writing tips

I Wrote a Whole Book This Summer!

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on September 1st, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

See that title up there? I think I'll shout it again: 

I wrote a whole book this summer! 

The second book in my write-for-hire contract is turned in to my editor and the client. I'll have at least one round of revisions, but for the next few weeks...it's out of my hands! 

I've been feeling triumphant since sending in my draft. In fact, this whole project has me feeling triumphant. I wrote most of book one while recovering from a detached retina in the spring. I wrote all of book two over my daughter's summer vacation, only some of which she spent in camp. (If I get to work on book three, I'm crossing my fingers for smoother sailing in the fall/winter?!) Working as a contractor, rather than as the sole creator, has been a new experience for me, but overall I've enjoyed it—and I can't wait for you to get to read the finished product in 2024. 

So what's next? 

I'm...not sure. 

Maybe that book three I mentioned, above. Or maybe (hopefully!) the second book in the Science & Strange series, currently being considered on proposal. Maybe a proposal for more Class Critters. Or maybe I finally get back to the standalone middle-grade I've been working on for years and for which I have possibly, finally, figured out the final missing puzzle piece. 

Or all of the above? 

I wrote about battling the blahs a few weeks ago—about the inevitable letdown at the end of a contract and the uncertainty of what's on the horizon. As I look forward now, I'm trying to focus on the positives. Like all of those potential stories, waiting to be told!

Maybe, one answer to "what's next?" is, what would bring me the most joy? What will get me excited each day, as I sit down at my computer with my coffee? Can I prioritize those things? That doesn't mean I'm not wearing my business hat. I definitely need to have a conversation with my literary agent to strategize my next moves. But...how can I look at my career in a way that focuses on creativity and inspiration and—I'll say it again—joy? 

Publishing books can be an anxious, uncertain thing. There are so many variables that affect whether what you write will reach readers. I've had enough letdowns in the eight-plus years that I've been a published author to know that I can't count on success. So, when I find myself enjoying writing something—looking forward to working on it—reading over it later feeling satisfied and fulfilled—that matters. 

I've enjoyed this write-for-hire gig. The original idea and main character sketch might not have come from my own imagination, but I've made them my own. I like spending time in this world. At the same time, there are other characters and worlds I'm eager to get back to. Series and sequels and drafts and ideas. 

I wrote a whole book this summer, and that's a huge accomplishment. 

I like the book I wrote this summer—also huge. 

I'm enjoying writing these days. I'm enjoying it a lot. 

That's the biggest win of all. 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I snagged Kate Clayborn's Georgie, All Along from a box of free books a neighbor set out on their stoop—and I loved it! It's a romance about a woman who returns to her Virginia hometown, adrift after her assistant job in L.A. ends. When Georgie finds a scrapbook she and her best friend made in eighth grade, sharing their hopes and dreams (and perfect prom dates) for high school and beyond, she realizes that that was the last time she felt sure of herself and her future. Maybe looking back can help her find a path forward. (In the process, she meets the black-sheep, loner older brother of her high school crush...and sparks fly.) 

Watching: "Only Murders in the Building" keeps getting better. I can't recommend this show highly enough. 

Loving: During the last week of summer vacation, we squeezed in a few more adventures around the city. One day, I took the kiddo (joined by a friend and her two boys) to the Intrepid, a military museum housed on a decommissioned aircraft carrier docked in the Hudson River. Here she is exploring the flight deck, where they have tons of vintage jets and helicopters on display! 

Do You Gather Your Ingredients Before You Create?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on August 25th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

In my standard school visit presentation, there's a portion where I talk for a bit and then a portion where I ask the students to do an activity with me. When we're transitioning—when their teachers are handing out paper and clipboards and pencils and everyone's shifting gears from listening to participating—I always offer two important pieces of information for what's about to happen: 

  1. Students can write in response to my prompts and questions, or they can draw, or they can do both. There is no wrong way to participate! 

  2. I am not expecting them to complete an entire story in the next 15-20 minutes. 

I usually have to repeat that second one: We are not trying to write a story today. We're just gathering our ingredients. (My school visit is called "Recipe for a Story," so I use a lot of cooking metaphors!) 

Why do I stress this second point?

Because a lot of kids get anxious when they're asked (or when they think they're being asked) to produce something on the spot. Also, because each child will respond in a different way to what I'm asking them to do. I've had kids cover a whole page with writing during my activity. I've had kids draw elaborate pictures, filling every corner of the paper with tiny details. I've had kids jot down a bare-bones list of ideas, or a series of one-word answers to the questions I'm asking. And I've had kids get stuck on question one ("If you could turn into an animal for a day, what animal would you choose?"). 

The goal, I keep telling them as I circle the room, isn't to finish something today. It's to get ideas on the page that you can come back to later. Gathering your ingredients is the starting point. It takes time to cook up a whole story. 

This is not just true for kids. 

One of the reasons I've found drafting my write-for-hire project this summer to be a relative breeze is that when I sat down to work on the draft, I had all my ingredients gathered and organized. I'd brainstormed and outlined. I'd created a document that was already broken down by chapter, including a brief synopsis of what each chapter was meant to do. I'd jotted down important notes to myself and questions my editor and the client posed.

As I've shared before, this is not my strategy every single time I write a book. What is consistent is that I've learned to make ingredient-gathering a key part of the process. Sometimes, that looks like brainstorming over a period of weeks or months before actually diving in. Sometimes, that looks like creating a beat-sheet to see how the story might flow from one scene, or beat, to the next. Sometimes, that looks like outlining key story arcs. Sometimes, though not as much anymore, that looks like free-writing—like play (like I talked about last week)—to see what ingredients emerge organically on the page. 

In the food industry, this is called mise en place: the setup required before you actually begin to cook. It's setting out your tools. Chopping your vegetables. Arranging your herbs and spices. By preparing ahead of time, you streamline the cooking process. 

By preparing ahead of time—in whatever way makes sense to you, for the specific book you're working on—you can ease the writing process, as well. 

This year, I have had a new story idea brewing in my mind. I'm not sure exactly when I'll have time to write it. But I have already begun gathering my ingredients. I have a Word doc with bullet-pointed ideas that I add to from time to time, when something new occurs to me. When I'm truly ready to dive in, I may do a bit more prep work: character sketches, story beats, etc. Then I won't be starting from a total blank. Then, the actual cooking process can begin. 

What are some ways you gather your ingredients before you begin to create? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I shared on my Instagram this week that I read The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith, ostensibly for my summer reading challenge ("book set in a bucket-list destination"). This wonderful book is about a musician who goes on an Alaskan cruise with her dad after her mom's death. The two haven't gotten along in years—but this cruise might help them mend some fences. I really enjoyed this read...but I later realized that the actual square on the reading challenge grid is for "book set in a country on your bucket list"—and Alaska is not a country! Alas. 

Watching: "Ahsoka" on Disney+! This one is interesting, because I didn't watch either of the Star Wars cartoon series, and thus I'm going into this new show with some major gaps in my knowledge. That said, so far I'm enjoying it a lot. (Is my husband enjoying all the questions I'm asking about characters and their backstories? Remains to be seen...) 

Enjoying: Some slightly cooler summer weather in NYC this week. I love a good 80-degrees-and-breezy summer day! 

Loving: This purse my daughter made in her week of sewing camp!