If you’re just joining, the recently discovered focus of this fifteen-month-old newsletter is to share, through a series of mildly comic essays, what it’s like to write a book.
There comes a time in every writing project when the artist needs to clean up a little. I realized this a few years back, when I was deep in the middle of working on the first book in the trilogy of Jack and the Geniuses adventure novels I wrote with Bill Nye. At the time, my office was a block away from the dance studio where one of my daughters had lessons. The studio was in a single-story brick building surrounded by large windows. The teacher, Miss Amy, was wonderful.
Early one evening, I finished my work, packed up my bag, buttoned my corduroy blazer, and sauntered over to catch the end of the session. After watching through the window for a moment, I circled around to the entrance at the back.
Before I reached the handle, the door swung open.
Miss Amy appeared, ready to fight.
Then her eyes widened.
“Greg? That was you?”
“Me?”
“Yes, in the window . . . some strange-looking man . . .”
At this point, she stopped and stared me up and down. I was unshaven, but this wasn’t abnormal. My hair was a little wilder than usual, though. And the professorial corduroy jacket I’d grown so fond of wearing was apparently tattered and frayed. My Blundstone boots were in decent condition, but I had sweatpants on, which is not an advisable combination, and although I can’t recall which hat I was wearing, I had a fondness for beanies at the time, so let’s just go ahead and imagine the worst.
In haste I pulled off my jacket and tossed it into a nearby trash bin. Miss Amy approved and, eventually, released my daughter into her father’s care.
What does this have to do with writing a book? Well, this was actually a good sign!
My complete disregard for my own appearance meant I was so deep into the world I was creating that I’d forgotten about my own world and surroundings. To be clear, I don’t remain in this state all the time. At home, with the family, I always - ok, mostly - manage to snap out of these reveries. But all bets are off in the confines of the office, when it’s just me and my work. If I’m really into a story, there’s always a risk I’ll have another Miss-Amy-type incident.
So I learned from the experience. Standardized outfits and regular haircuts are now a part of my book-writing routine. Just realized I needed a haircut last week, in fact, which is evidence that the new book is rolling along. And I found a new trick to beat writer’s block, too, which I’ll share in the next post.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
Let me know if you liked this post by clicking the little heart below, so I have a sense of what does and does not work. And please read the message from our sponsor. Without his support, this newsletter would not be possible.
*
Exciting news here on the book front! Two recent novels JUST became available in paperback. They’re beautiful copies and they’re available for delightfully low prices just about anywhere books are sold.
ATLANTIS: THE BRINK OF WAR is the second and final book set in a reimagined version of the underwater world, which follows the heroes of the first story - including Kaya, a girl from Atlantis, Lewis, a fake harmonica player and accidental adventurer, and the brilliant inventor Hanna - as they hurry to stop a potentially devastating conflict.
THE HUNT FOR MOSS MAN is the first in a trilogy of adventures set in the world of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the wildly popular 1980s toy line and cartoon series. The characters and world were recently re-launched and re-imagined for a new Netflix series, and I partnered with the creative folks at Mattel to launch a trilogy of novels.
Finally, if you happen to see me looking disheveled at some point in the next six months, as I dig deeper into the novel, let me know, okay? Thanks.