The Best Terrible Luck: How A Broken Laptop Changed My Writing Forever

A while back, a very unfortunate thing happened with my laptop. Of course, as fate would have it, just two weeks after I decided I was going to seriously write a book, the computer died—the one with most of my previous drafts on it. Because why not?


At first, I thought it was no big deal. I figured I would just switch to handwriting until further notice. Turns out, it was the best terrible luck thing to ever happen to me.


Writing by hand has forced me to slow down. Instead of typing mindlessly, I’ve had to consider each word before putting it on the page. And the result? The changes I’m seeing are insane. Passages that once felt rushed have been reworked into something much stronger. Gaps I didn’t even know were there are now filled in with new depth.


Yesterday was one of those sun-up-to-sun-down writing days (okay, maybe not sun-up because my husband let me sleep until 11, but you get the point). And now, as much as I’d rather stay in this story, reality calls. It’s back to DoorDashing so this dream can keep moving forward.


But here’s the thing: the story will still be here when I get home. My characters aren’t going anywhere. They’re waiting—sometimes impatiently—for me to pick up the pen again. And I’m so excited to see where they take me next. At this point, I’m just along for the ride.


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