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I finished writing the first draft of my first book on October 3rd, and I’m still reflecting on all that I’ve learned during that process.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of being a published author. I’m a voracious reader and an enthusiastic writer and I wholeheartedly believe in the transformational power of story.
For years, I’ve dragged my feet on starting a first draft because I didn’t know what to write about. And then once the topic landed in my heart, I would look at all the books tucked away around my home and lament over how I just didn’t think I could ever fill up such a large space with so many words.
Most non-fiction manuscripts are, on average, 50,000 to 80,000 words long. So, I toyed around with the idea of writing a first draft that was 60,000 words. But I couldn’t make out how I could go from 0 words to 60,000, and thus, I remained stuck staring at a book’s worth of blank pages.
Sometimes, the big picture is too daunting to take in all at once.
Instead of allowing myself to become paralyzed by such a grand scale, I needed to find a way to slice a huge goal into tiny pieces.
Puzzling began to inspire me. My youngest sister gifted me with a 500-piece Eiffel Tower puzzle for Mother’s Day this year, and it kicked off a puzzling spree. I try to have a new one lined up and ready to go for as soon as I finish with
When I’m starting a new one, I spread all the pieces out on my art table in El Taller, and whenever I’m in the room, I challenge myself to just fit one new piece into place. Just one. Little by little, I reconstruct the entire image.
I wanted to take a similar approach with my writing, which meant that pacing would be key.
I waffled a few times, brainstorming schedule ideas with my husband only to brush them off sometime later.
But on July 31st, our 8 year wedding anniversary, I sat down and wrote 1000 words towards my book before everyone else was out of bed, and I declared it the first of what would be 60 rounds. Only 59 more to go.
Since then, I’ve held myself to a heartfelt commitment: write 1000 words a day 6 days a week until I’ve written a 60,000 word manuscript.
A few days in August, I started reading Stephen King’s book On Writing , and I felt immediately affirmed when he recommended that budding writers adhere to the very same writing schedule I had already embarked on.
The past few months have been an exercise in thinking small.
While I was very aware of the big goal looming over me, I found ways to move forward with blinders on so that I could stay laser focused on reaching it little by little.
I downloaded a Don’t Break the Chain app so that I could mark my progress one day at a time. And each time I sat down to write, I’d open up a Google Doc I fondly named “Keep it 1000.” I’d turn on the word counter after I’d written a couple of paragraphs, and then I’d watch the numbers rise until I hit 1000 and called it quitting time.
Little by little, it all adds up. And I’m left wondering how many other Big Things I can accomplish by daring to think small.
Now that I’m on the other side of 60,000, I’m writing about what I learned by writing my book. (Yes, I’m a writer through and through.) I plan to set the manuscript aside for 6 weeks and write something completely different (à la Stephen King’s advice.) I have an idea for a fiction novella that very excited to dig into.
And guess how I plan to write it? One word at a time.
I’ve been calling the practice of infusing personal narrative with noticings of the body’s subtle responses Somatic Storymaking. When we add these details to the stories we make, we collect clues that help us get to know ourselves better.
Think back to a time when you were faced with doing a Big Thing. How did you respond? Did you dive right in? Did you stall out? Did you carve it up into bite-sized pieces?
Feel into this memory by recalling the sensations that emerged during this experience. Do you remember your chest tightening? Do you remember your eyes widening? Do you remember starting to sweat?
Share your ponderings, if you feel so called, in the comments. I’d love to read more of your story.
♥️ This Arch Digest tour of Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad’s Brooklyn home
♥️ This Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake is one of the tastiest things I’ve ever baked
♥️ This tiny desk featuring dodie
Rest well this weekend.
In All Honesty,
Maris
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