15 Chapters In and No Signs of Slowing Down
I never saw this coming
“Don’t start with writing a best seller. Start with writing a good line. Don’t self publish hoping to get rich. Do it hoping to find 10 readers who will become stalwart fans.” — M. J. Rose
When I first decided to write Anomaly, I sent James Finn a horrible piece of a chapter. It was new territory for me. I had been trying to write this story for a while, but I was terrified of the beginning. I didn’t know how to start it. There were at least seven scenes in my phone where an idea hit me randomly, but I didn’t have a complete chapter.
He worked with me tirelessly, and now both of us can see some growth in my writing skills. When James was editing the first chapter of Anomaly, he must’ve left about 60 private notes. While he insisted that most first drafts needed this much fixing, I was still a bit self conscious about it. I had no idea this many people would be into it.
Now we’re 15 chapters in, and I’m about 800 words into a draft for chapter 16. Kris, Melody, Taylor, and all the other characters are thriving. I’m getting responses where people are telling me they can’t wait for the next chapter. Here’s chapter 15.
I don’t even know how to describe how amazing it is to know that people love your work. Here are just a couple responses that you lovely people left me.
What deep dark secret is in Jayden’s mind and what else does Kris know about Jayden? Agh! The tension! Quick I need the next chapter! — Chris Cohlmeyer
This is so damned good!!! I can’t wait for the next chapter! Get BUSY!!! — Terijo
Aaah! The tension, the suspense, the angst! I absolutely love this series. Your writing is SO amazing and your characters are so well developed and intricate. — Alex Peach
Even after I took longer than usual cranking out a new chapter, the support was still there. People were still rooting for Kris.
Anomaly is the first fiction project I’ve ever been this consistent with. During my seventh grade year, my mother passed away. I wrote a really crappy story that took up about 400 notebook pages. I moved from the front of my classes to the very back and just wrote. It was my escape in a way. Teachers didn’t bother me because I wasn’t disrupting class. I hadn’t finished anything ever since.
I genuinely appreciate all the support. Kris has a lot of myself in him. He’s more than just a character, especially to me. I rarely see transgender people represented in any entertainment media. It’s much better than it used to be, and it’s getting better every day. How do you think all this improvement came about? People sat down and started writing transgender characters. They saw a need and got to work.
I saw transgender people being ostracized and bullied while they tried to participate in the sports they loved. I saw one transgender young man have to choose between a basketball scholarship and transitioning. How do you make someone choose between living in their truth and bettering their future? Kris is a melting pot of all these different negative events I’ve learned about on social media.
As for Melody, she started out as something completely different. She was just a cute girl Kris liked when I first thought of her. Originally, I planned to have her be ignorant towards trans issues and ultimately hurt Kris. Now, she’s an ally that’s not afraid to use her voice. With Melody, I wanted to show young LGBTQ people that they deserve to be loved. I wanted to show that everybody doesn’t judge you by shallow characteristics.
Growing up being trans and having no idea that it’s even a thing is terrifying. You grow up feeling like somebody made a mistake. I spent a lot of time wondering why my mother didn’t take the doctor’s advice and abort me. I fell asleep at night hoping I didn’t wake up.
I want Anomaly to be the sign I didn’t have when I was growing up. I want it to show young transgender people that they can be themselves and they don’t have to make themselves smaller for anyone. They don’t have to feel ashamed for taking up space.
Again, I appreciate everyone that’s taken the time to give Anomaly a chance. I’m grateful that you’ve let Kris into your hearts and decided to root for him on his journey. I’m grateful you gave me and my writing a chance. I hope you stick around for the rest of the ride! ❤
A special thanks to my writing family: James Finn, Terijo, Gwen Saoirse, Eric Griggs, Gloria Bates, Zayn Singh, Ikedi Oghenetega, Kathy Lee Tolleth, Esther Spurrill-Jones, Chloe Cuthbert, alto, and many more.
