What most people get wrong about writing a book is the idea that every book has to be a massive book, and it doesnât.
It can be a MicroBook.
The traditional publishing industry has decreed that there are conventions for how long a book needs to be, depending on genre and topic and blah blah blah but actually a book can be however long you want it to be.
It doesnât have to be any particular length.
I love the idea of a MicroBook because of that.
Under 100 pages, maybe 15k to 25,000 words.
Thatâs it.
Pretty freeing, right? Much less daunting than having to write 80,000 or 100,000 words?
You donât need to write the next Great Gatsby to have something valuable to say.
Sometimes the most powerful messages come in the smallest packages.
Thinking you might want to write your own book?
Start here, with How the hell do you write a book, which is the (Macro)Book I wrote and wish Iâd had when I first started out as an author.
âBuy it here.
p.s. To be fair, The Great Gatsby is only about 47K words and look how important that is!
Okay. Time for the Friday Goodie Bag! Hereâs what Iâve found for youâŠ
These glorious sunflowers half an hourâs walk from my home
Arenât these the most beautiful thing? Look at their happy faces. The sun. The clouds. The golden hour joy. Please go outside at least once a day and notice things. Find something interesting, perhaps just the way a raindrop hangs from a rosehip, or dew on a spiderweb, or the disgusted expression on the face of the neighbourhood cat boss.
This newsfeed eradicator
This comes with a caution because apparently if we use it, it might result in a ban from LinkedIn⊠But this Chrome plugin will remove the newsfeed from various social media platforms (you can choose which). If you, like me, get sucked into doomscrolling and then feel sad and hopeless, perhaps this might help. Or get you a permaban, which might help even moreâŠ
If you donât want to risk a ban, try this instead: make your notifications or your profile your main social page, so you can do what you need to do â post or comment or whatever â then duck out. Set a timer. Donât go beyond your timer.
These Scottish prisons changing outcomes for kids
Thereâs a new scheme helping dads who are in prison bond with their children â taking visiting time out of the visiting room and into the playground, including sharing meals with their family. Itâs an 8-week programme that covers positive parenting, raising healthy kids, and general playtime. Read about it here.
Louis Grenierâs great book Stand the Fck Out
Iâve just finished reading Louisâ book and itâs like a full marketing programme in book format. Plus itâs a really great read. Iâve sticky-noted all the action points and Iâm working my way through it, treating it like the in-depth course it is. Get yourself a copy and get onto Louisâ email list. Heâs a treasure.
This unexpected silliness from Avant Gardey
Avant Gardey is one of my favourite dance troupes and this snippet of silliness caught my eye. Always be unexpected if you possibly can. Give your audience a surprise. And maybe a chortle.
What Iâm reading
Iâm currently reading An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi and boy oh boy is it an ambitious project â the entire history of Africa in one volume? PHEW. It is, in places, a little bit âthis happened then this happenedâ and I would LOVE to see more of Badawiâs story and storytelling in there â however, the scope is magnificent and itâs absolutely fascinating.
What Iâm writing
Putting the finishing touches to my latest zine. And also doing a little journalling project: every day in September Iâm writing out a quote and sketching an illustration to go with it. So far itâs causing me great delight.
âYou are the one that you are looking for.â âAudre Lorde |
Word of the week
skosh
Meaning: a tad, a smidgen, a very small amount. From the Japanese sukoshi, pronounced âskoh shee.â
US servicemen stationed in Japan during WW2 shortened the Japanese word to âskoshâ and later used it as a nickname for the smaller soldiers among them.
Quote of the week
âWe cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you wonât do very much harm â yes, choose a place where you wonât do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.â â E. M. Forster, A Room with a View
Have a most splendid weekend. Slow down, and make things.
And if youâd like to experience my magic, MicroBook Magic Season 7 begins on October 20. You can get on the waiting list here.
p.s. Know someone who might enjoy my week-daily emails? Please get them to sign up here.
How to work with The MicroBook Magician
âCreative Playground: Write every day + get advice, support, and bonus access to my workshops! (1 week trial for ÂŁ1)
âThe Book Breakthrough Lab: Letâs see how much you can get done in just 90 days
âVIP Book Breakthrough Day: Make a quantum leap in book progress in just one day (or two half-days)
âBuy My Book: How the hell do you write a book?