Slow Down...

During my interview with Stephanie Perkins, she mentioned a book that really helped her write her second book called Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers.

I am loving it and thought I'd share some of it's wisdom.

RULE NUMBER ONE: SLOW DOWN.

Heather poses the question, "When you are afraid, what do you do? Run?"

She says if you are nervous about the amount of time and sacrifice a book project takes, your first impulse is to rush.

She says it actually takes loads of courage to slow down.

"In sex, in parenting, in listening to a friend, in caring for an aged person, in gardening, on the freeway - slowing down is really, really good. We live in a world where it's become a talent, a lost art, something we have to relearn: slow down.

Book authors regularly use speed like a drug. Because we are terrified - of failing, of wrecking up the first draft, of telling the truth, of sucking, of pretty much everything that has anything to do with writing a book - we rush."

She goes on to talk about fear and flight which was interesting but then she talked about how she came to this realization. And, like all good things, it was food...

"Then,"she says, "I read about Slow Food. Food I understand. Food and body = I am there.

So there is this movement, started in Italy (where else), devoted to all things that take an enormous amount of time. A reaction to McDonald's, Burger King, hyper-this and super-speedy-that, the Slow Food Movement embraces artisanal bread, old vine wines, meals that take hours to consume because each bite is savored, and the conversation is the most valuable dish served.

The Slow Food people like bicycles, beaches, books, and face-to-face meetings. They do not believe in gyms, cell phones, or cities in particular. The Slow Foodies like walking, talking, cooking... You get the idea.

Writing, just like the Slow Food movement, is counter cultural to our speedy way of life.

Writing is slow. Always has been.

Writing books is, and should be, really slow.

Slow is good. Slow is great.

Slow is the new fast.

Time soaked writing is good writing. Your books should be steeped."

This is one of the best books I have ever read on writing and I might share more later. But do you do this? Do you rush? Do you panic and think you'll never get there? Do you freak out when other people sell their books fast? Take heart, Dear Bloggers. Be cool. Take a load off and slow down. Your books will thank you.