything happens for a reason (even if I don't understand it at the time). Good luck! Looking forward to reading more.
Great premise for a blog/story! Everyone knows someone who is going through a serious health issue--either trying to maintain or in the course of being treated--I love that you are writing about your "escape" in this way. I look forward to reading the story and catching up to where you last left off. In the meantime, thanks for visiting my blog and I am now following you, too. Great luck with the publisher, too. You gotta put that stuff out there in the universe.
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