Hike Like A Flamingo has been out in the world in physical form for over three months and it has been a dream come true. You know I loved the writing process, and the hiking adventures, but there have been so many other ‘firsts’ in the process. As a Learner, I have been in a blissful bubble of constant study. Yes, you can laugh. I don’t care, because this is what makes me the proud author of a published book!
Things I’ve learned out about writing and publishing…
- how to find and work with a professional editor
- the joys of partnering with an artist and creating cover art
- the secrets of formatting and typesetting
- the secret language of metadata
- paper quality, fonts, and what size is a book you can tuck in your bag?
- the magic of owning an ISBN and registering it with the National Library
I carry a copy of the book in my bag at all times. I learned this in the lessons about marketing. Always have something to show people when they ask about your book. I have bookmarks and postcards and a copy to share (or sell, if you’re so inclined). There’s one at eye level by my desk that has become a symbol of ‘yes, you can’. Yep. Hike Like A Flamingo has been awesome for proving to myself that writing isn’t a secret wish but a real thing. There’s only one problem… Books are somehow now all about sales and marketing, social media reach, business; numbers, not words.
I’m beginning to worry that publication has stolen my ability to write. Perhaps by publishing my book and achieving what is, admittedly, a lifelong goal of having a book on my shelf with my name on it, I’ve ticked the ‘to do’ box? Could that be it, done, no more writing for me? I do have history of diving deep into a new hobby, investing in it with heart and soul, and mining it dry. Each hobby lasts for years, none have been a flash in the pan. I look back (and in the linen press for the boxes of supplies) at quilting, embroidery, knitting, cooking, gardening. And now something new has begun to make itself known in my lairbrary shelves. Papers and cutters and glues and an introductory box of how to make your own journals is tucked under the overflowing collection of washi tape and stickers for junk journalling. And there is a growing drawer of watercolour paints and fine tipped pens for line drawing.
What, I began to worry, if writing was just like those pastimes? What if I’ve exhausted the lifetime store of all that intrigued and engaged me? Did I mistake writing for a vocation when it was, in fact, a hobby? It was well and truly time to test this one out. Can I still sit down and write???
I pick up my fountain pen and write Morning Pages every day. They’re as boring as can be, though I do have a record of the time of first light and the weather each morning for years. The pages remind me of the power of The Artist’s Way which I completed for the first time, serendipitously as it happened, starting in March 2020. There’s psychology behind it if you need it but this time I have faith in the process. I picked up my copy of The Writer’s Way. OK, I renamed it to suit myself but you can go with me here. It’s shorter at six weeks and, where the Artist’s Way opens the door to creativity of every kind, this one is focused on stimulating writing (surprise!).
The central requirements are the same – three pages of handwritten journal every morning, a daily walk, and an Artist’s Date every week. The key for me in this instance is that Julia Cameron also makes you set up word target every day. Low, achievable, no expectations of quality. Obvious. Yep. And effective. When Flow and I are working harmoniously together, I can usually write around two thousand words in a day. As she and I seem to have become estranged, I thought it best to lower the bar for her to return. Riffing on my proven favourite number, I thought I’d aim for five hundred miles words a day. In fact, I decided the goal is to write five hundred BAD words a day.
Bring. It. On.
So far, I’ve missed a few days due to work and other commitments. Forgiven. Activities of procrastination have grown enticing and the floors have been vacuumed many times. Useful. The words dragged out of me and onto Tallulah’s screen are truly bad. So bad that they make me laugh. Huh. I love reading stories that make me laugh and remind me of the sunny side of life. I will answer to Pollyanna with pride. Hike Like A Flamingo made people snort laugh sometimes (and cry a bit too). That became my goal. Five hundred words and some of them, when mixed together, have to make me smirk.
This week I’m excited to return to the desk and clear it of all other tasks. Writing comes first. The words are reluctant to emerge but they’re coming a little easier now. I’m grinning a lot as I work.
Best of all, I think everything is going to be ok. Writing isn’t a hobby. Even when the shine has worn off and it needs a bit of polishing. I’ve also been making and decorating journals for my Pages. No reason not to indulge that new obsession while it’s got its hold on me!
PS Want to read Hike Like A Flamingo and share the laughs and the tears of our tales from the trail? Order your signed and wrapped copy here! (Note – cuddly dog not included)