Back when I only dreamed of writing a book, I loved Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
I plugged along, turning collections of facts into rough drafts, and sharing some of them with audiences. Eventually, I thought I had enough material to write a book. But this was uncharted territory, so I bought Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction – and Get It Published by Susan Rabiner and Alfred Fortunato.
It seemed prudent to find a publisher before writing an entire manuscript. However, I didn’t know how to write a compelling book proposal. Fortunately, publisher Michael Hyatt offers a blueprint in Get Published!
After my third proposal, I signed a contract in July 2016 to write 65,000 words. However, that was 20,000 more words than I was prepared to write.
Fear and insecurity dogged me. Besides worrying about word count, I asked, “Who am I to write a book?” I also feared I wouldn’t find enough details to flesh out the stories. And I was afraid people wouldn’t like my writing.
Gridlocked by fear, I stopped thinking about the book. I kept researching and writing the blog, but I lost a whole year by procrastinating.
Things changed in summer 2017 when my friend Tom asked how my book was coming along. I said it wasn’t. That day, I decided to write the book.
I reread Thinking Like Your Editor. Its case studies and advice became my go-to book. After sketching out a plan, I wrote dozens of to-do lists over the next year-and-a-half.
Now that I had begun to write in earnest, I checked the daily word count. I also wrote an Excel spreadsheet to track my progress on every step of every sketch. At some point, I realized I would actually finish the manuscript.
I had high expectations, especially since it might be my only book. Unfortunately, my first draft bored me. Remembering Steven Pressfield’s punchy The War of Art, I bought his book Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*!: And other Tough-Love Truths to Make you a Better Writer. This book teaches principles of what makes a story compelling. Using personal stories and genre-specific instructions, Pressfield offers good advice.
Hoping to enrich the soil in the garden, I immersed myself in my favorite novelists, John Grisham (The Firm), Rosemary Sutcliff (The Lantern Bearers and Knight’s Fee), Michael Crichton (Timeline), Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall), and David Ignatius (A Firing Offense).
Rereading Stephen King’s On Writing made me aspire to joy. As he writes his own books, he asks himself, “Is this story coherent? And if it is, what will turn coherence into a song?” He adds, “What I want most of all is resonance, something that will linger for a little while” in the reader’s mind and heart.
My next move was sitting down on our La-Z-Boy with a hardcover journal and a pen. My laptop was in arm’s reach, containing details about each soldier. I decided to revise each story so it started with the most exciting, compelling, or interesting event. That was fun!
Six people agreed to be my “brain trust.” They included a published historian, a college writing professor, a high school social studies teacher, a Renaissance man, and the editor of my blog. They read the entire manuscript and made suggestions for improving readability. Once they had weighed in, I asked several historians for feedback.
The deadline swooped in like a hawk, and I raced to finish things up. Seeing flaws in the manuscript, I panicked. Thankfully, two brain trust members talked me off the proverbial ledge. Working until the last moment, I uploaded the manuscript to my publisher.
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I invite you to read my earlier post, “From Detective to Gardener: My Journey of Writing a Book.”
Fonthill Media will publish my new book, Iowa Confederates in the Civil War, on September 30.
Please like my Facebook page, and leave any questions or comments below.
joynealkidney
16 Sep 2019I know some of what you’ve been through. I’m finally going to self-publish (through KDP) my story of my grandmother who lose three of her five sons during WWII, called Leora’s Letters. Finishing up edits and waiting on cover art, then. . . . Getting cold feet!
David Connon
16 Sep 2019Editing is intensive work! I hope all goes well.
joynealkidney
16 Sep 2019Yesterday I went to the program on the six Littleton Brothers who lost their lives as a result of the Civil War–at the WDM library, by Tom Woodruff and John Busbee. I’ve been waiting for the book, so they explained why it’s taken so long. Busbee has decided to write it as historical fiction. It’s a story that must not be forgotten.
David Connon
16 Sep 2019Hi, Joy. That sounds like a very interesting program and project.
Jennifer Knight
16 Sep 2019Thanks for sharing details of your writing journey, Dave! I have always wanted to write a book (or two), and appreciated your insights and suggested reading here. Thank you.
David Connon
16 Sep 2019Thank you for your kind comments, Jennifer. I appreciate your encouragement.
Shelby Harriel
17 Sep 2019I enjoyed reading about your journey, Dave. Looking forward to getting my copy!
David Connon
17 Sep 2019Thank you, Shelby!
Heather Gooden
20 Sep 2019I appreciate the advice from your own struggle. I too have always aspired to write, it is still in the someday category. 🙂 I have enjoyed your writings you share with us!
David Connon
21 Sep 2019Thank you, Heather, for your kind words. I appreciate the encouragement!