The Infinite If:
The chess of writing & publishing

Writing to you today from Rowland Cottage on the shores of Peninsula Lake. We’ve got a quiet week in between retreats here, so Jen and I are catching up on things. I’ve been capturing all our retreat events on Instagram, so for loads more photos of us and this incredible place, you'll find us @RowlandCottageRetreats.

Jen’s a powerhouse of energy, being a Manifesting Generator. She can take her dad for a sail on the lake, reposition and organize a living room cabinet and host a writing group in the span of time it takes me to make a cup of coffee. This week she built a vanity for the bathroom in her family boathouse over at Wilson cottage among other things, and she was just here at Rowland a few minutes ago, fixing a bent tongue of metal that’s making it hard to slide the dishwasher’s bottom drawer in. I’ve been working on my novel, swimming in the lake, making beds and contemplating how I might best be of assistance to a prospective new client who wants to bring their five memoirs under one thematic umbrella.

We watched The King’s Speech last night over at Wilson cottage. Hauled the old Radiant screen out of the closet and set it up in the middle of the living room. (Literally, you would not believe: this is a legit silver screen. Its white surface has silvered with age in so many places, yet the grandkids shriek every time someone proposes to replace it with a newer model.) Five of us—me, Jen, her visiting cousin Caroline and her parents—crammed onto the sofa and assorted chairs to watch. 📽️

The movie was better than I’d remembered it. Simple story arc. Good acting. Emotionally satisfying resolution to the initial problem.

The reason for watching is that Jen has a new client. He’s coming to Rowland tomorrow for a couple hours so they can workshop his memoir and do a bit of planning. Jen had sent him a book to read in advance of their workshop, and in return he asked her to watch The King’s Speech so she could have a clear grasp of his experience as a person who has walked his life’s path with a stutter.

This is the kind of research a good book coach does in support of our clients’ projects. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read in support of my clients as they develop their books. I’ve read romantasy, low fantasy, speculative fiction, a book on healing your inner child, one on burnout, another on hospitality, an Appalachian memoir, a fiction blockbuster from that same region, a book on awe, the Anam Cara, books on writing craft, sooooo much Cormac McCarthy and Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver and Chekhov. Stephen King. Tara Westover. Jeannette Walls. Elin Hilderbrand.

The reading is endless; it’s not simply limited to the work our writers submit at their deadlines.

This is how book coaches and editors build a foundation of expertise, and in my case, versatility across categories. Reading widely helps us understand what resonates with and appeals to readers, what sells in the marketplace, how a book’s structure helps deliver its message and so much more. We’re like physicians who in their spare time attend conferences to learn about how other physicians handle patient cases.

Except we do it for hours every day, not just once or twice a year.

This expertise is deep, and profound, and the extra effort is usually optional; none of my clients have ever asked me to read a book for them. I just do it, because I know it’s going to help me be a better coach for their book. We do it because we can see the beautiful heart within the words—the “red-hot thread” that Roy Group talks about—and we want to serve the book in the best way we can so it’ll find its audience.

Your coach is more in your corner than you’ve ever imagined. 💙

What I'm paying attention to in the industry

After watching The King’s Speech, I got to thinking about how telling a good story on screen is so different—and yet so similar—to telling a good story in a book. As I work on my own book (SO SLOW 😭), my mind is never far from its adaptability to the screen. This is worth considering for yourself, as well, especially if you’re writing memoir or fiction. Publishers are always looking for multiple ways to develop a book. And even if you choose to self-publish, streaming platforms and movie studios have people who constantly trawl the metaphorical stacks looking for books that’ll translate well to the screen.

If you’re curious about what goes on behind the scenes of adapting books for the screen, you’ll enjoy this interview in Publishers Weekly with Jordan Moblo, Universal Studios’ executive vice president of creative acquisitions and IP management, whose job is to match books with studio executives’ visions for the screen.
​

Upcoming workshops, courses, retreats...globetrotting adventures...

Rowland Cottage Retreats

The fall retreats at Rowland Cottage have been amazing so far. As you read this, we’ll be in the middle of our second one! Jen and Morag will be running the retreat again in the spring, so if June is a better time for you, you can get on our list by going to the website and getting set up on the mailing list. www.RowlandCottage.com

West Coast Nature-and-Writing Retreats

Stay tuned for possible future nature-and-writing retreats on the West Coast. Forest bathing, hikes, wading in the ocean (best grounding with the high mineral and salt levels), writing, sauna…a chance to slow down, feel your breath and your body, reconnect with your spirit and rekindle your creativity.

​
​Nepal in the New Year

And that’s all I’m gonna say at this time!! (But there’s a trip going out at the end of April!) (And maybe you want to be on it!)

This month's hippie flip

Venus turns retrograde today—October 3—until November 18. During the retrograde, Venus appears to move backward in the sky, triggering reflection on relationships, values, and finances. Writers can harness this inward-focused energy to look deeply at their craft, their love of the art of writing, and their desires and motivations around it.

From now until November 18, it’s a wonderful time to:

• hit pause on active production and turn to creative introspection instead. Reevaluate your relationship to your art. Mess around with old drafts. Revise.
• revisit abandoned files, digging through old notebooks and drafts that maybe felt off-key when you wrote them. You’re a different person now, and there might be some gold to discover there.
• release self-doubt about your ability and identity as a writer. Bring your focus inward, and bring the love there, too.
• write 10 things you appreciate about yourself every day of the retrograde. (I’m doing this one myself.)

See you in a couple weeks' time. Go gently and be good to yourself—it's weird out there, and we've got a ways to go yet.

Thanks for reading The Infinite If. ♾️