I FINISHED MY BOOK | snippets + aesthetics

hi i just finished MY FIRST BOOK EVER. so yea, i'm freaking out, xD. and yes, i'm going to overload y'all with lots of random snippets, aesthetics from my pinterest board, and just overall freaking out. :D

and i just realized that i've been posting about my wip two weeks in a row...so sorry xD. i promise next week will be different :D

okay, so I've been doing the 100-4-100 challenge (hosted by the amazing Go Teen Writers//go check them out, they're awesome), and I finished my book on Monday, August 20. SO FREAKING EXCITED!

Because it's my first book completed. Cover to cover. Chapter 1 to Chapter 50 something (my chapters are really short, fyi).

It's a YA contemporary, 285 pages, and 54,211 words. It's called "The Day We Met".

I cried when I finished it, because this story is so precious + personal. I also cried while I was writing it, which is a first for me, bc usually I only cry during movies (and certain books *cough* HARRY POTTER)

I'm so excited to edit it (weird i know), and it needs A LOT of editing. oh well xD I'm planning on waiting at least two months (bc #senioryear) until editing it, and then I'll order a spiral bound, double spaced copy off Lulu bc I edit better on paper.


And as soon as I finished, I ran downstairs and told my mom that I finished writing my first book. And then had the cutest conversation with my little brother, who tried to convince me to publish it now. xD

So then Mom took me to get my nails done, and the next day we got coffee at Panera. To celebrate. xD

basically, this post is me freaking out, lots of excited + incoherent rambling, some snippets, and lots of aesthetics.

Okay, so before all the snippets + aesthetics, here's a really rough synopsis:

her dream is to write a novel. 

his is to leave an impact on the world. 

When aspiring author Evynne Olson meets Chad Everton in a coffee shop, they quickly become best friends, bonding over coffee and fandoms. They soon realize they are more alike than they originally thought, and decide to start a blog to record their adventures. They embark on a quest to co-write a novel. Their story is sunny and hopeful, full of light and friendship and iced coffee. A story that resembles their own friendship. 

And when it seems like darkness is swallowing their dreams, how can they change the world? 

                                      

So, it needs a lot of editing/tweaking, but I think it describes my story pretty well. :) less formally, "The Day We Met" is:

two overly caffeinated teenagers attempt to write a book together without any prior novel-writing experience. they decide to start a blog in addition to their New York Times Bestseller's List future novel. 

lots of binge-watching of The Office + Sherlock, and numerous geeky conversations about Marvel films and comic books. 

also, they want to change the world of literature. specifically, young adult lit.

Also, the day after I finished it, I ordered a first draft copy off Lulu, and spent an exorbitant amount of time on the cover (because for some reason, it took me forever to upload my pictures). The picture is from Pinterest, so obviously I won't be using it for the real cover if I ever publish it. But since it's just for my own personal use, I thought it would be okay. :)

And originally, the mock cover was going to something completely different, but I saw this ^^ adorable picture on Pinterest, and instantly, I knew that sunflowers are exactly the aesthetic for my book.

okay, on to the snippets + aesthetics!

all photos below are from pinterest + canva

sunshine // iced coffee // driving at night // fresh flowers // overly caffeinated 

hands cupping mugs of warm tea // typing into the late night // friendship // spattered watercolors

purple rimmed eyes // chipped nail polish // laughing too hard // ink stained fingers

tangled earbuds // star sprinkled sky // musty smell of old books // incoherent texts

SOUNDTRACK 

because why not? i'm already overwhelming y'all with snippets + aesthetics, xD

vanilla twilight | owl city

you will be found | dear evan hansen

dreamers | for king & country

to the sky | owl city 

joy | for king & country

history has its eyes on you | hamilton

to be human | sia 

fireflies | owl city

character. evynne 

black coffee at night // reads too fast // messy scrawly handwriting // afraid to fail

her main goals in life are to write a book, go to college, + get a job to support herself. sometimes described as too practical.

character. chad

drinks way too much tea // too happy // wants to be remembered // glass half full 

he has too many impossible dreams, but is determined to accomplish all of them. sometimes described as naive or too optimistic.

okay, that's it. sorry for such a long, rambling + disorganized post, but I'm still just in shock + so happy that I finished my book! and I can't wait until my first draft copy arrives from Lulu...definitely not going to stalk the mailbox until it comes, xD.

so, what do y'all think? 

what WIP are you currently working on? 

and when did you finish your first book?

<3 <3,

allison riera