Getting Started

Beyond being a ghostwriter I am also a wannabe historical fiction writer. The plan is for my first novel to be about a woman that has fascinated me since childhood...Cleopatra VII. Now, I know there has been a lot written about her over the ages, but I haven't found a work of fiction that has left me satisfied. So, obviously I think I have a different perspective and something interesting to say.

I'm still in the research phase because I don't want to automatically use the commonly accepted stories. I'm teaching myself Ancient Greek, Hieroglyphics, and Arabic so that I can read the primary documents myself and do my own translations. I think this is important because just having one word that can be translated in a few different ways can greatly impact the meaning of the statement. The trouble is that while Cleopatra is widely known, there is not a lot of documentation out there about her life and accomplishments (well, other than the conveniently negative writings composed by Romans). It's odd that almost everyone knows her name and thinks they know her, but actually don't. It makes me wonder how many historical figures and events are like that.

Anyway, even though I'm still gathering the information necessary to truly create her character sketch, I decided it was time to start writing. While I have been working on this project for a few years now (most of my time is dedicated to ghostwriting) I didn't have anything on paper yet. For whatever reason, the idea of actually starting frightened me. Taking the novel from idea to reality was a bit nerve wracking. I'm not exactly sure why I was scared, but I knew that I had to break through those fears and just get going.

Oddly enough, it was a day-trip I took with a friend of mine that inspired me to get writing. She is an extremely talented and creative person and I always come home with tons of energy and inspiration after being around her. So, I decided to take that creative energy and go for it. I didn't think too much about it. I knew that if I stopped to think I wouldn't actually get anything written. So, I ran to the computer (yes, I really did run) and just started getting things down. I wasn't sure if I would start in the beginning, middle, or end but I knew that I had to get something done. As fate would have it, I was able to write the perfect opening paragraph (when I say perfect, I mean that it says exactly what I want it to say. I'm sure I'll reword it during editing).

So, if you have an idea for a book and have been waiting for the perfect time to start, just go for it! You'll never find that perfect time that you're looking for. There are a lot of people who dream about renting a cabin in the woods somewhere and writing that great American novel. But how many people actually do it? Not many. Some of the best literature ever written was composed at an inopportune moments; during times of war, economic crises, or even simply when a son or daughter finally went down for a nap. So, if you have an idea for a book that you've always wanted to write...go ahead and write it!

I can tell you that I feel so much better now that I have that paragraph written. I no longer have to face that blank page, and that is a very good thing.