30 Days of Writing

I’ve been kicking around a new book idea for the past 2 years or so.

As with most such ideas, it began as something very basic and abstract. More of a morsel than a full meal. But something that with enough thought could be more.

This particular idea needed not only fleshing out, but time. I wasn’t ready to write this when I first conceived of it. Only with benefit of distance and perspective could this actually be something that I would want to write, let alone have somebody else read.

At some point, I reached that distance and perspective. It was a gradual process, but one day I realized that I’d finally made it, and I could truly begin to conceive how I might approach putting this idea to paper.

Then my biggest problem became that of all writers: loving the idea more than actually writing it out. I had all kinds of thoughts about how great this would be once I started typing…but I never started typing.

So that brings us to September 1st, where I decided there would be no more putting it off, no more loving the thought of a new book more than actually having a new book.

I’ve committed to writing every day this month to begin to finally bring this idea into paper and digital form. It’s been going very well so far, as I’ve managed to write thousands of words and several completed chapter drafts. I have the bare minimum of what most publishers ask for when accepting submissions, but I want to see how far I can get before doing that, just to have less work to do later in the process.

As this is posted, I’m almost halfway finished with this little attempt at commitment. I’m chronicling every day on my Instagram page. Follow along there if you like.

And if you haven’t done so, you could check out all the books that I’ve already written. I’d especially love it right now if you checked out the one I just released, No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith.

As for me, I should probably get back to writing.