Scripted pause

The grey one contains the manuscript

The manuscript, in its first draft form, is done - 50,000 words of something that might be a decent book when it grows up. I allowed myself one read through, but with a strict no-editing rule. No marks on the printed pages whatsoever, even for the most egregious usage errors. There are a dizzying array of decisions ahead, but first, a pause on the manuscripting. The loose bound inklings of a memoir will remain unread and unedited for a week. I’ve heard that one needs at least a month away from the work, but my patience does not extend that far with these sorts of projects. A week will be just fine.

The next real order of business, once my self edit is complete and the known additions and rewrites are incorporated, is to find a professional editor. My beta readers will have a role to play, of course, and I am eager for their feedback. But I decided that I need to invest in guidance from someone who has taken stories in my genre from manuscript to publication. I’ve been asking everyone I know, making connections in unexpected ways, and I’m excited to share this work of mine with someone who knows what they are doing.

During my pause, I will be reading and researching, revisiting books that I admire, picking up new ones I may want to cite. I am nearly finished with a memoir by a skydiver - it’s now filled with notes and underlines. I am counting how many times the words ‘win’ and ‘winning’ are used. The experience with this book and another like it (one I couldn’t bring myself to finish), have illuminated the differences between a compelling story, and a compelling story that is well-written. I hope my book will belong to this latter category, hence a professional editor.

I’m hoping you can help me with something. We need to settle on a title and there are two main contenders:

• Unflappable

• Life is Short, Learn to Fly

I’ve asked perhaps a dozen people which they prefer and it seems that my regular readers prefer Unflappable, while people I know who are not familiar with my work or my story like the second option. There is also the matter of a subtitle. Look again:

• Unflappable: a Memoir About Cancer and Paragliding

• Life is Short, Learn to Fly: Cancer, Paragliding, and Everything Else

I have resisted the urge to insert the word silly into our subtitle concepts, but with any luck the cover design will convey a sense of levity and playfulness. The topics in this book are serious, but I am not a serious person - hopefully the reader will find plenty to laugh about, I certainly did during my read through.

As I am weighing decisions on editors and cover designs, titles and timelines, I will also be preparing to interview some of the key characters in this story of mine. Some are mentioned by name, others not, but there are details to confirm and insights to capture that will likely make their way into the story in future drafts. The whole exercise of producing this stack of pages has reminded me how fortunate I am to know such lovely and kind people and I want my reader to see them as I do, with love and appreciation. Gratitude is a resonant theme, especially in the later chapters, and I hope it feels truthful and human in my words.

I don’t know how this story will change and evolve, especially in the hands of a capable editor, but I am excited and nervous, ready for another challenge. This manuscript will probably become a book this year and I’m excited to share it, and then start working on another.