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The Annals of an Aspiring Author: Milestone Number One

May 31, 2018 by Stacey 18 Comments

Annie's Farmhouse Kitchen / Hardie Grant

Some of you may know I had a synchronicitious moment a year ago after reading Stephanie’s Journal by Stephanie Alexander, and Annie’s Farmhouse Kitchen, by former Stephanie colleague Annie Smithers.

After flicking through both and coming to the realisation I’d finally figured out the book I wanted to write that had been swirling around in my head all these years, I had a dream that I should write it, and so I did.

(Don’t worry, I don’t always act on my dreams, otherwise I’d be married to a household clock and my legs would never work no matter how hard I tried to run. A book seems only slightly less impossible.)

I’ve kept a diary for 365 days today, a seasonal record of my thoughts and observations about life and Melbourne and motherhood and food and what it means to be ageing AND a chick in 2018. It’s where I’ve put all of my favourite recipes, all the things I get asked for the most, and incidental conversations about other goodies on my household menus over the course of a year. There is food fricken GALORE.

And so, after an entire year of writing and taking notes every damn day, today is the final hurrah. 

You know me, so you’ll know I’ve planned a celebratory meal – an olive and pecorino pasta recipe from Stephanie’s Journal (I even went to Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder to pillage their cheese room, even though Stephanie doesn’t own it any more, but it was so iconic in the Journal it would be remiss of me to leave their cheese room unsampled).

So today may be a milestone, but it’s just the first in a lonnnnng line of milestones yet to achieve before this book is in your hands. If I can GET this book in your hands.

They are including, but not limited to:

  • Typing my hand-written year-fricken-long manuscript
  • Fill in gaps from scribbled notes on aeroplane vomit bags that just say “dandelion”
  • Making the diary readable, interesting, and not shit
  • Test and re-test every single recipe
  • Test and re-test every single crochet/knitting pattern
  • Endure hundreds of 2am Panic Hours where I think this is all a really stupid idea and I should go and get a job in a shop and stop trying to make writing happen because OMG who cares
  • Convince a publisher that this book is a really good idea and they should absolutely publish it because people would really buy it, I promise
  • More drafts, more editing, more photography, more testing, more self doubt, meetings, emails, proofs, enduring feeeeeeedback, admin, approvals, you know, just the entire book process
  • Never giving up because I refuse to die without publishing a book, preferably many books, I don’t know how this is a milestone but anyway.

I will keep you all updated as I go – interested parties, aspiring authors, bored dads, whoever – I don’t doubt it will be one hell of a story.

Filed Under: Life, Writing Books

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate Ulman says

    May 31, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    CANNOT WAIT!!!!! If only I could preorder it now already. x

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      May 31, 2018 at 7:03 pm

      I would hand-deliver one to you x

      Reply
  2. Jane says

    May 31, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    I am so excited about this! Cannot wait to get my hands on it xx

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      May 31, 2018 at 7:05 pm

      I am excited you’re excited!

      Reply
  3. Josephine says

    May 31, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    Yay! That is already a magnificent thing to have done! I would also buy such a book! May the force be with you for the next bits… if you need recipe testers or pattern testers, I’d be happy to offer my services! Also, if you don’t find a publisher, you could consider kickstarter to self-publish? I also happen to be a book designer and this would be a dream project! Mind you, in Melbourne you are surrounded by an abundance of talented designers!

    Pretend someone has already commissioned the book, and that’s your duty to carry on! GOOD LUCK!

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      May 31, 2018 at 7:07 pm

      That’s such a good idea – pretend it’s already a done thing! Surely the universe would conspire to make it happen.

      I have thought about self-publishing but I think I need the heft of the traditional machine for this bad boy. But if all else fails, you may find me knocking on your door for kickstarter advice and the best designing!

      Reply
  4. Kez @ Awesomely Unprepared says

    May 31, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    Oh my gosh, that is so amazing!!! How exciting for you! Congrats on this milestone! Here’s to more milestones until it’s done! I find this kind of thing so inspiring x

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      May 31, 2018 at 7:07 pm

      It’s been an interesting year, that’s for sure! but writing it was the easy bit. Now to find someone who believes in it as much as I do to turn it into a real book – then I can be totes inspirational!

      Reply
  5. Tina Lacy says

    May 31, 2018 at 6:04 pm

    Im so excited that I might one day get to read this x

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      May 31, 2018 at 7:08 pm

      You know you are absolutely getting the first copy x

      Reply
  6. Rianna says

    May 31, 2018 at 11:09 pm

    I want this book, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Please save all your handwritten notes, especially if they can be included in the published version; I love details like that! Or, you know, so your grandkids can flog ’em off to make a fortune, whatevs.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      June 1, 2018 at 11:16 am

      I’ll keep them even though they’re really earnest and embarrassing, haha! I’ve already requested the handwritten bits make a cameo x

      Reply
  7. Philippa says

    May 31, 2018 at 11:43 pm

    How exciting and CONGRATULATIONS on achieving this milestone, the first draft! I’m sure you’ll find someone to believe in your work as much as we all do 🙂

    If you need a recipe tester, editor/proofreader or any help with the proposal, please sing out, I’d love to help! xx

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      June 1, 2018 at 11:17 am

      ARGH THANK YOU! I’ve someone in mind who really gets it, and I’m stoked. I hope we can make magic togetharrrerewrjalkdsfjglkj

      Definitely on my list of folks to call when I need it <3

      Reply
  8. Reannon says

    June 1, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    This is SO exciting!!! MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! We NEED a VeggieMama/Stacey book!

    Reply
  9. Narelle says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:48 pm

    Yes!! I will buy it! Xx

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      June 30, 2018 at 9:48 am

      THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A full life update | Veggie Mama says:
    June 21, 2018 at 1:00 pm

    […] have applied for a job with Stephanie Alexander, which will amuse those of you following along with my book efforts, and as a volunteer with the Melbourne Writer’s Festival. Fingers crossed for both of those! […]

    Reply

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