Writing makes up about 50% of my identity. I’ve mentioned this in my first post “Welcome to Second Draft” that I’ve been writing since I was young. I have stuff documented as early as the ages of 9-10 where I’ve written journal entries, plays, and short stories. I have no idea where my love for writing came from to be quite honest. Maybe later when I regain childhood memories will I uncover where this love came from.
I had a very active imagination when I was a kid. I was always more in my head than I was present in the moment. So then I took that imagination and put it on paper. In elementary school I wrote short stories (obviously they’re terrible) and a play about kids in my 5th grade class. My friend and I had crushes on these boys and instead of talking to them we just wrote that they fell in love with us in a play. It was a 4 part play titled “Extra Credit.” I also wrote a short story about General Grievous (I’ve never seen Star Wars before writing this) but the lack of knowledge on anything didn’t stop me!
Then in high school I discovered Wattpad. Oh yes, Wattpad. I feel like we all went through this phase. I started writing books on there. No structure, just vibes. My first book reached 8.5k reads and ended up being a 6h 3m read time. It was published in 2013. People reading my story on there gassed me up so much I continued writing on Wattpad. Anything else I published on there though never got finished. I abandoned everything I started.
I took a creative writing class in senior year of high school and decided maybe I could pursue writing as a career, but then also realized I really liked movies. So, I combined the two and went on to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Screenwriting. My screenwriting classes are the only thing I miss from college (and my bff Abby).
Soon I realized if I wanted to actually continue with screenwriting, I’d have to work with multiple people on a single project, and things can be changed from my original stuff. I didn’t like that too much. I have completed short films as well as a feature film. Since I already have written longer formed things on Wattpad and have studied story intensely in college, I decided I would tackle writing my first novel. I thought I was qualified enough. But let me tell you, anyone can write a novel. It’s just really fucking hard.
Covid hit in 2020 and I found a lot of time on my hands. When I wasn’t playing animal crossing, I was writing a book. I finished a 75k word romance novel in like 4 months. I was so proud of it. Proud of myself. Although it needed a lot of work, I couldn’t believe I finished it. Self doubt kicked in though and that piece of work still sits on my computer untouched.
Since then I have written another novel that also sits on my computer collecting dust. Self doubt loves to follow me everywhere it seems. On top of those things, I have a dystopian series all planned out waiting to be written, and Kristen and I are co-writing a romantacy series. What also fuels me is that Kristen is also a very talented writer. I can’t wait for the world to see her stuff.
Of course I can’t stop writing, so I made this blog. I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing. Not everything will see the light of day, though. Maybe one day I’ll be a published author. I’m confident in a lot of things, but not always my writing.
Thanks for listening to me ramble! If you like reading or writing in any capacity, please talk my ear off about it. I will sit in silence and listen to the books you’re reading and any writing passion projects you have. Come bother me at @wes.sacerdote on Instagram.
