So….sort of big news. I’m signing a contract this week for a new book – with Bethany House/Baker publishing. (They did my first book – Muslims, Christians and Jesus – and I’ve loved working with them). The back and forth of writing a good proposal and then the contract negotiations took about two months – now we sign. And then….I have to start writing. Here’s how that goes………… Not that well. 🙂
Here’s how it looks when i write. First, I go somewhere. Could be downstairs to my basement where I have a treadmill desk and some chairs and a big couch. All of them get used at certain times (depending on how I feel). Or, I might go out to a coffee shop and sit in a corner. Sometimes I go to a nearby church that has a little room in the back where no one can find me. But I need to be alone. It took me several years to realize I can’t write while i talk to people (I’m a slow learner).
I get my computer out. Stretch. Pray. Think. Look at my emails, then remember I need to turn that option off. Then look at Facebook, until I remember to completely disconnect my wifi.
I open up my book file. Try to remember where I was last and what I was thinking at that time – maybe from yesterday, or from a month ago. That takes some doing. Getting back in the groove and feel of the book takes me a bit.
So far, this process will have usually taken me about an hour at this point.
I’m ready.
I write a sentence. It doesn’t make sense. I delete it. Then…..finally, I have a good thought. A whole paragraph. I write it. Maybe two or three pages flow freely from my stubby fingers. But then I stop and think – and realize that although it was a good though – maybe a great thought – it really wasn’t what this book is about. I erase it (or save it into a very large file I have called “Future Books”).
i start over.
And that’s it. That’s the process. I can set aside a whole day and write like mad – which means about 15 pages – or, I can “write” a whole day and have nothing at the end to show for it. More than a little frustrating!
I’m going to start using my blog as a way to unblock my brain when I get stuck. I’ll write about what I’m wiring about (or not writing about) and for bunny trails that might be fun to process with you. So there you go. You can look forward to that. 🙂
