Back in Book Proposal Mode: Writing + Teaching
Plus: New Column + New Classes
In This Issue
A short essay about maybe writing another book???
My virtual class schedule (new courses!)
Pitch column details
Back in Book Proposal Mode: Writing + Teaching
I still can’t believe I wrote a freaking book. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—and if you’ve read my book, you know I’ve been through some shit.
A book (or any creative project that talks to you incessantly, begging to come to life) takes up a significant amount of brain space. Turning in my final manuscript felt like a massive exhale; a weight I didn’t realize I was carrying evaporated from my shoulders. Writing a book about sober sex and dating occupied my mind, body, and soul for nearly a decade. Now, my idea is a physical thing (or an audiobook/ebook thing) that’s been out in the world for over a year.
Authors often compare writing a book to giving birth, and rightfully so. When writing this reported essay about Publishing Post-Partum Depression for LitHub last year, I interviewed women who simultaneously wear the author hat and the mother hat. They compared their similar experiences with post-partum depression *and* publishing post-partum depression. Writing this essay taught me I wasn’t alone as a debut author with my roller coaster of emotions.
As exhausting as the writing and researching and crying and querying and revising and media-ing were, I miss writing a book.
I’m playing around with a few new ideas, so I’m back in book proposal mode. That means I’m outlining ideas again, copying and pasting sentences into random paragraphs until they find a home. Sometimes that home is the trash can. Some words (or pages!) don’t survive, but they were fun to party with.
Writing is often like playing musical chairs. Words and fragmented sentences dance around on the screen until the music stops; some find a seat while others are deleted into the sidelines. Perhaps we become “real writers” when we accept that writing is just brain dump after brain dump until the words somewhat make sense. We no longer see killing our darlings or receiving frank feedback as a personal attack; we see them as a part of the writing process.
If you’ve taken my writing classes, you’ve heard me say, “Let yourself write bad,1” because that advice changed my life. Allowing myself to write random words and half-baked thoughts and sentence fragments I kinda like but don’t know what to do with just yet also allowed me to ignore the voices in my head who told me that everything I wrote needed to be perfect. Perfectionism held me back just as much as alcohol did.
Whatever book #2 is about, I will begin writing it badly. 😎
💻Virtual Class Schedule (New Classes!)
In addition to being back in book proposal mode, I’m also back in teaching mode. I’d love to see you in my virtual classes! Below is my upcoming course schedule.
📃Book Proposal 101 Jan 30th. Sign up here.
💻Be Your Own Publicist Feb 4th. Sign up here.
📚Book Proposal Boot Camp Feb 5th-March 12th. Sign up here.
📓Writing Goals Workshop Feb 18th. Sign up here.
🃏Create + Pitch Your Own Card Deck March 19th 7-9EST. Sign up here.
🗞️DIY PR: Platform, Pitching, and Press Releases for Writers May 14th-June 11th. Sign up here.
🗞️New Column: Behind the Pitch
My new monthly column is designed to help you get essays published, land media placement for your books/products/expertise, and feel confident while writing the damn email.
Every month, I’ll go behind the scenes of my pitching process (including screenshots of my pitches!) while sharing tangible tips to deal with the emotional side of putting yourself out there. My column will look like this and this. Read the official announcement here.
Full access to Behind the Pitch costs $7 per month or $70 per year. I’m offering a 20% annual discount during Dry January.
Monthly Topics Include:
Media Placement - Learn how to get quoted as an expert on your topic or get an essay/article published
Podcast Placement - Review my pitch templates to become a podcast guest
Store Placement - Learn how to pitch a physical product (books, card decks, food and beverage, etc.…) to bookstores and specialty stores
The Whole Confidence Thing - Mental health and ADHD-informed tips to boost the confidence needed to write the damn pitch. I’ll also share healthy coping skills for rejection, imposter syndrome, and more.
And more!
XO,
Tawny
I learned this lesson from poet and teacher Ruth Danon during a creative writing intensive