I finished the third round of edits on my manuscript today, and honestly, after reading the epilogue out loud to Sam, I nearly cried.
It's been over a year, (a lifetime actually) and Death to Sparkleprincess: a beginners guide to midlife, faith and meaningful work, is finally on her way to her editor.
Studies say, 80% of adults want to write a book, but only 15% of people start one, and only three percent finish. I'm not saying this to congratulate myself. Actually, I am. Go me! And if you set out to accomplish something hard and you did it. Go you too!
BTW - This is where the magic happens. I know. The glamour.
Two things that really helped with the creative process.
Two people actually: Ira Glass and Elizabeth Gilbert.
When I was despairing that I might never write "The End" and mean it, I found these two bits of advice helpful.
Liz Gilbert said writing a book is a divine act, but editing it is a human one.
Then she called editing "carpentry."
I realized I might be normal for thinking the writing part was a lot more fun. Well done carpentry is tedious, and I'm no fan of tedium. So her words gave me permission to not love the process but keep going anyway, because, like a fine chair or bookshelf, I'm going to like the result.
Then Ira Glass (NPR) came along
and named something I'd been struggling with but couldn't define. He described the gap between what I like to read and what I'm able, at this stage, to write.
Basically, the gap sucks.
Glass writes.
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you...And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.“
Ira is right, but for now we celebrate.
The way I plan to do that is at Friend Camp in the Colorado Rockies this August. I can't imagine a better way to release this book into the world, than to celebrate it with a fun weekend getaway in the mountains with girlfriends. With any luck, we'll have, at least, author copies to give away.
You can come too you know, and celebrate yourself for whatever.
Click here for the info
Why not get out of the city and cool off with us in the mountains? Go glamping and make some new friends? I talk a lot about Friend Camp and what it's about for us. You can read about it here, or here or here. Or you can watch this Tiktok or this one.
This is the location for Pagosa Friend Camp 2026. It's stunning.
We'd love to see you in Colorado
Find the deets about Friend Camp Pagosa here.
And get ready to hear all about our next steps as Sparkleprincess makes her way into the world.
Have a beautiful week.
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