Been changing gears this week. I was working on one book and then came to realize, for a variety of reasons, now’s not the time—if ever. So I’m making the full shift into fiction-writing mode. I have two projects in mind, and one is coming to me more naturally at the moment, so I’m rolling with it. It’s definitely a different process than writing a memoir, and I’m learning as I go—just as I did when I wrote 4000s by 40. It ain’t easy, but that’s what makes it great.
A League of Their Own
Recently, my daughter requested that we watch A League of Their Own again. She’s not even a baseball fan, really, but for some reason she really likes this movie. In it, there’s a great quote by Tom Hanks’s character, Jimmy Dugan, when he’s talking to their star player who decides to quit because it got “too hard.” Jimmy replies, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”
It’s such a great line—and it’s obviously about way more than baseball.
“The hard is what makes it great.”
Taking on New Challenges
Life is hard. As you ramble deeper into adulthood, it seems that every day is filled with fires you have to put out, and you go to bed believing you might actually have given yourself time to have it easy on the morrow. But tomorrow comes, and more problems arise. More challenges await. The assault never stops. But also, the learning never stops. Well, if you approach it that way.
Writing, similar to life, requires adjustments—rethinking and reshaping what you thought you were going to write, and being able to adapt to new criteria. New visions. New ways of writing. It’s hard. I’m only on book two, but I imagine I’ll still be deep in the learning if I’m lucky enough to get to book twenty. But it’s exciting. It’s a chance to develop. To create something that wouldn’t be if I wasn’t around to do it. I get to play the game. Who cares how hard it is. I get to play. And if it was easy, it would get boring. The hard is what makes it great.
Recently, I was asked during a podcast hosted by the SLARS Podcast, what’s harder, hiking or writing, to which I promptly responded, “after writing.” All of this is so new, and I had no idea how much effort is involved in promoting your writing after you’ve written a book. It becomes especially hard when self-promotion isn’t in your DNA. But I decided to look at all of this as something to learn rather than an obstacle to overcome, and that has turned every bit of the book-writing process into a great experience.
Making it Home by Teresa Strasser
Recently I read Making It Home by Teresa Strasser, which coincidentally also referenced Jimmy Dugan’s quote about “the hard.” I rarely do book reviews on this site, but given today’s theme, it seemed apropos.
Making It Home is a great book because it’s so honestly told. Strasser doesn’t sugarcoat any of her feelings and really lets it rip—her grief, her emotions, her commentary about the people around her. That’s hard to do in a memoir, but she does it. Which makes it… great.
Right now I feel like I read one great book for every ten mediocre ones, so this one was worth a mention. If you’re in need of a new book, check it out.
Next Steps
Shifting from one writing project to another is hard. I’ve received a lot of great advice over the last few days from friends about how to proceed, though, and I’m ready to step into this new challenge. I’ve got my plot. I’ve got my main characters. I’ve got my arc. And I’ve got my point. Ready, set, go.
The Many Turns in Writing
Each week, I share a post or two (or three) about the writing process. Writing a post helps me warm up each morning before diving into my current WIP. Since much of what I’m tackling falls under new literature, it makes sense to journal the process—and I figured I’d share how it all looks.
If you’re interested in reading more, head over to In Writing and leave a comment. If you’re a writer, let me know what works for you!