I used to write stories for myself as a teenager. I had a few friends in high school I showed some of them to, but for the most part, no one saw them but me. When the internet started and I was in a Battlestar Galactica (1978) fan group, we had a side group that wrote fan fiction about the series. I enjoyed that. For many years, though, my writing has been confined to reviews of media and products.
My friend and fellow blogger, Alex, encouraged me to think more about writing fiction. I posted one of those fanfic stories earlier this year, and it was received very well. After everything that’s happened, between PTSD, depression, anxiety, and traumatic brain injury, I don’t know if I am capable of writing as well as I did when I wrote that 30-ish years ago.
But I’m gonna give it a shot.
Earlier this year I wondered if there was any alternate history where society evolved as a matriarchal society rather than a patriarchal one. I couldn’t find any. So, now I’m working on a bit of backstory first. It’s a society where only the matriarchal line can be assured, so that is what matters and who rules. Men are seen as physical beings to do the work and protect, but they are not thought of as capable of ruling or governing. Any time they have allowed men into more leadership it has ended in disaster, most recently a war from 1936-1947 that involved China, Australia, and an uprising of the men in Europe under the leadership of someone named Adolph….
One of my characters is a historian, so I will be filling in bits of history here and there as a backstory which I am working on an outline for. I’m working out the Queens of Europe. I’m not going to use them specifically for the story I plan, but they are a good background if I want to refer to them. Another will be a political leader who is a good friend of hers (they went to the top schools and built these kinds of friendships there). It will mirror our own society in many ways, but also different, which should be interesting.
Perhaps I will build a whole universe. Perhaps I’ll get fed up and quit. Who knows?
But for now, I’m going to try.
YAY!!!! I wish you all the best!!! At the risk of offering unsolicited at advice that may mean nothing, let me suggest Sultana’s Dream. I believe the author’s name is Hossein(?)
Happy writing!
Thank you! I will look it up.
Congratulations on your decision. I wish you good luck and happy writing.
Oh! This sounds like a great project! Will you be posting any excerpts??
It depends. I have a few publishers I deal with for ARC reviews I might send it to. They seem to appreciate women authors.
Good Luck! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
As someone who is currently grappling with a first novel, I am glad you’re on this journey, too. It’s a challenging journey, to be sure, and I hope that you don’t become easily discouraged when (not “if”) you have days when your Bucket of Ideas is running low or are tired, frustrated, and worried that you’re not getting anywhere.
Good luck, and may the Force be with you.
Update: It took me almost 25 months and two interstate moves, but I finished my novel in April 2025. (If you include post-publication tweaks of various types, I completed “Reunion: Coda” in late October 2025.) If you’re a writer, I still recommend it, but the “Novelist’s Journey” is not for everyone.
Keep at it, it is not easy, but please don’t quit. Build your world, and keep showing it to us. Your writing can eventually surpass what you wrote thirty years ago, with practice. Keep writing. For all of us.