Writing a book one moment after another

Kia ora, 

Writing a book is hard! Do you know how many chapters that is? How many pages? How many words? It’s hours and hours of thinking and staring and typing, and thinking some more, and getting distracted and typing…

But you don’t have to write it all at once. You don’t even have to know what direction your story is going to take. You might know what it’s about – walking Te Araroa, cycling across country, recreating your grandma’s gap year travels. But you don’t have to know all the details, all the anecdotes, or even the ending, before you start writing.

If you’re not sure where to start, just start with one moment. A memory that sticks out. A conversation with someone you met along the way, a conversation you had with yourself. The first sunset you experienced on the trail, the first thing that went really wrong. Start with one moment. Get it out of your head and onto the page.

Then write another moment. Doesn’t matter if they’re connected or come from completely different moments in your journey. Just write them down.

That’s how you end up writing a book. Once you’ve got that first draft out of your brain and onto the page, you can start reordering and refining and finding the direction you want to take. You can start looking back at travel-you and seeing how far you’ve come, literally and figuratively. And you can write about that too.

Keep going, even when the writing is hard. Remember why you want to share your story. Remember the moments that made you go, I have to tell everyone about this. Those moments will keep you going as  you write your book.

Cheers,
Deborah

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📚 What I’m reading

I finished Beyond the Trees, by Adam Shoalts. I’m glad I picked this book back up again. The adventure came together really well, but I have to say, I don’t want to get as close to a muskox as Adam did. I’ll stay far away, thank you.

In classic Deborah fashion, I have started two new books:

The Wind at My Back by Paul Maunder. This books starts with winter in England. Not what I was hoping for after the Arctic of Beyond the Trees, but I think the weather is going to warm up!

An Open Door: New Travel Writing for a Precarious Century, edited by Steven Lovatt. I picked this up on a whim at the library. Each chapter is from a different contributor and touches on Wales’ place in the world. Loving it so far.

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📅 Availability

I have space available from mid-July. Get in touch if you want a sample edit so you can see what editing can do for your story.

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✍️ Ways to work with me

Apply for a free sample edit​

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