If you follow me on Instagram @authorallysonkennedy, you have probably already heard the news, but in case you haven’t…

I finished writing Tales of an Awkward Turtle‘s first draft at 9:52 p.m. on May 30th, 2024. ❤

For the inside scoop on how the last few hours of writing this first draft went, keep scrolling! 🙂

My Laptop Wasn’t Having It at First

Since I’ve learned my lesson of not forcing myself to write thousands upon thousands of words on my WIP’s completion day with The Dream, I wrote enough throughout the last week of May that I wouldn’t have but two more short chapters to go Thursday night (the 30th). I figured I’d write them as soon as I got home from work, and it’d be smooth sailing from there.

Yet I forgot my laptop is a menace to society.

Though I had just checked it for antivirus updates a couple days before, and it said it was up-to-date then, my laptop decided to download a new antivirus update, with a release date dating a couple weeks before the day I checked it for updates, and it took forever and a day to load anything. Meaning it wouldn’t let me log onto Google Drive until around 8:00.

Granted, my laptop is seven years old, and I could’ve just written the last two chapters in Word rather than Google Docs, but I really wanted to finish Brandon’s story in the original document and needed access to my outline and word count spreadsheet on the cloud drive.

So I waited. And waited. And I approached hangry territory, but my sweet hubby texted me before he left work and said he’d grab us supper from Bojangles, which proved to be a tremendous help. XD

Post Chicken Supremes Writing

Of course, my lovely little laptop decided to work the very moment my hubby stepped through the door with our food, so right after I downed my chicken supremes, I immediately pulled up all the documents I needed to write the last two chapters.

During the first writing sprint, which lasted around 45 minutes, God allowed me to write 557 words, completing the second to last chapter.

I took a little break to record that portion of the Completion Day reel I made for Instagram (linked at the end of this post), and then got back to writing a few minutes later.

The last writing sprint produced 1,234 words (I kid you not), and ended at 9:52 p.m. with a finished final chapter and first draft for Tales of an Awkward Turtle. ❤

The final word count for Tales‘s first draft is 73,185 words, and it officially broke The Fall’s record of being my fastest written first draft, taking 6 months, 4 weeks, and 1 day to write.

My Final Thoughts on Tales‘s First Draft

I’ll forever remember this book as being the one where God taught me how to fall head over heels in love with writing again. After writing four previous fiction books with heavier topics, writing the story of a socially awkward teenage boy, one who I had missed writing about since finishing Speak Your Mind in 2018, reminded me that writing can still be fun even when writing about tough topics.

I’m going to miss these characters like crazy. I can’t believe it’s already over. </3

I’ve never laughed so much while writing a book, and I’ve never written anything that felt so effortless. While writing this book, I learned to regularly pray before writing sessions, something I should’ve started doing years ago.

Will writing all my future WIPs come this easily? I doubt it. I’m already struggling with doubts while plotting my new WIP (to be announced soon!), but I know that through prayer and perseverance, God has my back and will use the gift He gave me for His glory.

For a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Tales‘s Completion Day, Check Out This Reel!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Allyson Kennedy | YA Author 🧡 (@authorallysonkennedy)

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

If you’re a writer, do you get separation anxiety from your characters after finishing their book? I’ve got it bad, y’all.

If you’re a reader and haven’t yet read the book where Brandon first appeared, check out Speak Your Mind!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀