Getting Started as a New Writer: My First Ever Story

It all began with a dream. No, really!

I was in Grade 6 when I had a dream where my friends and I each had our own special ability and were a part of a superhero squad. Think, Power Rangers meets Winx Club. 

Rachael at 11 years old

As an avid daydreamer I often revisited fantasy worlds throughout my waking day. This idea of a crime fighting team eventually combined with my budding interest in Greek mythology and became an adventure with a single character who could control all four elements, tasked with keeping the peace amongst the mythical creatures of Greek myth.

It was this idea that became the inspiration for my first ever story, and a lot can be learned by looking back at the beginning, the common issues that arise in first attempts, and how these can also be strategies for getting started as a new writer.

And for me it all starts with my mom. Without her, I never would have started writing. 

I distinctively remember the conversation in the car when my family was heading home after a visit with my grandparents. Dad was driving with my mom in the passenger seat. I was sitting behind her, with my little brother to my right. Dad’s favourite music was playing through the CD player. 

As we drove over the Lion’s Gate Bridge, I was in my own little world thinking about this Greek mythology, chosen-one adventure. But I had hit a wall, and thought that maybe I could evolve the story further if I stopped imagining myself in this scenario and instead made up a new character. Which meant I needed a name

So I asked mom what a Greek girl’s name would be. Mom gave me a few suggestions and then, as any mom would, asked why I was asking this out-of-the-blue question. I explained that I had this idea for a story about a girl who discovers she is secretly a Greek goddess of the elements, and I needed a name for this girl. It was the first time I had told anyone about one of the stories in my head. 

And mom said, “You should really write that down.”

And that seemingly small suggestion started two decades of a passion for stories and storytelling. 

The First Story

The title of my first story was Unexpected. I have yet to think of a better title to this day. Looking back on my first story is as humbling as it is endearing. This first-person POV followed a young teenage orphan girl named Thalia (pron. Talia, but with the ‘h’ was the spelling my mom gave me). And it begins, as any good first story does, with a dream.

Well, technically a nightmare. In the first chapter Thalia endures a vision of insufferable pain, only to wake up to find nothing has changed. That is until, on a walk through the woods, she counters a little girl Diane who gives her a golden coin. That golden coin opens a portal to Mount Olympus, where Thalia learns that the painful nightmare was actually her transformation into an immortal goddess. Low and behold, she is the prophesied daughter of Gaea who is destined to protect Mount Olympus from a great evil. 

In order to get ready to fight Cronus, the titan god threatening to destroy the gods, Thalia has to undergo some crazy training to learn how to control her newfound power. Through the journey she also navigates a budding relationship with another young god named Sky (can you guess which powerful god he’s the child of?). 

One thing I am proud of myself for is that, even though it’s a chosen-one narrative, Thalia doesn’t just immediately know how to use her powers. In fact I remember her training montage, which covered several chapters, being one of my favourite parts. And even though it was a destiny that Thalia never wanted she rises to the occasion, learns to embrace her new powers while staying true to herself, and defeats Cronus to save the gods and Mount Olympus.

The last draft I made for Unexpected, draft 6, was 79,524 words. I went on to write a sequel called Divided, where Thalia loses her powers and has to earn them back through an epic quest all while navigating being back in the human world and navigating a love triangle. From there I wrote two contemporary romances, a dystopian spy romance thriller, a pirate fantasy, adventure fantasy, several other half-started stories, and of course the Wicked Conjuring series. 

Hindsight 20:20

When I look back at this old story, one of the most glaring issues that stands out to me is the pacing. I blitz through the set up and opening like the story is in a motocross race. To give you an idea, here is what happens in the first four chapters:

Chapter 1 is Thalia’s nightmare that causes her transformation into an immortal. 

Chapter 2 gives an insight into her daily life and also she meets Diana and receives the golden coin that will be her key to Mount Olympus

Chapter 3 she finds the doorway, via a rock with a hole for the coin, to Mount Olympus

Chapter 4 Thalia is whisked away to Mount Olympus, meets the gods on their thrones and is told she is now an immortal and a part of a weighty prophecy. 

It’s a lot of logistics and not a lot of substance. There is nothing that tells the reader about the kind of person Thalia is at the start of the story. What is clear is that she is very confused and rightfully overwhelmed by the sudden change in her life. But other than a small glimpse into her morning at the orphanage, there isn’t much revealed about Thalia and her status quo.

That is a consequence of self-insertion writing, when the author writes themselves as a character, which is another glaring fault with the story. Back then I didn’t realize that was what I was doing, but in hindsight it makes sense. It was my first story, and I was writing what I knew. But because I was using myself as a baseline without realizing it, I never thought to describe the kind of person Thalia was at the start of the story.

Here is an original excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 4:

I felt as though I had been run over by a truck

Raising my head with a loud groan I pulled my aching body off the ground and onto my knees. Every muscle felt as though it had been thoroughly abused. Whatever that was, I couldn’t understand how I had survived it. 

I rubbed my eyes roughly. It took a while but soon, as the world slowly came back into focus, my jaw dropped. A gigantic regal temple sparkled before my eyes. Columns of white marble lined the front wall, stretching so high into the clouds that the roof of the temple was invisible to me. Two colossal golden doors stood at the centre. Everything was pristine – even the cobblestone that I knelt on in front of the steps to the temple were spotless. 

Carefully I stood up, off of my complaining knees, and turned around to the surroundings. To the right was a thick forest, with trees greener than I had ever seen before. To the left was a vineyard that stretched for miles. There appeared to be people working in the distance amongst the vines. If there were people here, maybe this was a real place and I was not just dreaming. 

It was hard to believe, however, that this could be any kind of reality. Beside the vineyard was a grassy hill that led down to a blue lake, backed by more trees. It sparkled like diamonds under the bright orange sun. Beyond that looked like farms, some other temples and buildings scattered amongst the rolling hills in the horizon with cobblestone paths leading every which way. 

“It’s a mountain,” I realised quickly, based on the slope and how the rolling hills ducked down in the horizon. “I’m on a mountain.” I paused. 

“How did I get on top of a mountain?” I asked aloud, not expecting anyone to answer. 

Suddenly a gust of wind caught me from behind and lifted me up into the air. I flew towards the giant double doors at an alarming rate, my scream lost in the wind. 

I scrambled frantically, but the gale wouldn’t put me down. It hurled me toward the double doors and I threw my hands up in front of my face and screamed. 

Nothing hit me. I looked back to see the doors closing behind me, getting smaller and smaller as I continued to fly down the dark ominous hallway. The wind turned me over and over and I kept having to twist my body to try and keep my head above my feet.

The ceiling was several stories high and despite my tumbling I could tell that the walls were decorated with torches, curtains and lots of artwork; mostly paintings and lots of vases. The purple carpet was a blur underneath me. 

My ride was not long however, as very quickly at the end of the hallway was another set of doors, similar but smaller than the ones at the front. Though I knew it was pointless I threw up my arms, bracing myself for impact. I was only vaguely aware of the doors opening for me. 

My shocked screamed was quickly muffled by fabric in my face as I was thrown to the ground. Luckily I rolled across some kind of cushion and landed on my back. It felt like I had gone through several rinse cycles of the washing machine, and I was not too pleased. 

Looking up I could see a tiled ceiling that seemed too high even for birds. Stretching my fingers out by my sides I realized I was lying on a carpet. Turning over onto my stomach I realised I was surrounded by red and gold pillows. The same from my nightmare.

This is from draft 6, but it reads much more like a first draft. Despite all the flaws, I look upon this story with kindness and fondness. I’m very proud of my childhood self for finding my passion and sticking through it, enough to multiple drafts and many other stories. And these things that I point out as flaws can be the strategy that helps a new writer get started.

Getting Started as a New Writer

I specifically say “new” writer and not “young”writer because you’re never too young or too old to start a new hobby. And there are two methods that I think are great for new authors to start practicing their fiction writing. 

Firstly, self-insertion. Put yourself in a new story.

This can be a great way to start ‘writing what you know’. If it is a means to help you start putting words on paper, then go for it! Pay special attention to how the character, in this case you, would make decisions in your imagined world or scenario. Consider what parts of your personality and backstory influence how you make decisions. How does the plot move forward based on the decision? This can be an introductory exercise to character agency and motivation, and also the exercise of writing itself.

Secondly, write fan-fiction. 

Take your favourite book, TV show, or movie, and write a new story, and write a new adventure for one of your favourite characters. It could feature the main character, or challenge yourself by using a side character who hasn’t been fully flushed out. Or even better, try creating your own original character who could fit into this world. Writing fan fiction is a great way to start practicing and understanding story craft, because you have been given the sandbox already ready for you to play in.

Remember that I suggested these as ways to start practicing writing. Neither self-insertion or fan fiction can or should be used for commercial purposes.

Putting yourself as the main character is challenging because we tend to be biased toward our own representation, for better or for worse. We don’t see ourselves objectively, and it can also make it challenging to receive feedback on a certain character. Imagine writing yourself into a story, giving it to a friend to read only for them to come back and say they hate the main character. That would hurt, but it is most likely because the character doesn’t come across as believable or well-rounded. True characters need to be seen, explored, and developed from all angles. But for the purposes of getting started in writing, it may help to start with a character you know. 

And there are a whole host of copyright issues that come with using fan fiction for commercial gain. Unless you somehow get a deal from a big IP who has legally given you the rights to write a story for them (in which case, way to go!), these kinds of exercises should be done for fun only. 

But that fun is so important. Writing is an incredible form of expression, a way to explore challenging concepts or themes, or an escape into amazing new worlds. 

Young Rachael with the family dog Tucker

For me, writing was my safe space growing up. Thalia was so much stronger than I was, able to take the world onto her shoulders. She struggled and got knocked down time and time again, but she always got up. She could fight back against anything, and despite the struggles always get a happy ending. I could feel powerful through my stories, and that got me through the times when I didn’t feel strong myself. 

I can’t imagine the person I would be today if I had not found writing. Thanks mom <3

I believe everyone should have some kind of outlet that feeds their soul. And it doesn’t have to be artistic in the traditional sense. Some kind of hobby, be it cooking to exercising, collecting or simply walking, there is a way for everyone to express themselves. 

Writing too, can take many forms. Whether it’s fan fictions, short stories, journaling, writing your memoir.  

So if you’re interested in writing or being a writer then the best thing to do is start writing.