I’m on deadline.
Isn’t there some old joke about loving deadlines—loving the whoosh as they fly by? That’s not me. My dad was in the military so let me assure you that I have never, ever, ever been late for anything in my life. That sounds like an exaggeration. I have maybe been 5 minutes late to a coffee date a few times when I had a newborn in tow. But I am one of the most punctual people you will ever meet in your life. I do not miss work deadlines. I do not ask for extensions. I do not send in things that are due at the end of the day at 4:49 PM. I have many flaws, but I excel at meeting a deadline.
This year has been fantastically crummy in all kinds of ways. I don’t want to go into a litany of complaints but it’s just been awkward + uncomfortable, mainly for personal reasons that the internet doesn’t need or care to hear about. It makes sitting down to tell a story difficult, and unsurprisingly, the book I’m currently working on is going to be as close to the deadline as I’ve ever been.
I’m learning a lot about myself as a writer this season, and one thing I’ve learned is that my art thrives when given a bit of space. I could write a scene in an hour, sure. But it’s going to be a lot better if I give it a few days. If I wander around thinking about it first, with a playlist in my AirPods. If I mull it over, holding sentences up to the light and thinking over if they fit or not. If I tweak words and switch sentence order. If I give them time, in other words—time to breathe. Did you know it took Anthony Doerr TEN YEARS to write All The Light We Cannot See? None of my books will ever come close to that masterpiece (I mean, a girl can dream). But the idea of taking ten years to write a book sounds downright dreamy right now.
The problem is that that doesn’t always look like productivity. I can’t spend babysitting hours on going to an art museum, I convince myself, even though from that art comes a wellspring of imagination, and helps me connect with emotions and feelings and the complexities of the human spirit, which every great book is about from Where the Wild Things Are to Anna Karenina.
I need to check something off the list. I need to see the word count go up, up, up. I need to know a scene was written, a dialogue completed, a description scribbled.
And yes, when you’re a professional author being paid, you do need to do those things. But it’s a process, as pie-in-the-sky-snooty as that sounds. It’s a winding river you’re kayaking over, sometimes having to heft the thing over your shoulder to portage and sometimes just sitting and looking around at the loons, wondering why they never seem to be in a hurry. Or a knot—a big, hardened one, a la Maniac Magee. You’re pulling at strings and trying new angles, and sometimes you realize you need to grab a different string because you’re just making the dang thing worse. But suddenly, it gives a bit. The loose string pulls easier, and you breathe a sigh of relief—yes, there. Progress.
Forgive my metaphors. Maybe I’m a pie-in-the-sky-snooty writer after all.
So here’s to slow writing. To meeting deadlines. And to wandering, hoping you’ll eventually stumble upon a story.
I am SO honored that independent booksellers voted to recommend WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY? as an indie next title! I’ve never had a book win an indie next before so it was really exciting news. Most people don’t know that a lot of indie bookstores have really limited stock + shelf space, especially when it comes to middle grade—they don’t carry many book that aren’t bestsellers. So the fact that RACHEL RILEY might be in more indie bookstores is a thrill.
Speaking of indie bookstores, are you coming to our launch party? Don’t forget: 6:00 PM at Books and Company in Oconomowoc, WI! This event is free + open to the public. I would absolutely love to see you there, and kids are more than welcome. Books & Company is my absolute favorite independent bookstore (major You’ve Got Mail vibes) and I know you’ll love it, too.
I know you’re busy checking things off your Christmas list, but it’s not too late to preorder the book. Every single preorder truly counts. ❤️
Book description: Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there’s something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why. As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won’t stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley? With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there’s one thing she’s certain of: If you’re going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.
And lastly, a book I’ve loved lately for…
Kids: The Tale of Las Posadas by Tommie DePaola is a favorite this time of year. My kids love this sweet story of a Christmas Eve celebration where the real Maria and Jose may or may not show up. I’m obsessed with all things Tommie DePaola, but this may be my absolute favorite.
Middle graders: Sisterhood of Sleuths by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman was incredible. I haven’t read a middle grade book I enjoyed that much in a long, long time. I loved this story of a girl investigating her grandmother’s history, the creation of the Nancy Drew books, and her own role in Carolyn Keene’s creations, but the best part was the subplot of getting slowly ditched by a best friend. SO real + relatable.
Adults: Marmee by Sarah Miller was a great retelling of Little Women from Marmee’s perspective—absolutely perfect for a cozy winter night read. I liked seeing a little more of Marmee’s internal struggles that we don’t read as much about in Little Women (although the Greta Gerwig movie nodded to this, as well!)
Thanks for reading along!
-Claire-