Now is the write time

The "author" with Pim of Pixie Hollow

After much debate with myself as well as with others, I have decided to write a book.  Friends and family have encouraged me to develop my one-liners into deeper thoughts, and to expand blogs into short stories.  But for some reason, I’ve always shelved the idea.

At first, I was caught up in being a 750-word writer as opposed to a 750-page author.  Then, I simply got busy with other things in life and I lost interest in my own story.  Finally, I became intimidated by the process, which is known to take years from the date of origination.

I wrote a children’s book about a year ago, but I didn’t do anything with it.  The story is a good one, but once again, the business of publishing turned me off.  It isn’t that I don’t want to work hard — if anything, I don’t know how to stop and rest — but it’s the process of asking to be approved.  Accepted.  Affirmed.  It’s an insecurity — and a big one.  It’s hard enough to put yourself out there, let alone invite criticism.

I like things that are small.  I like cozy Cape Cod-style homes with small patches of yard to mow.  I like small boxes (that contain rocks!).  I like small sizes — and wish I still wore them.  Going BIG — as in, going from a blog to a book — is a bit scary…it means that I’m consciously choosing to leave my little life in search of something more.

But, the fact is that I’m a pretty decent writer.  There! I said it.  I’m not a hard-core journalist, and I’m not a fierce academic with unhatched thoughts that have the potential to change the world.  However, I am versatile, as Charlotte A. Cavatica said about herself in Charlotte’s Web.  I can observe things and effectively relate the experience to others.  And, I can make them laugh.

So after a year of blogging on the issues of parenting in the Daily Mail feature, “The Mommyhood-WV”, I have chosen to scare myself by writing nearly 25,000 words on the topic of animals and pet ownership. My first book in the creative non-fiction genre that dabbles in slapstick humor, “Kat Tales” is currently in the hands of a very capable editor, who will attack my manuscript with the red pen of death, and for that, I am extremely grateful.  Once her comments and corrections have been applied to each chapter, I will turn the package over to AuthorHouse for publication and mass distribution.

Oh, yes…back to the insecurity thing.  I have elected to make my debut as an author on the independent market for a number of reasons.  One, some of the material has been published on the newspaper’s website and in e-editions, so previously printed material isn’t particularly attractive to literary agents.  Two, the life stories are a sample of my writing portfolio; therefore, this is a test to see if my essays can survive in the congested marketplace.  Three, I am a rather impatient person, so waiting to hear if my manuscript made it to the top of the slush pile is like waiting for cataract surgery.  I just want to get it over with!  Four, I like to work by myself and for myself.  The word “independent”, or “indie” as the publishing world calls it, fits me perfectly.  I have always suffered a stubborn streak that insists on doing things my way.  Group work just makes me panic.  I may be able to blame my loner status on my childhood, but you’ll have to wait for “Diary of a Grumpy Mom” to find out. (hint, hint)

Lastly, I wanted to cross BOOK off my personal to-do list.  I haven’t written the book for fame or fortune (remember, self-publishing means the writer assumes all elements of risk by putting his or her own money behind the project).  Rather, I’ve written the book for family.  I want to show my daughters in particular, that they can do what they want (within reason), but they do have to give it their best shot.

Self-publishing is a scary experience, though, much like selling a house by-owner.  All of the worries rest on the seller’s shoulders, from the initial contracts to the final threat of liability.  This week, I became better acquainted with terms that I had forgotten…words like “defamation”, “libel”, and “infringement”.  At one point, I became so overwhelmed with what-if scenarios that I seriously considered trashing the entire document.  Then, I decided to let someone else help me — something I don’t do very often — by giving me a “thumbs up” on the manuscript.  In the words of Bob Marley, every little thing is gonna be all right.

I hope I haven’t just violated a copyright law.

Until then, I swish my Kat tail in the air and wait for 60 complimentary copies of the memoir to arrive on my doorstep.  Clearly an item on my bucket list, who knows if the essays will climb the Indie Best Seller List.   But if they do, you can bet that I will write all about it.