Keerzijde
Ever dream of writing a book, but fear getting stuck in a “no inspiration” zone? Well, at the beginning of september 2022, that was me. But guess what? I defied the odds and wrote a YA fiction novel – in text message style, no less! Buckle up for the story behind the story, filled with laughter, tears, and a whole lot of emojis.
Tone of voice
The target audience I had in mind was Young Adult, which meant that the tone of voice for this story had to be short and simple. Using abbreviations that I had not heard before (I felt so old, but luckily I have a younger sister!) and making sure all the characters had their own way of typing, makes this story young.
Challenges
Let’s be real, writing a book in six months? Not exactly a walk in the park. My biggest enemies were writer’s block and my own inner perfectionist. Sometimes, finding the right words felt like trying to find decent Wi-Fi on a road trip. But I refused to give up! I powered through with music, memes, and pep talks from my awesome friends.
Process
Think of my writing process as a wild text message exchange with myself. Ideas popped up everywhere: in the shower, during lunch breaks, even while waiting in line for coffee. ☕️ I used my phone to jot them down, stringing them together into a story that felt raw, relatable, and totally on-brand for the YA world.
The moment I hit “finish” on the manuscript? EPIC! But the icing on the cake was reading it all together, like finally putting the pieces of a puzzle together. ✨ And designing the cover myself? That was like adding the perfect emoji to express the whole mood.
