How To Write a Book

Writing a book never happens the way you think it will.

Photo by John Jennings on Unsplash

I have been writing privately for more than 26 years and publicly for 10 years. I find it remarkable that right now, a majority of my livelihood depends on my writing ability. Though I have wanted nothing more than to be a writer, it is only in recent years — when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness — that I intentionally built my career in this way.

The steps I have taken have helped me edge closer to my ultimate dream: to be a published book author.

Steps like self-publishing my first e-books.

Unexpected

This Friday — yes, on Valentine’s Day — I’ll publish an e-book. It is the second edition to the first e-book I published last year. It is also the third book I have ever finished writing in my life. (The first was a novella I wrote when I was 17 for my high school senior project.)

Like last year, this year’s e-book is not a novel, collection of short stories, or memoir. It isn’t any of the genres I thought would be part of my published repertoire.

I also never thought that the way I would be putting my work out in the world is through self-publication.

This slim, precious e-book of mine is a selection of 21 weekly letters I send out to my newsletter mailing list…