Brave New World
Nope, not a post about Aldous Huxley. (Aren't you glad?)
Instead, I did something this week I haven't done in about three years.
I sent my editor a completed book.
Now before anyone gets too excited, it is a work of non-fiction and I have no idea whether or not my publisher will even want it.
It's a shorter, booklet type deal, so not as many words as I normally have to write.
But I did it.
I debated about whether I should hold off on sending it, rereading it, proofing it, but my husband reminded me that it had been so long since I'd actually done this step that I needed to just turn it in. He was right.
(And when my brother-in-law asked me that night what was going on with my books, which is a question I routinely get asked and one I find very disheartening and depressing, it was so nice to say, "I turned one in today.")
You know it's been a long time since you've finished something when your editor begins his reply email with, "So, you didn't actually fall off of the face of the earth."
It feels good. I'm a writer who loves being done with a book, loves having written something. I don't have a hard time leaving characters behind, I'm usually just so happy that the work is complete and I'm done and can move on to the next thing.
So I'm using this momentum to start back up on my fiction writing. I've discovered though that when you write a non-fiction book about something you're very comfortable with/know a lot about, the words can just pour out of you. I did 5,000 words in one day. Seriously. 5,000. I don't think I've ever even done that in a week before, and I did it in one day in between taking the kids to school/preschool, taking care of said kids, feeding everyone, dressing/undressing them, changing diapers, etc. (You will note, however, that there is no mention of housework in that sentence.) It was so amazing. I wish I could write fiction that like that!
But I'm a laborer type of author, and there are times when I fight for every word on the paper; although I have had experiences where it was like opening the floodgates and the words just rushed on to the page so quickly that I had a hard time keeping up. But that's the exception for me, and not the norm.
I'll let you guys know whether the booklet makes it or not. But right now that doesn't even seem to matter much to me.
It just matters that I did it. I did it!
And I know I can do it again.
Instead, I did something this week I haven't done in about three years.
I sent my editor a completed book.
Now before anyone gets too excited, it is a work of non-fiction and I have no idea whether or not my publisher will even want it.
It's a shorter, booklet type deal, so not as many words as I normally have to write.
But I did it.
I debated about whether I should hold off on sending it, rereading it, proofing it, but my husband reminded me that it had been so long since I'd actually done this step that I needed to just turn it in. He was right.
(And when my brother-in-law asked me that night what was going on with my books, which is a question I routinely get asked and one I find very disheartening and depressing, it was so nice to say, "I turned one in today.")
You know it's been a long time since you've finished something when your editor begins his reply email with, "So, you didn't actually fall off of the face of the earth."
It feels good. I'm a writer who loves being done with a book, loves having written something. I don't have a hard time leaving characters behind, I'm usually just so happy that the work is complete and I'm done and can move on to the next thing.
So I'm using this momentum to start back up on my fiction writing. I've discovered though that when you write a non-fiction book about something you're very comfortable with/know a lot about, the words can just pour out of you. I did 5,000 words in one day. Seriously. 5,000. I don't think I've ever even done that in a week before, and I did it in one day in between taking the kids to school/preschool, taking care of said kids, feeding everyone, dressing/undressing them, changing diapers, etc. (You will note, however, that there is no mention of housework in that sentence.) It was so amazing. I wish I could write fiction that like that!
But I'm a laborer type of author, and there are times when I fight for every word on the paper; although I have had experiences where it was like opening the floodgates and the words just rushed on to the page so quickly that I had a hard time keeping up. But that's the exception for me, and not the norm.
I'll let you guys know whether the booklet makes it or not. But right now that doesn't even seem to matter much to me.
It just matters that I did it. I did it!
And I know I can do it again.
Sariah Wilson — 11/13/2010 11:00:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Congratulations, Sariah! What a great feeling to get a new book turned in!
Congratulations, Sariah. A non-fiction? I love how easy it came for you, but I kind of feel a little ripped that you didn't even give a hint as to what it’s about. Possibly a "How To" book? Let me guess. . . "How to Move in One Million Easy Steps" No? Maybe, "How to Organize a Basement Using Only Snapware and Shoestrings"
Not into organizing, then is it a travel book? "Destination Eagle Mountain: The Unofficial Guide to the Safest City in Utah and the Badges Within"
If you are tired of me prattling on, how about a short blurb about your newly finished book?
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