I write best while typing. I’ve tried handwriting, but it doesn’t work well for me – it doesn’t travel as fast as my thoughts and it gets frustrating. Even if I did handwrite my books, I’d have to transfer it all to a Word document anyway. So, when I had to sell my laptop back in 2015, it was a sad moment. I recently got a job after being unemployed for a month and my landlord was (understandably) getting impatient with my rent payment being late, so I had to sell my laptop in order to help pay it until my first pay cheque came. I was grateful that I had something to sell at that point.

When I was traveling home from work one evening, an idea formed in my mind. I realized that I could just use one of the library computers in order to start writing my story. At the downtown library, you get two hours of computer time and you can even request more time if it’s a slower day. It was spring time then and my job would end at 4:30 PM, so it gave me plenty of time to write in the evenings. What started off as something sad became a fun excursion for me every night after work. Those two hours were really focused and I got a lot done. So, if you don’t have a laptop or you have to sell yours, there’s always the library. It’s really good to remember that there’s always alternatives when you face a barrier like that. Hey, some people could even settle for handwriting.

With that being said, it’s much easier to write and blog when you have a laptop. I was ecstatic when I was able to get a new computer again. You can either write at home or you can take it to a cafe – wherever you like. But for the short term, writing at a library is just fine if you need to do it. You can put in your ear buds and focus on writing with the time you have.

The book that I ended up completing at the library was called The Suicides. It’s set during the 1880’s and it’s about a college student who visits his aunt in “Sunny Harbour” for the summer. Despite its fame for being sunny and pleasant most days, there’s a disturbing number of young people who have committed suicide there and he’s determined to find out more about it – including where they were all buried. Mental health services were atrocious during that time period and I found it interesting (and scary) to read about how depression and other mood disorders were handled back then.

The Suicides has a Gothic feel to it and I imagine it to have a slight Tim Burton aesthetic. It’s pretty idealistic, too, while being dark, but art is allowed to be.

I’ll be posting this story very soon on my blog – chapter by chapter – so you can read it for free! If you would like, you’re certainly welcome to read it at your own leisure by buying it online. It’s only $2.99 on Kindle and the print book makes a lovely addition to any bookshelf or coffee table for just $9.99 via Amazon.

I hope you enjoy The Suicides if you decide to read it! I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you have a nice day! Xx

(Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels)