Oh, So This Is How I Write a Book?

Reflections 6 weeks before a big deadline

Dec 06, 2023

Look, I’ve considered myself a writer since I was nine and chosen by my fourth-grade teacher to attend a local Young Authors Conference (thank you, Ms. Andrus).

For years, while teaching English, I continued to write articles and poetry on the side. Since 2014, I’ve written hundreds of articles about parenting and child development for national publications. Oh, and I’ve written 10 picture books (four published, six forthcoming).

So the thought of writing a book for adults shouldn’t have felt impossibly overwhelming.

But it did. It really, really did.

When I signed a contract to write just such a book in early 2023, I barely knew how to wrap my head around the process. But here I am, 6 weeks away from my “first draft” deadline, and while I have SO MUCH LEFT TO DO, I am preternaturally calm about it. Like, truly surprisingly abnormally calm.

This morning, while on my “writing walk” I thought about how different the actual writing process has been from what I imagined it would be. Here are six reflections — mostly for myself, for the next time I write a book.

Fall in Love With Your Table of Contents

I spent so much time on that table of contents. Obviously, I had to generate one for my book proposal, but then I continued to craft, refine, and reorder. These eight chapters are a steel scaffolding that have allowed me to embrace the chaos of writing without ever losing my way. It’s like writing a sonnet: the strict meter and rhyme scheme offer parameters, giving shape to creativity.

Make and Break Your Process

After my proposal was accepted, I created a very concrete timeline for myself. In my hubrus, I sent it to my editor. The timeline was so linear — week by week, chapter by chapter. It gave me comfort and a little bit of confidence at the outset.

But my actual process has obliterated these plans. Perhaps it’s my topic, but I just couldn’t approach writing linearly. One week would be all interviewing and research — jumping into every chapter (each of which is a separate document, each of which is ALWAYS open on my computer)

Other weeks I would laser in a single chapter — often starting in the middle and writing down and then up. But it wasn’t preplanned. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and just know it’s a good day to write about XYZ. So I do. As of now, I have a draft of every chapter done — and every chapter is about 4000 words over my ideal word count. Somehow, it happened.

Not All Writing Happens at the Computer

For this, I’m just going to quote from a passage in my book:

Humans did not evolve to do their best work while sitting down, Annie Murphy Paul told me.
In Paul’s research, she encountered a common theme in the writings of many influential scholars: they did their best thinking while walking. As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”

I take a two-mile walk every morning before I write, drafting in my head. I often use voice dictation on my phone to capture an idea. This morning, I didn’t draft any chapters. Instead, I thought about six things I’ve learned this year. And so that’s what I’m writing right now. Sometimes, you’ve just got to follow where the mind leads.

Reframe Fears

My biggest mental block when it came to writing this book was the length. I write articles, not books! Panic set in.

To work through it, I took the total projected word count and broke up my chapters accordingly. Suddenly, I realized that each chapter was just two long-form magazine articles. I totally know how to write those!

It reminded me of all the times my students would freeze up when they encountered a big project or paper, but when I helped them break it into smaller steps, it suddenly became mentally manageable.

People Are So Helpful (Thank All the People!)

I am so excited to write the acknowledgments section! I fantasize about it. As of now, over 60 people have shared their wisdom with me, via phone interview or email. So many more have been cheerleaders. People are so good. I’m so lucky.

It Helps When You Love Your Topic

My current topic was not my original proposal. My original proposal was something that felt “safer” — a topic I had presented on extensively. But I didn’t feel goosebumps when I thought about it. I didn’t feel that rush of excitement. So I reached back out to the acquisitions editor and proposed a switch — and had to rush to get him new materials before the editorial meeting!

Worth it.

Because I love my topic (I’ll share what it is in the next newsletter). I am endlessly fascinated by the research around it and how we can use that research to help our kids thrive. Even if no one reads the book, I will feel lucky to have had a chance to spend this year writing about something that has been and is making my life better.

It Helps When You Love Your Publisher

I work with an amazing indie publisher — Free Spirit Publishing. They also publish my picture books, so I’ve gotten to know the whole team really well in the last four years. Their values match my values. Their interests match my interests. Everyone I work with is a consummate cheerleader — from the publisher to the acquisitions editor to the head publicist to my amazing editor. They are a community, and I am not a commodity producer, I am a community member. That doesn’t always happen in the publishing world, and I’m so grateful.

Okay, back to writing!

Cheers,

Deborah