1. You’re better off than you think, because
you’ve done this before, just not in as large a format. Almost every
technique and skill you’ve used to structure and tell a story at feature
length scales to book length. So, let go of the excess anxiety about never
having done this before.
2. Planning. Planning. Planning. It’s a campaign.
I used some project management tools in the end to put some order into the
vastness. That’s the thing about the bigger scale. It requires more
management to support the creativity. Cultivate a good relationship with your
editor from the beginning. He/she is going to be your task master at some
point. That’s going to go so much better if he/she is also your friend,
colleague, supporter, and fan. The campaign of writing a book can get so
lonely sometimes, you need a good attaboy just to remind yourself of why
you’re doing it and that you’re not the crazy loser who needs to get out
more.
3. As Trungpa Rinpoche said (I paraphrase): enjoy
refreshing activities from time to time. If you’re planning and scheduling
well, you can find opportunities regularly to breathe more fresh air into
your life and replenish yourself, because “the work fills the available
space” is nowhere more true than on a book project. Watch out for
self-indulgent and cheap substitutes for actually taking an honest to god
break, of whatever duration.
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