This seven-part series will cover the 2 ½-year time span between the day I set out to become an author and the day I became one.

Becoming an Author – Part Five
Winter-Spring 2007

After working out some contractual issues and signing the contract, I met my editor via email. During the next year I would find Susan to be one of the most affirming people I’ve ever met. While coaching me through the writing process, she helped me to discover what I wanted to say, in a way that made me want to give her my very best work.

During our family’s two-week winter vacation in Florida, we homeschooled in the morning, and in the afternoons I read research articles on the beach. By the time we returned to Wisconsin, I had taken nearly 200 pages of typewritten notes. Then the real work started.

My first deadline was the end of February, and my goal was to submit the introduction and first chapter. This meant I needed to do a tremendous amount of research and interviewing, while finding my voice as an author. Oh, and I needed to make sure my kids learned fractions, long division, science, literature, and a thorough overview of ancient civilizations.

My kids knew the book was important to me, and they took it in stride, like everything else we’ve thrown at them. We schooled in the morning, and I interviewed and wrote in the afternoon. They were very patient during those long months at the keyboard. I also got help from family and friends. I would dive into the manuscript for a non-stop two-day session, while the kids visited Grandma.

The people I interviewed were truly inspiring. It was such a gift to have the opportunity to talk in depth with people that impact so many young lives. These people are passionate about what they do, and confident that their efforts make a difference. Just listening to them gave me hope for the world, and made me recognize my own sphere of influence. The fact I have the opportunity to share their gifts with others — that’s a bonus.

Although the early spring months got pretty long, I met all my deadlines and submitted a completed first draft on May 1, more than a year after initially suggesting the project. My house was a disaster and my extended family members forgot what I looked like, but we’d made it through.

Becoming an Author series:
Part One — Winter 2006
Part Two — Spring 2006
Part Three — Summer 2006
Part Four — Fall 2006
Part Five — Winter-Spring 2007
Part Six — July 2007-February 2008
Part Seven — Spring 2008
Photos of Search Institute Press

My book, Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things, will be available in June, from Search Institute Press.