So I spent a lot of the last post talking about focus, and I touched a little bit on habit, how focus is connected to habit, and I thought I would be more explicit about that. You can’t write professionally – that is to say, meeting deadlines and producing good work at reasonable intervals –…
Month: November 2012
How a Book Is Born, Part 4
BIC. That’s the acronym for the number-one thing writers must learn how to do: put the Butt In the Chair. So, with just about a month to write 50,000 words, and the barest of game plans, I stuck my butt in the chair. Now, keep in mind that I also have a demanding full-time job…
On Not Being Normal
“I’m not normal,” Jessica says matter-of-factly. “I am not like other children.” We are at Wheatfield’s, having a snack. This is one of her favorite places to ambush me with questions about why her life is the way it is. You’d think I’d get a clue and start saying, No, not Wheatfield’s! But I don’t.…
How a Book Is Born – Part 3
The next morning, I had a very brief synopsis ready for the publisher. Here’s what it said: Brianna Daniels has a younger sister, a step-sister, though she’s never really thought of her that way. A sweet, loving, kind step-sister who has battled a rare disease her entire life, and deserves one good thing. One magic…
Travels with Jessica: New York
Jessica does not remember having been to New York before, so it’s like a brand-new experience to her. We get in the cab and I’m exclaiming, “Look! See how tall the buildings are!” and she is very cool and blasé, obviously wishing I would act less like a tourist, so I subside into my seat,…
On Owning Your Decisions
The other day I got an email from school saying Jessica had randomly been selected to participate in a group discussion about how the school could better support students and asking me to give permission to allow her to do so. Since this is the kind of thing I leave entirely up to Jessica, I…