Note # 38 – Things I Forgot about Writing a Book

I forgot how long a chapter can take.

I forgot how you start off and then you realize you don’t know where you’re going and then you figure it out, but then pretty soon, you get lost again and that this is basically how the whole book goes, over and over.

I forgot how much you doubt yourself.

I forgot how deep-down-in-your-bones wonderful it is to have a good day writing and how it makes you feel you can do (nearly) anything.

I forgot how much you want to show what you’ve written to people so that they can say, “It’s amazing! Keep writing!” because that’s what you need to hear right now.

I forgot how much every single tiny detail matters.

I forgot how much coffee it takes.

I forgot how exciting it is.

I forgot how lonely it is.

I forgot how much you fall in love with your characters, how their voices and mannerisms follow you around while you shovel the driveway and do the dishes.

I forgot how sometimes you wish they’d just shut up for a while so you could just watch The Good Place and relax a bit.

I forgot how many ideas you have to sift through to find the really good ones.

I forgot how much work it takes to make a sentence look effortless.

I forgot how you get butterflies in your stomach when you think about commissioning the cover art.

I forgot how much you doubt yourself and how you have to keep going anyway.

I forgot how impossible it sometimes feels.

I forgot a lot.

But I’m still writing.

P.

P.S. My friend Chris recently reminded me that it’s no good if you don’t enjoy the process. He’s very wise.