Writing a Book is Easy…….

Writing a book is easy…..NO – NO IT IS NOT. 

This one is for all of the cynics out there. For all of the people who believe that I am on some kind of holiday – swanning about on my weekdays, coffee shop-hopping and lying in bed until 12pm. INCORRECT – this is not the case. (Ok – I admit, I do coffee shop-hop a lot). Friends and ex-colleagues will laugh at this next point – my very well-known worst (one of) habits of mine of being (not so) fashionably late in getting up has been put to bed. Embarking on a project that I am so emotionally invested in has resulted in me getting out of said ‘bed’ often far earlier than I ever have. My job, currently, is to write about the wonderful woman who brought me into this world. My Mum – my inspiration. If that isn’t a reason to work your arse off, i don’t know what is.

Is it easy to write? Hell no! Of course, the moments reminiscing the magical memories have been a blessing, but it is re-living the traumatic ones that has been horrendously harrowing. Talking about the time in which I watched my mother dying is brutally tough on the heart. It has recently been made even more difficult with some tough family times. It is such a strange thing to comprehend that a chapter written is a chapter that I have lived. A chapter that could potentially be read by so many. At least I hope that it will be read by so many. (Did you know that you can pre-order a copy already? Hashtag desperate, winky face).

So a story always has a start, a middle and an end – as we all learnt from our ‘creative writing’ lessons in the good old school days. But I am definitely not writing the book in any order. I have found that I am writing parts of all of the chapters as I go – if I find it too tough or I have ‘writer’s block’ of any kind, I will simply move to another section of the book. I met my Uncle Geoff (Mam’s bro) and my Aunty Jane for a spot of lunch in Granary Square on Wednesday (where else would I go) and we talked about the routine I have followed. Essentially, there has been no routine. Some days I will wake up at 7am and immediately grab my laptop to write – other days I will find myself writing until 1am. I suppose, unlike non-fiction authors , the story is already there –  all scattered in my head. It is a matter of translating those thoughts into a book form. Whereas, at first, I believed that my work would need to be written in places of silence, I have been surprised to find that I am much more productive in noisy environments – I need a buzz around me, with people-watching opportunities, to get in the zone.

One thing that I am beginning to really appreciate, is being given the opportunity for my voice to be heard. A voice, as I am told, is the same through my writing as the speaking version. If you read my blog, essentially, you do kinda know me. (Nice to meet you). I feel overwhelmingly honoured – truly (madly, deeply) honoured that through the power of a book, I can express the power of loss. But more than that, I have the opportunity to talk about the fact that if you attack grief from a different angle, it can create the most incredible experiences, stories and new friendships along the way. It is tough to carry the thought that I am finding my way and doing what I love when she is gone. I wish I could call her, see her, tell her everything that is happening. I miss her so much.

And to finish off, in the most cheesy way imaginable (I love cheese – fact), I would like to thank you, blog readers, for sticking around to hear me out. Without you 60 Postcards would never have been given the chance to become a book. Sniff.

Have a wonderful week!

So much love ,

Rachael – Almost author

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PS – In other news……

Simon and Schuster (my publisher) are busy busy at the moment, publicising Amanda Holden’s new book. I’m looking forward to a read of that. I saw on her twitter feed that the cover is sprawled all over some massive trucks. So, I have decided that I am going to buy an old banger and do the same for mine by hand, haha.

I have come across an amazing blog called Bluffable by James Veitch, someone who came across my blog through twitter. You know those (bloody irritating) scam emails that often find their way into your inbox, well James has had some fun by playing along with them with hilarous outcomes! Take a look here.

60 Postcards book links:

For Waterstones, click here.

For Amazon, click here.

News on 60 Postcards will be sent to you if you sign up to the Simon and Schuster author page here.

Shameless plugging ;).