Photo courtesy of Suat Eman
Do you remember the first book you ever WROTE?
I recall back when I was still in my twenties and I discovered I wanted to be a writer. So, I began penning a romance novel entitled Cavanaugh. Don’t laugh – I named my heroine Cavanaugh. I saw it in a name book at the library. Cavanaugh was a pampered college student. Her mother died when she was a child and she was raised by her father – a wealthy man who owned a successful travel agency (I got this idea since I was working at a travel agency as an accountant at the time). Cavanaugh wanted to be independent and make a name for herself. Her father offered to hire her to work in his travel agency during her summer off from college.
Coincidentally, her father has also hired Evan Sanders to work as an accountant in his travel agency. Evan is a sad, hardened young man because his girlfriend (I think it was his girlfriend, it may have been his wife – I wrote this thing several years ago and it’s kinda hard for me to recall) had died and he was grieving.
As you can guess, Evan and Cavanaugh were attracted to one another.
Meanwhile, Cavanaugh’s father was dating a beautiful woman, Nia, a former model. She was jealous about the attention that Cavanaugh’s father lavished on his daughter. She hated seeing Cavanugh with Evan. Also, Evan had a provocative, shapely, ex-girlfriend (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH HIS DECEASED WIFE/GIRLFRIEND) who was trying to win him back. Her actions wreaked havoc on Evan’s and Cavanaugh’s relationship.
Cavanugh went on a cruise by herself to decide if her and Evan were meant to be together. When she returned, they kissed, and decided that they could work out their differences…
BLAH!
When I think about this manuscript, I shudder. It’s currently sitting under the stairs, in my basement, gathering piles and piles of dust. I cringe when I read those words. At the time, I even had the audacity to hand the manuscript over to friends and family who kindly gave me lofty reviews….
So, tell me about the first manuscript you ever wrote. What was it about? How long ago did you write it?
I wrote Cavanaugh about seventeen years ago. I feel that writing is a craft that can always be improved. Cavanaugh certainly needed LOTS OF IMPROVEMENT.
I wish I could say the manuscript to my very first novel was gathering dust…but it isn’t. Actually, I don’t even know what happened to One Big Happy Family, which is what I titled it; but, I did remember the storyline, revamped it 21 years later (I was 15 when I wrote it), and now it’s published under the title Mississippi Nights. :o) And DEFINITELY better than the “first draft”. 🙂
What a fun topic, Cecelia!
My first book was a romantic suspense about a psychiatric social worker who finds her client dead of an apparent suicide. The hero is the police detective who investigates and must ultimately save her when the murderer comes after her.
The first book I ever wrote was a fanfiction, a modern day telling of Pride and Prejudice with a twist of Persuasion. I realized around chapter four it’s much easier to make up your own story than to rewrite someone else’s, so off I went. It had quite a following in the Jane Austen fanfiction world and I might rewrite it someday. Still, when I look back at it I cringe. I was in everyones point of view but the dogs–and sometimes in the same sentence. The first book I wrote toward publication I sold, it was Romeo, Romeo. I started writing that when I had to write a scene for a Point Of View class I was taking. It came in handy!
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Ha! So fun to look back. My first book was “Katie in Care Town” written in the 2nd grade. My first novel was about a girl who went to college, got pregnant, and had to come home to live with her ultra religious mom. I don’t think you’ll see it on the best seller list any time soon.
Daphne, it’s so cool that you were able to get your first book published, even if it was 21 years later! It’s all good.
Diane, the plot for your first-written novel sounds a heck of a lot better, and more exciting, than mine! 🙂
Robin, interesting that your first book was fanfiction. I’m hearing a lot of people are writing that these days. I’ve never read it, or tried to write it, but, I do think that the entire concept is so cool!
Julie, you won’t see my first-written book on the bestseller list anytime soon, either. I like your story idea, though. I can just imagine a pregnant woman coming home to a judgmental, ultra-religious mom. I can also imagine both characters working through their differences as they bond their mother/daughter relationship!
My first novel (can’t remember the name) was about six teenagers. It 500 pages long. Written on an IBM Selectric III typewriter. No back-up. After I completed it, I decided it was no good and burned it in the fireplace! Looking back, I think the characters were charming but THERE WAS NO PLOT! I am thankful I did not submit it to a publisher!
The first book I ever wrote was called Familiar. It was about a man who dreamed about a woman he never saw before. One day he want to the supermarket and there she was! This was because they both were psychic and homed in on each other’s minds. It was HORRIBLE :-). I keep a copy as ego control. If I ever get big headed, all I’d have to do is read that hot mess- that’d set me right :-).
Once I got saved (and took a few writing classes :-), I took the basic concept and turned it into my first published novel, To Whom Much Is Given.
Sherri, that’s so funny! When I wrote Cavanaugh, I didn’t own a computer! So, here’s what I did: I went to the library every night after work and wrote the book in longhand. Then, I’d go to work early and use my computer at work to type up the pages. I even went to work on the weekends just to use my computer to type up my handwritten pages. I kept my manuscript, but purchased a used computer to use for future manuscripts.
Maurice, isn’t it amazing what some basic writing instruction can provide for our writing! I learned a lot by attending romance writers conferences. The published authors gave me loads of instructions and guidance during workshops. Their advice proved very helpful to me and my writing.
The first book I wrote was loosely based on a local family that was adopting a child from Korea. The mother died before the adoption was finalized and the father was in danger of loosing the child because the Korean adoption only authorized adoptions by married couples.
My story, which was published by Avalon Books as Bachelor Father, has an uncle who is named guardian of his nephew when the child’s parents are killed. The couple was adopting the toddler from Korea. The heroine is a strictly by the rules caseworker who’s assigned to the adoption when the regular caseworker goes on early maternity leave.
The book is dedicated to our son, who we adopted from Korea a few years before I wrote the book.
Jean, I’m so glad you stopped by to comment! What an emotional plot! I HAVE YOUR BOOK IN THIS MESSY HOUSE, SOMEPLACE! I really do! I just looked it up on AMAZON and I recognize the cover. I’m assuming I purchased it at an RWA conference. Now, I just need to find it, dig it out, and read it!
My first book is buried up in a closet somewhere. I’ll bet you can’t guess what it was…Romance? NOPE. Mystery…Not even close. Give up? It was (is) a Star Trek novel. I love the old original show. I read all the novels they published, and given that there were 5 series, that’s a lot of book. But the original crew was my favorite. My favorite books were the ones that I could here Scotty, Spockm and McCoy in my head when I read their dialog.I didn;t find a lot of those and decided I could write one. I wrote it, submitted it, and got slapped back HARD. Took me 15 years to get up the nerve to write again. I’m so glad that God is patient!!
Oh, Cecilia, what a FUN subject!! Love reading about your first novel with Cavanaugh and Jean’s Bachelor Father too as well as the others. Had to smile at Sherri writing her first book on an IBM Electric with no backup — I wrote my first novel (and I mean by pencil) at the age of 12, then typed it on a Brother Manual typewriter, so I definitely have some years on her. Still have the 150 single-spaced pages today in a bedroom drawer. It was called When Tomorrow Comes, and it was the basis for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure, which I rewrote and edited over 60 times in my early 50s and finally sold after it was rejected 45 times. Gosh, thanks for the visit down memory lane — SOOO fun to remember!!
Hugs,
Julie
Such fun to read everyone’s history. My “first book” was never even finished. It was handwritten in the sixth grade, and was so stellar I don’t even remember what it was about.
My goodness, Sharon! You didn’t write for 15 years because your Star Trek novel got rejected! Wow!
Julie, wow, an electric typewriter and 60 edits and 45 rejections!! You can actually say, “The first book I ever wrote got published!” And it’s a wonderful book, too! 🙂
Wow, Leslie! Sixth grade! I remember writing a science-fiction short story in eighth grade. I didn’t mention it in my blog post because it wasn’t a full-length novel.
My very first book was titled The Anchor Mystery–I wrote it in the 5th grade. I still have it–penciled cover art and all!
My first full length novel was titled Isle of Pretense and featured a couple pretending to be engaged but they didn’t like each other. That’s sitting on a computer somewhere in a closet.
It’s fun reading all these stories. Love this topic, Cecelia.
Lindi, sounds like fun! Glad you’re enjoying the topic. I also wrote a book in the fifth grade, too! I failed to mention that one in my blog post – probably because I did it before I vowed I wanted to be an author, also, it wasn’t a full-length book. It was called Candyland and it was about a set of twins named Fred and Susan. They go on a quest to find this magical place called Candyland – complete with lollypops, suckers, and sweets! 🙂
I even had a purple cover colored with crayon! I believe the words, Candyland were colored with red crayon!
I have no idea where that thing is. I’m sure it was destroyed. I wish I’d kept it, though!
First (and really ONLY) short story was a project for college in 1990 – “A Day in the Life of a K-9 Cop”, written entirely from the dog’s POV. My instructor loved it. I think I still have it lurking around here somewhere hiding in all my school memorabilia.
First full-length novel was “Now and Forever” about high school friends who went their separate ways under less than wonderful circumstances, only to be thrown back together a few years later by their professional lives. I had a blast writing it, only took me a couple of months about 20 years ago. I originally wrote it on a Brother typewriter, then I retyped it into a computer when I had the opportunity in the mid-90s. I still have it in the computer. It sits in a place of honor mixed in with my other much more recent (and definitely better) work. It has a host of issues that insure it may never see publication (at lest not without MASSIVE overhaul), but it was my first and I treasure it.
I wrote my first novel in the last half of 1984. In the next 8 years I submitted it several places and learned a lot from each rejection. Then when Barbour started Heartsong Presents, they bought my novel about halfway through their first year. It releases in December 1992.
The story was about a first-year schoolteacher in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. It was a contemporary. The title is Home to Her Heart.
Dawn, your story sounds wonderful! I love stories about friendships!
Lena, it’s awesome that you sold the first book you wrote to Barbour for Heartsong Presents!
My first manuscript told the story of a spoiled and beautiful rich girl named Natalia and a Baron named Christian who (inexplicably) had great and undying love for Natalia. It was extremely LONG and set in 1800’s Norway. That’s right. Norway. Needless to say, no publisher wanted any part of it. I wrote it about 18 years ago and I, too, had such an overinflated opinion of it that I printed it out and gave it to family members to read. LOL!
Wow, Becky! We do have a couple of things in common! I failed to mention in my blog post that I submitted Cavanaugh to just about every publisher that I could! Needless to say, nobody wanted to have anything to do with my story! LOL!
First story I wrote was about a girl named Jaimie who lived by herself on a boat. I was probably twelve and have no idea what happened to it.
This was a fun post and comments to read.
Mary, your comment has me wondering, why in the world was Jaime living on a boat by herself? I’m glad you enjoyed reading this blog post as well as the comments. It’s been fun for me, too!
The first book that I am serious about publishing is still in the making, but the first book I completed was in the 5th grade, it was kind of a sci-fi book. It was about a mean old grandmother, who was stealing the souls of the neighborhood children who kept coming up missing. Upon her death those souls were released from their torture making their way to Heaven (I think) I can’t really remember what happened after they were release. Im 29 so 5th grade was a long time ago. I wrote that book back when Goosebump books were the latest rave.
Tiara, I’ve seen the Goosebump novels in the bookstores. Also, a friend of mine told me that her son read them when he was young. I think those came out a few generations AFTER my YA/TEEN years. Your story sounds interesting!
The first novel I ever wrote was a YA novel set in 1954 when I wrote it as a sophomore at Baylor University. I still have it with yellowed pages, typos, frayed edges,head-hopping, and all kinds of other mistakes. I also have it on my computer and it goes by the title BROKEN BARRIERS. I love that story and Gayle Roper critiqued a cleaned up first chapter for me at Mount Hermon one year and gave me great encouragement. While it may never be published, it’s still one of my favorites.
Hey Martha! It’s awesome that you were able to get the first chapter of your YA novel critiqued years later. I was wondering if you ever submitted that to any publishers? I’ve noticed some new YA stories popping up, so, it may be a good market to break into at this point?
My first book was not only my first, but it provided the spark needed for me to get my writing career going.
The title was Refuge: The Genesis Chronicles. I self-published the book with AuthorHouse in 2003. It concerns the last 100 years leading up to the Flood. The main character is Jareb, the nephew of Noah.
Jareb only half believes Noah’s preaching about the coming Flood and prepares a huge refuge in the caves of the Majestic Mountains. Filled with adventure and romance, it led to one college president saying I am a romantic.
More important, it became part of my last novel, Perished:The World That Was.
Frederick, sounds like a unique story. Also sounds like it took a lot of research for your book. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
My first book well… I m not sure I m Thirteen years old And I m a writer and I havn’t finished one singale book yet ): I always start it and then never finsih it I know I know But That always happons to mwa!!!