Writing a book is not an easy task. But the more books you write, the less daunting it becomes. I recall being approached to write my first family history and feeling anxious. I’d written numerous profiles, but I’d never written an entire book. I thought about what was involved, convinced myself to write a series of features, and transform them into a book. That’s exactly what I did.
Nearly twenty years and many books later, I look back on some of my most trying works and realize what made them difficult. Sadly, two of my subjects died before their stories were complete, and I had to finish their books with help from those who knew them.
My own first memoir took nearly ten years from the time I began writing to its publication. The reasons I took so long included finding time for my own writing between clients’ work and discovering how difficult it was to write about my early years. Determination won, I kept writing, completed What Lies Within, and received wonderful reviews and two awards.
After the successful completion of my own book, I started thinking about a book I wrote shortly before I began my story. The tale took place in Haiti, featured a 20th century acclaimed American Renaissance man, and also told the story of his son’s kidnapping. I ghostwrote the story without having direct contact with those who lived it. Due to this lack of communication, the book sat on a shelf in my office. I believed it contained some of my best writing but heard that the client was unhappy and felt I had failed.
In 2014, I contacted the client and asked permission to publish the book as an e-book. I would split the proceeds. He had been working on the story himself, and we shared manuscripts. He had greatly improved the original, and we decided to collaborate. Now in 2016, nearly 13 years and many revisions later, the book has gone to press. To learn more about this forthcoming nonfiction tale, be sure to look up The Spirit of Villarosa, www.thespiritofvillarosa.com, Its events appear almost too unbelievable to be true—but they are.
This unfinished project convinced me to keep on writing. Perhaps others will feel inspired to do the same.
Now I must return to my next memoir, What Took You So Long? that I began in 2004. I’m good at following my own advice.