I am so excited to start writing our 16th and final profile! This is an interview we conducted a while ago, and I’ve purposely kept it aside because I wasn’t exactly sure how to frame it. But with no avoidance tactics left in my arsenal, I brought the 50-page transcript with me to read during a pedicure yesterday—how’s that for multitasking? (and Essie “Calypso” for anyone who’s dying to know)—and figured out an angle. It’s going to be a beautiful story, and by the weekend I will finally be on to Part Two of the project, writing the letters. I’m looking forward to doing the research and finally getting to use a different style of writing.
The big news from last week is that the epiphany I had over sushi and sake proved quite valuable, as the publisher loved the new subtitle idea. The book will now be called: “Letters from Home – A Wake-up Call for Success and Wealth.” We also conceived a cover concept that we presented to our editor, and the team was 100% on board. We are doing a photo shoot this weekend (sending mad love to the weather gods – we don’t need sun, but no rain please!), but in the meantime the publisher needed to do a rough jacket design to use in its sales catalog, which comes out soon – as in, before we can get this photo done. So they’re using a stock photo as a placeholder, which is fine. But we really liked what they came up with as far as layout and type. Yes, even the finicky design maven herself had to admit that they “got” the concept. I was pleased and mostly relieved!
We also changed the order of the chapters a bit, and wound up moving two profiles into different chapters. I think we’re both finally happy with the flow.
We’ve been collecting photos from our interviewees to have them drawn by the artist we hired, and as I get someone’s photo, it goes up on the giant corkboard in my office. I am now constantly being watched by 14 pairs of eyes (and awaiting six more), so I have to be careful what I do and what I’m wearing. It’s a little creepy to have them all there, but it gives me some inspiration and a small sense of accomplishment to have written about these fantastic folks.
Dave, a.k.a. “Mr. Sap,” has been sort of informally test marketing one of the profiles in the book during the past couple of weeks. He tells bits and pieces of the extraordinary story, and likes to see people’s reactions, which have ranged from wide-eyed and riveted to overflowing tears. I only hope my written words convey the same poignance.
Onward, if I want to cross that first finish line before we head off to our photo shoot!