Thank you for sharing your process. I find that I fixate too much on the end goal, when it should really be about the pleasure of writing. Most of writing is the process, so we better enjoy it! You've put so much into this book and it's going to be the best book you can possibly write :)
I always find so much to relate to in your posts. A few months ago, I set upon my novel revision by writing down each scene onto index cards (let me email you a pic.), encouraged by Emme in her workshop (https://femalegaze.substack.com). It was a painful, revealing exercise.
B, I'm nearly the same age as you (42 in a few months).
C, so much relate to feeling that writing is an end in itself. Publication feels like only the last milestone, the signal that this is over now, I don't need to work on it anymore. Someday I'll get there, but it's not the point of the journey.
I'm very much looking forward to reading your book. A good friend of mine (a woman) was a firefighter in CO in college and it seems to me to be an under-discussed occupation. Everyone has their reasons for getting into that kind of work, like everyone has their reasons for hiking the PCT or running a marathon. I'm eager to read more about your journey!
I love the index cards as an in-real-life way to visualize a whole book. I remember Lilly Dancyger posted on social media about printing out her whole memoir manuscript and taping it up on the walls of her apartment as part of the final revision. I'm fascinated by all these ways to make the book feel more real than a long Word doc on the computer.
Thank you for sharing your process. I find that I fixate too much on the end goal, when it should really be about the pleasure of writing. Most of writing is the process, so we better enjoy it! You've put so much into this book and it's going to be the best book you can possibly write :)
I always find so much to relate to in your posts. A few months ago, I set upon my novel revision by writing down each scene onto index cards (let me email you a pic.), encouraged by Emme in her workshop (https://femalegaze.substack.com). It was a painful, revealing exercise.
B, I'm nearly the same age as you (42 in a few months).
C, so much relate to feeling that writing is an end in itself. Publication feels like only the last milestone, the signal that this is over now, I don't need to work on it anymore. Someday I'll get there, but it's not the point of the journey.
Good luck with your revision. See you Friday :)
I'm very much looking forward to reading your book. A good friend of mine (a woman) was a firefighter in CO in college and it seems to me to be an under-discussed occupation. Everyone has their reasons for getting into that kind of work, like everyone has their reasons for hiking the PCT or running a marathon. I'm eager to read more about your journey!
I love the index cards as an in-real-life way to visualize a whole book. I remember Lilly Dancyger posted on social media about printing out her whole memoir manuscript and taping it up on the walls of her apartment as part of the final revision. I'm fascinated by all these ways to make the book feel more real than a long Word doc on the computer.