DIARY OF A MAD WOMAN (WRITER)

9 days ago I declared to the world that I was writing my next book in 10 days.

I was deep in a 3,000 word writing sprint and I did some basic math (all I’m really capable of) that assured me if I stayed on this path and wrote 3,000 words a day for 10 days, I’d have a 30,000 word manuscript. Give or take, of course, but that was the general word count range I knew would be meaty enough to call a first draft.

This declaration piqued a lot of interest so I thought it would be fun to make this week’s (very late) post a diary of the past few days and what it’s been like to attempt this wildly ambitious goal.

After publishing that post, I plowed through more and more words the next day which were, and have been, coming out of me like a firehouse. Then I glanced at my calendar.

Oh shit, I leave for New York Sunday.

I took another cavalier chug of my espresso and thought — we got this.

I plugged away at my Word doc, organizing my ideas and outlining my chapters. Spending hours purely focused on this book. As I worked, I realized something people who aren’t authors don’t realize about writing: you aren’t just writing for all those hours. You’re brainstorming. Remembering. Researching. Arranging.

You feel a bit like a mad scientist of literature as you write, pause, move, and think your way though the absolutely insane process of producing a book.

You also usually look really, really ugly.

I think I forgot to shower on Friday. I never forget to shower.

Read more