Poetry

I Accidentally Wrote A Book Last Weekend. πŸ’πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

You read that right…

I accidentally wrote a book.
Last weekend.
And then published it.
And then proceeded to hide under a blanket in my room, because
WHAT THE ACTUAL EFF WAS I THINKING?!?

You can find the book here. (And I would be so, so grateful if you’d be willing to read it and leave a review!)

You see, what happened was this:

I’ve been doing an incredible writing workshop with my favorite poet, Andrea Gibson. So, naturally, I’ve been writing a lot of poetry.

Well, 10 days ago I had the thought, “I should compile all of my poems so they’re all in one place.”

What you have to understand is, even though I only started writing poetry in the last 18 months or so, I’ve gone through at least 10 journals in that time. Which means I have poems in allllll of those journals, as well as on scrap paper, in the notes on my phone, on my computer, etc.

I typed them all into a Word document…and then one thing led to another, and I was designing a book cover. Within a couple hours, I had a book.

There was just one problem…

I typically don’t share my poetry. It’s too…personal. Too raw, too real, too much. Too much for me, and too much for other people.

At least, that’s what I assumed.

I began sharing the completed-but-not-yet-released book with a few people, and their feedback was incredibly affirming and encouraging. I began to think, “Hmm…maybe it’s not too much? Maybe I’m not too much? Maybe I’m just enough. Maybe what I have to say is okay?”

And isn’t that what we’re all after? Affirmation that we are enough and not too much? Confirmation that what we have to say is okay?

The more I think about it, the more I realize we don’t actually need anyone else to tell us those things. We, in ourselves, are always enough and never too much. We are what and who we are, and that is a good thing.

So, with that message swirling around in my head, I uploaded my manuscript, and with shaky hands, I hit submit…and just like that, I published a book.

I published a book.

A book I accidentally wrote.

In a few hours. (Really, over the course of about 18 months. But still, it all came together in a few hours. And it sounds cooler πŸ˜…)

The book description on the Amazon page says this:

WE MADE IT is the first breath you take in the morning,
after a night you thought would never end.
It is hope, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed
for the first time in a week.
It is life, demanding to be lived –
fully, wildly, unapologetically.

WE MADE IT is a celebration of survival,
and a deep yearning for more than that.
It is weariness and brokenness,
and leaning into discomfort –
And in the next breath it is a reminder
that we’ve made it another day.

WE MADE IT is for those who feel discouraged, weary or wounded…
and those who feel inspired and full of hope.
WE MADE IT is not about the arrival
but about the journey.
WE MADE IT is for you, today, right now –
and for me.

When Amazon asked me to describe my product, I asked myself the question, What IS We Made It? And that is what came to mind. It is the most accurate, most true description of this book.

Paperback and Kindle versions of the book are available now.

And don’t forget to leave a review after you read! It would mean the world to me to get your honest feedback!

Maybe next time I write a book, I’ll think through the whole process and maybe know what I’m doing…but chances are, it’ll be another “Hmm, I think I’ll write a book today” moment. Because, ya know, I’m me. πŸ˜‰

Now it's your turn...I want to hear from you!