Roots and Branches

Plus insights for talking with an editor about your next book.

I absolutely adore working with folks one-on-one. Going deep into creative practices and exploring what’s there, then coming out on the other side with concrete plans and maybe a bit less baggage is really a dream come true. 

Today I was talking with a client who I’ve worked with for years, for almost as long as I’ve been doing this work, and who I’ve gotten to watch move through the beginning and ending of projects (including a book) and all the twists and turns on the journey from idea to laying the project down to rest.

We’re in a moment of transition, personally and collectively, I believe, and this meeting today offered us some ways to think through transitional moments in the daily practice of creating.

These insights are for writing, but they really can apply to anything creative, including just the creative act of living life and going about the day.

Moving between tasks during writing and other creative work

It can be a challenge to move between one part of creative work and another: Having a regular routine can help prime you for this, because you naturally start to transition to the next thing in your day the longer you use it. 

One challenge can be moving from the act of preparing to write, to actually writing words in your document (in this case, just forming the sentences and paragraphs you want to see on the page. Of course, writing means many, many other things besides). 

Locating some interim activities to help you make that transition can help, like:

2-3 minutes of physical activity to give you a little brain break (think a sun salutation or jumping rope),

Or segment intending (a practice my dad actually just taught me, which I’m already putting to good use). 

With segment intending, you’re essentially pausing for just a few moments as you move between tasks to set a clear intention for how you want that next segment of your day to go.

Or, if taking notes or highlighting readings is a big part of your preparation, perhaps your transitional activity might be to actively move notes or highlighted passages from elsewhere into the writing document itself.

This builds a 1:1 relationship that connects the preparatory work to the body of the text itself, and because you’re moving those passages and notes into specific areas of the work, it can support more focused note taking the next time (rather than starting from scratch).  

Transitioning away from a project

Putting a project to rest, whether because we’re wrapping it up or setting it aside for the foreseeable future, can come with emotion and challenges because it asks us to declare something finished and to dedicate our attention elsewhere. While the shiny allure of the next big thing is always there, there’s also something really comforting about returning to a writing project you’re familiar with, even if it’s feeling ready to put to bed.

We dreamed up a closing ritual for his current project, essentially by vision journaling about what energy and attention is freed up by closing it out. What becomes possible when we set aside what we’ve already been doing and let ourselves finish the things that are in progress?

Your closing ritual could look like this or a million other things!

Bonus: This approach also helped him acknowledge the anxiety he was feeling about not devoting time to other projects, by letting him imagine directing attention towards those project, and helping free him up a bit energetically and emotionally to be able to actually work on them in the not-so-distant future. 

This approach also helps us build connections in our minds between finishing something and having the space to do something else. The shiny object syndrome of the next project is still there, but we also give ourselves space to fully wrap up what’s currently present before we dive in and risk spreading ourselves too thin.

One thing both of us are noodling on this week (I’d love to hear your thoughts): What makes an ending feel complete?

And finally, notes on preparing for an editor call

A short bonus round for this week, based on a few discussions with folks: What would I do to prepare for a call with an acquisitions editor?

First things first, vision journal. I’m not kidding. Let your imagine run wild about the best possible outcomes you can imagine from this interaction: You very well might see some clear steps you can take to prepare, or clear insights about what to say. If nothing else, you’ll be aligning yourself more fully towards the thing you want.

Once you do that, remember that editors are not just driven by how cool your project is but by how well they can sell it.

Your potential future editor is partially driven by audience, and by how well they’ll be able to put your book in front of that audience in ways that result in a sale. So they need to see that you’ve thought about who this book is for, what other books they might be buying, and how it might be marketed.

You’ve already written a proposal (most likely), so have this information handy, but this is another opportunity to revisit and go deeper if you need.

Let yourself get really clear about who it is and isn’t for, and revisit your competition and why this is different. And if you have specific ideas of events, conferences, etc. where this book could be a hit, this is the time to take notes on that.
Many academic writers struggle with this (I can help, or point you in the right direction for others who can help!), but choosing who your book is and isn’t for can be a challenge whatever your genre. Remember you know your work, and this is a chance to share that excitement with someone else who’s interested. You’re just refining work you’ve already done!

And, do a thorough reread of your proposal so your book’s structure and organization is fresh in your mind! It can be really beneficial to also make note of a few parts that really excite you, so that excitement can shine through when you talk. 

I encourage you to have some brief notes written down when you meet to jog your memory, so you can be yourself fully in the moment without worrying about forgetting important points under pressure.

P.S. Radical Creators and Bloom both start next week and I am beyond excited to welcome you in:

There are just 2 spots left in Bloom, so this is your sign to join now before doors close on Sunday. 

(Radical Creators can hold as many people as we wish, so don’t worry about it being full if you’ve been scared to jump in!)

Join Bloom, an 8 week program to build a lifelong sustainable writing practice (with special guest speakers, my literary agent and marketer from the food writing world!) 

Join Radical Creators, a 7-day meditation and reflection program to jump-start or deepen your creative practice, rooted in your inner wisdom (you get this plus 3 other programs free in Bloom!)

If you’re a paid subscriber or Patreon supporter, please remember to use your discounts! If you don’t remember your discount code, email me (julia@rootsandbranches.space) and I’ll re-send it so you have it handy.

You can become a paid subscriber here, and a Patreon supporter here!

(image source)