On Chapter 1 of My Book

I will celebrate a (sort of) milestone in my writing of the book of the history of the Felician Sisters in the New England area on Monday. I'll be done with the rough draft of the first chapter! After that, I'll give it to two sisters here who read my drafts and suggest revisions and edits, as well as pointing out grammar, spelling, or other mistakes. Which means, course, that chapter 1 isn't done! But I've found that the key to doing a big project like writing a history book that will span 40 years in a province is to divide it into steps and then to celebrate small achievements. So when I print out the draft to give to them, it will mean that I am happy with it, and am ready to hear what they have to say. Which is a step forward!

Writing the book is quite a roller coaster ride, with ups and downs and not alot of in-betweens. When it works, it's an adrenaline rush, rewarding and satisfying. When it doesn't, there's no motivation or inspiration. Being in "the mood" is a factor, but so is method. I have a few approaches that I do to keep the juices flowing, and when one isn't working, I switch. I'm typing it on the computer, but have some hands-on options, using paper, cut and paste, and color-coding to help me clarify what I'm doing. I find that it's easier to write freely, to really brainstorm, in a notebook, so when working on the computer doesn't get me anywhere, I take out a pen and write.

This process has yielded a rough draft of a chapter, so it's going fine. I'm looking forward to March, when I start a writing class, though. It's about writing engaging non-fiction, and it includes readings and homework, with time to work on our own projects. One aspect I'm hoping to grow in is developing my voice as a non-fiction writer, to tell the story in a way that draws people in. The newspaper-style, just-the-facts-Ma'am method I can do. But when I read non-fiction, I enjoy when the author can be a story-teller of facts.

Now that chapter one is out of my hands for a little while, my next step is to do research for the second one. The assembling and organizing of information is one that I'm very comfortable with, and I'm looking forward to it. I already know how I'm going to approach it differently than I did chapter one. I'm still trying different ways to do it, but at least I have a few tools in my belt now!

I always wanted to write a book. As far back as I can remember, I've been an avid reader, and I wanted to be a writer. I enjoy the writing, especially since it's nonfiction. I also love that I get to tell the story of our sisters!