I Wrote A Book!

It's funny how life gets so busy sometimes that things just fall through the cracks. This article is one of those things. It's been sitting in my drafts folder since September of 2015. Luckily it is all still relevant! I hope you enjoy.

I can hardly believe it, but I actually wrote a book! In THREE WEEKS! Well, the whole process took a little longer than that, but my point is that I have finished writing the rough draft (250 pages) in three weeks, for the memoir that I was hired to write a year and a half ago! Click on the read more button below to learn more!

Sometime in the spring, I realized that I needed to get away to write this book. Writing this memoir had become a chore, it no longer had the "I can't believe that I've been hired to write!" feeling and I had started a few other projects that were more "fun" for lack of a better word. Between the kids, the husband, the farm, church responsibilities, and projects that hadn't lost the honeymoon feelings, I wasn't able to get any sort of good writing done. BUT I was committed to finishing. I couldn't just give up. I had signed a contract, not to mention the psychological effects of giving up would have ruined me forever! So I started making plans.

I figured that "If I had ____ number of hours/days/weeks, I could get a good piece of it done and feel more accomplished." For me that turned out to be three weeks. 

Then, I had to figure out what to do with the kids. 

I called my mom, and talked to the gal who hired me, and we figured out a three week trip to Alaska for myself, and a one month stay with Grammy and Papa for the kids. My hubby was kind enough to stay home and watch the farm (and work) while we were gone. 

So off to Alaska I went. I had two goals when I left for Alaska: run at least one mile every day and write 2,000 words every day. If I could do those things, I'd have 44,000 words and I might be able to lose a few of the extra pounds that have been plaguing my existence for a little while. 

On the first three or four days I did my run in the mornings, showered and got to work. I wrote 2,000 words and I was done before lunch. I knocked off for the rest of the day and spent time with people there, and did a little sightseeing. It was a great start. By the third or fourth day of this, I realized that I could do so much more. I began averaging 4,000 words a day. Once I even wrote 8,000 words and I could have written more! When I needed a break, I headed to the library to do a little research.

By the end of the trip I had more than 67,000 words (that's something like 250 pages...) and I had made it all the way through the story. It was awesome! I only expected to get half of my book done and I had finished it! It was wonderful. I am so happy with how that turned out.

And I thought the writing was pretty good, too! There are still a few holes to fill in, and there is a fair bit of polishing to do, but I just have to say, "I DID IT!" 

I wrote a book.