The Thrill of the Writing Game

We’ve set the date for my first in-person book launch since Covid started about two years ago!

That’s a huge thrill, obviously, but there are many rewarding and exciting times during the writing of a book. Here are a few of mine:

1. Setting up my Word for the new book for the first time with proper margins, headers, title page, pagination. I love the feeling of putting the book title and my name as the author in here.
2. Typing the first sentence. Of course I’ll do this over and over until I’m delighted with it but putting those first words on paper says I’m really doing it. “I had new jammies. Mommy finished them just in time for Christmas.” This one says so much about voice, setting, tone, point of view and overall story.

    

3. Finding the perfect resource and building the story around it. I found the picture on the cover in an album Mom had made specially for me with loads of family pictures that were of my growing up years. She did the same for all of my siblings. I have thirteen. That photo reminds me of how Mom could sew, how she braided my hair for the first eleven years of my life and how she always made sure all of her kids were dressed well.
4. Telling the story of my brother Ross riding wild-eyed Maudie around our large farm garden, over and over, until she was used to him on her bare back. That brought Ross back to me. I had the same feelings for many of the stories I tell in this new book. I finally realize that growing up in the fifties and sixties as part of a burgeoning farming community has made me who I am. [wiping off a little tear]
5. Figuring out the form the book would ultimately take. I did use a framing device at first but half way through the writing just decided to let that little girl tell the story throughout. Of course I let her grow up! That rewrite was really fun because I knew where I was going and how it would all play out.
6. Deciding to include not only photos of the times but also family recipes and the story of how I wrote one of my songs, Doin’ the Christmas Thing. They really helped me put the heart in the book.
7. Putting the final title on the document. At the first book launch, I’ll be telling the story of how a lovely friend who cleans my house helped me here. That was one of the biggest thrills of this whole journey.

 

The launch will be April 24, 2022. More news and full details will be in next week’s newsletter. (sign up box at left)

 

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