The Season to Begin: An Invitation to Write Your Book
There’s a story you’ve been holding.
Maybe it lives in your notes app or your top drawer.
Maybe it only visits you in the quiet moments — on long walks, in the shower, or when you wake at 3 a.m. with a line that disappears before sunrise.
This letter is for you.
November is a season of slowing down. It softens the light. Quietly opens the door.
It’s also the season when many of us — quietly, privately — reflect on what we didn’t finish. But what if this year, you began?
I used to believe writing a book was something other people did. Writers with credentials. Writers with time. Writers who knew what they were doing.
But then one day, I stopped waiting. I started. And the act of starting changed everything.
I didn’t know the ending. I didn’t even have a perfect outline. But I wrote the first line. Then the next.
Some days it felt like pulling thread through water. Some days it felt like fire. Most days it felt like both.
And then, I finished.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was real. And it was mine.
The truth is, writing the book mattered more than anything that came after. Because the real transformation doesn’t happen when someone reads your book — It happens when you write it.
Writer Spotlight: A.W. Baldwin
Books to explore:
Moonshine Mesa, Desert Guardian, Raptor Canyon, Broken Inn, Diamonds of Devil’s Tail
Writer Spotlight: Jeff Edwards
Jeff’s eyes burn with a quiet intensity — matched only by his encyclopedic command of storycraft, military detail, and human depth.
About Jeff:
Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer
– Author of Sea of Shadows, The Seventh Angel, Sword of Shiva
– Winner of the Admiral Nimitz Award, Clive Cussler Grandmaster Award, and more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Edwards
Gratitude for Peter Greene
He helped rename my book (from *The Arrowhead Game* to *The Hurricane’s Daughter*), created the cover, the trailer, and made the whole experience feel real.
But most of all, he made me feel welcome.
***
What did I learn?
I finished what I started.
I said yes to an idea, stayed with it through the uncertain middle, and carried it across the finish line.
That, in itself, is something to celebrate.
At the ceremony, I found myself surrounded by writers I’ve long admired — including Clive Cussler’s co-authors, like Mike Madden, whose books line airport shelves and bedside tables across the world.
It would’ve been easy to feel out of place.
But something surprising happened: I didn’t.
Because the truth is — they finished their stories.
And so did I.
***
When I got home, I placed my finalist trophy on my bookshelf.
Behind it, I tucked *The Wild God of the World* by Robinson Jeffers — a reminder that art, like nature, doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.
It just has to be true.
That’s what writing this book felt like.
Not polished. Not always pretty.
But real.
Language Studio
Prompt of the Month:
Write the first paragraph of the story you’ve been putting off.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just has to exist.
Craft Corner
Try the Daily 100
Write 100 words a day — no pressure, no rules. Just write:
– A scene
– A journal entry
– A character’s voice
– A question you don’t know how to answer
One sentence at a time.
That’s how books get written.
You don’t have to rush.
You just have to begin.
And I hope you do — even if it’s messy.
Even if it’s slow.
Even if it’s just one line today.
With gratitude,
~ L.S. Scott
PS: Nothing would be possible without the loving support of my awesome husband, who encouraged and supported me every step of the way. He’s the best!!