Today I continue describing the writing process for my book Homeschooling Without Regrets. While thinking about the idea for a couple of years, I worked on the updated and expanded version of my first book, a travel memoir. I thought I could work on two books at once, but I quickly realized that it’s not possible. My brain can only handle one project at a time. Once I finished the update, I could switch gears and begin actual work on my homeschooling book.
I started by pulling out the twenty journals that I wrote in during our child-raising years. They had been living in a tote bag under the bed for quite a while. As I read through these writings, I put any entries I thought might contribute to my book into a Word document. These ranged from stories to prayer requests to Bible scriptures. I didn’t worry about where they would fit in my book. I just plunked them on the page. This process took a few months and was the beginning of my research phase.
I leave you with a photo of a Prickly Pear cactus with peach-colored blossoms. Taken while hiking this week in the Sonora Desert.