It took me longer than I thought it would, a lot longer that I thought, but I finally finished writing my first book – a young adult novel that deals with bullying and confidence. I started writing the book in the fall of 2003. I finished over the weekend. Yeah, it took more than eight years.
A quick recap: In late July, I left my job in the suburbs to focus on the book and to move with my wife to Chicago. After writing about two chapters in eight years, I knew I had to change things up if I ever wanted to finish it. Four months after leaving my job, I had finished three-fourths of the book. In the past two weeks, I went into overdrive to finish it, ignoring my ChicagoNow blog and just about everything else in my life. Since then, I've been editing and fine-tuning it.
Now, I have a book. And now I can reflect.
Part of me still can't believe the path I took. I gave up a lot to write my book:
• A good, steady job I enjoyed as editor of a suburban newspaper – a position I worked ridiculously hard to achieve.
• Financial security, as I delved into my savings to allow the time to write.
• Did I mention a good, steady job I enjoyed? In this economy?
But it was worth it. No matter what happens next. It was worth it. Even if the book is never published. It was worth it. Even if I struggle to find a new job. It was worth it.
There are things in life you know you need to do. Finishing this book was mine. And I knew it was never going to happen as long as I was working full-time.
For the first eight years after college, working in newspapers wasn't just my job. It was my life. It was all I did. It was all I talked about (you can ask my wife if you don't believe me). It was me. When I did have free time on the weekends, I just didn't feel like working on the book. A lame excuse, I know, but it's the best one I have. After spending all week and parts of the weekend focused on writing stories or editing other people's stories, I never felt like doing my own free writing during down time.
But I wanted to finish this book so badly. Free time on weekends was a constant personal guilt trip for not working on the book. It was depressing. I needed to get this monkey off my back.
Toward the end of last spring, my wife and I were talking about whether we wanted to move. The lease to our apartment in the suburbs would be up in the fall and we needed to make a decision. She worked in the city and wanted to move there, had wanted to live there since she was a little girl. I had always pushed back because I didn't think I could do my job properly while living in the city (and, to be honest, having grown up in southern Indiana, always found Chicago to be a teensy bit intimidating). But having built up my savings, I was now in a place financially where I could not work for a few months and finish the book. She could have her dream. I could have mine. It was a deal.
I closed my eyes and jumped off the cliff toward the water.
Four months later, with the book finished, I'm glad I did. There is much left to do, of course. Pestering literary agents. Pestering literary agents some more. Pestering literary agents even more. But the toughest part is done.
With the book finished, I've also decided to rejoin the workforce. I had originally planned to take a full year off and devote that to my writing, possibly writing a second book. But almost five months away from full-time employment has changed my mind. I miss the work, I miss the daily routine, I miss having coworkers – it gets pretty lonely writing by myself all day – and, unsurprisingly, I miss the paychecks and not having to debate with myself every time I want to buy a cup of coffee. I started rebuilding my resume this week and will start sending out applications in earnest next week. Here's hoping I land a job soon.
In the meantime, I will focus on my ChicagoNow blog, looking for a new job and sending the book out to agents.
And in the end, it was worth it.
• Joe Grace is now the author of a book! Have a column or blog idea? Write to him at joewriter81@gmail.com. Know a literary agent looking for a young adult fiction book? Even better.
Filed under: Thoughts
Congratulations Joe, hope you find a publisher soon.
Thank you very much. Me too!
Congratulations, Joe!!! I remember talking about it at the last Tweetup. Way to go! I'm so inspired!
When in doubt, I remember this Mark Twain quote -
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Thank you! That is a great quote. One of my favorites.
Congratulations on finishing the manuscript! That's a huge accomplishment.
I love this post because I'm right where you are. I'm about to start submitting my first book to agents, as well. It's freaking scary, but it's also exciting.
Best of luck to you, and hopefully we'll both be throwing book parties by 2013 :)
Good luck to you, as well! A book-throwing party by 2013 would be awesome!
Way to go Joe. Since you have tackled such an admirable (and necessary) topic, did the research and completed the first book - why not leverage that into becoming a mindshare "expert" in this area and put together information sessions, webinars, or even pull together content from other experts into a 1 or 2-day seminar, record it and sell it. There is such a need and demand for solutions around confiddence and bullying - you could be at the center of helping and a new career at the same time?
Jeff