At the risk of sounding like Master of the Obvious, I’m going to go ahead and say that writing a book is hard. I suppose I knew this going in—in fact, that’s precisely why I wanted to do it. That and the fact that I have this story that’s just dying to be translated from brain to book.
Back in August, I stopped writing my blogoir so I could finish the story offline and edit the material into a memoir. It’s October, and I’m a little lost. I loved the process of writing in the blogoir format. I outlined the whole damn thing ahead of time, so each time I sat down to write, I knew what to do. And because all of you nice people were following along online, I felt a sense of urgency. I tried to post something new every four or five days, and I never got tired of trying to deliver.
Things are different now. I am enjoying this present-tense blog. I like writing about what’s on my mind and starting a conversation with you. But the book is a struggle. There’s less energy behind it right now. Less inspiration. And I hate that. I want to find it.
While Divorced Before 30 was going strong, I felt like I was writing for someone. I felt like people were on my team. With the book, it’s just me in my basement, trying to find my way. I have a loose plan, and I have a vision of the end result, but the path is not entirely clear.
What’s it going to take to get me refocused on this book? I need a team.
I know several people who are involved in Weight Watchers and AA, and for the last year, I’ve been involved in a Personal Renewal Group for Moms. I’ve found that being part of a group or team makes me strive to do better. Groups are usually about support and shared goals, but they’re also about something that’s so often the key to success: accountability.
So, I’m going to start my own little writing group. If you live in the Twin Cities and want to join me, I would love it. It’s not going to be time-consuming, because the last thing I (or you) need is another big commitment. No experience necessary—all you need is a writing goal.
I hope that adding this structure to my writing life will get me back on track. If you are struggling to accomplish a goal that means something to you, I encourage you to think creatively about how you can find—or create—the right team for you.
*****
I Want to Know
- Are some things simply easier to accomplish as part of a group?
- How/when have you been successful in a group setting?
- Are there certain things that you’d rather struggle through on your own?
- Let me know if you are interested in joining my writing group (or send an e-mail to emma(at)emmawilhelm.com).
Em –
Lest you need additional inspiration/motivation/accountability, you should check on Stanford’s online writer’s studio. They have a course starting in the Winter that drives the process of writing a novel forward — deadlines, feedback, etc. I did an nonfiction course with Stanford a few months back and really enjoyed it.
Good luck!
xx
Pua, thanks for the suggestion! I’ll look into that. We have some great classes here in Minneapolis at the Loft Literary Center, too, though the classes I’m most interested in seem to be offered at times that I can’t make it. Hope your writing is going well!
You know there’s now a tv show from the book, “S**t My Dad Says”? In that spirit, Emma and the rest have declared I overuse a few pet phrases and named them Peteisms. Makes me think because I remember sort of dreading family gatherings when my Grampa would tell the same stories ad infinitum, long before any possibility of dementia. We just thought that’s what happened when someone became a grampa. In my case, it hit way before grampahood, so who knows?
In any case, I suspect Emma set a timer when she posted this, to see how long it would take for me to reply, “Come on Emma, it’s supposed to be tough, otherwise everyone would do it!”
Ha! I actually almost wrote something to that effect in the post!
A lot of people have lots of trouble mastering the obvious.
Thanks, darling.
Wish I could be part of the writing group! But alas, not near you whatsoever
Virtually it could work, right?! 
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Yeah, if you (or any other fellow writers out there) ever want to swap stuff to read for each other and/or share writing goals, I’m happy to do that via e-mail!
Great idea — It can be hard to find a quality group, though! I think that’s one of the reason why writing IS hard, because it’s such a solitary process. In the end, only you can complete your project. Keep us posted!
You are so right (only I can complete it). That is, of course, why it will be so satisfying in the end, but it sure can be painful!
Emma,
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. http://www.nanowrimo.org. Check it out, it might just be what you need to get motivated and finish your book. It might be the impetus “to find chair and apply seat daily”.
Loving you,
Suta
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A coworker mentioned this to me recently, too. Maybe I should go for it. Are you thinking of doing it? Thanks for the encouragement!
Oh yes, Emma, writing a book is much harder than I imagined. I’m on my third iteration now and I think this format will work. I’m frustrated because I feel I have all the material I need but finding the time to focus on my writing is really hard. It’s so easy to see all the other tasks as what NEEDS to get done. I know I have to switch that priority in mind and get my butt in my chair and get working….
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Glad to hear that you’ve found a format that is working! I am meeting with my new writing group in November–can’t wait!