Although I involved myself in some non-book work today, it hasn’t been far from my mind. In fact, I’ve put together a nice outline for the book proposal, if I do say so myself. Ha! It is turning into a wonderful experience. I love that with every word written, note taken, interview transcribed, chapters are springing to life. Authoring a book length work has turned into creating a series of essays that weave together and connect information to make up one larger body of work. As a short story and essay writer, as well as a former journalist, my training is such that I say a lot in as few words as possible, thus putting tremendous weight on each word, sentence, and paragraph. When Mike initially approached me about collaborating on Anything But Ordinary: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, I thought this tightness would work against me; however, it is actually working to my advantage and is also keeping my voice and style in a comfortable place. Bonus!
I’ve divided the proposal into a few sections, each tackling a different aspect of the book. Again, this organization has made the work more pleasurable and less taxing. Seriously, the last thing a creative writer wants or needs is to follow a pre-fab proposal format. I have, of course, been influenced by Cricket Freeman’s article, “Nonfiction Book Proposals: Make Your Proposal Stand Out,” which is found in the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents (19th Annual Edition), published by F+W Media, Inc. Ms. Freeman is very detailed and specific when discussing the changing trends in publishing, as well as how to put together a kick-butt proposal that goes the extra mile. Ultimately, that is my goal. I am not someone who does only what it takes to get by, I’m always running beyond the finish line. This trait has served me well in my personal and professional life.
Overall, I’d say this day was pretty great. I take pride in the fact that I have an organized creative process that allows me to avoid that mind-numbing paralysis that often happens to writers who are easily distracted and overwhelmed. Yay me!
~tbk
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