It’s taken me forever to start writing this newsletter. I’m grateful you’re joining me.

Here’s a bit of what I’ve been up to:

Two days before childcare ended last year, and 43 minutes before school pick up, I submitted the first draft of my book to my editor.

It was, as they say, A Moment..

(You can see the evidence, right down to the bags under my eyes!)

But what happened before That Moment? Well, after a multi-round auction in February 2022, Penguin purchased global rights to my book Unlearning Silence, which will debut in 2024. It’s already slated to be translated into Spanish, Korean and six other languages (!).

There was one small problem: At that point, there was no manuscript—just an idea and an outline of a book that could be. I remember thinking, How the hell do you actually write a book?

Like Desmond Tutu said, “There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”

If you’re faced with what seems like an insurmountable task, how can you take it on?

I figured I’d share how I ate this particular elephant (and—mostly—avoided indigestion):

1. Embrace the truth that you have something to offer.

I’m no exception to self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Having worked with executives at the top of their game, I always wondered whether I had anything to add. Even when people told me I was smart or insightful, I brushed it off. But when it comes to helping people unlearn silence, I’ve realized I have a lot to offer.

2. Appreciate the gift of people believing in you.

I’m grateful to family and friends who believed in me and my ability to reach people, even before I fully saw that part of myself.

There were times the process of selling my book felt overwhelming, and at times, unreal. But to have big name publishers fight to publish my book—a book that wasn’t yet written—was a true gift.

3. Focus on progress over perfection.

It’s impossible to generate and edit thoughts at the same time; that is a recipe for indigestion. You have to let the first draft be the first draft, knowing you can make it better later.

Personally, I don’t like the term “Shitty First Draft” that other authors use—the characterization felt like it devalued my thoughts and ideas. Instead, I thought of it as a “Get It Out” draft. After all, if the thought never makes it out of my head, how can I make it better?

4. Know what you need to do deep work.

This is by far the biggest writing project I’ve done so far. A 75,000-word book is essentially ten 30-page term papers that have to talk to each other. I haven’t written a term paper in… 20 years?

This kind of deep work required a different level of focus. I had to shut off email and learn to be okay with not always being available to people. Hard for someone who’s traditionally been rewarded for being the go-to person!

5. Do the work when you can.

People talk about going on writing retreats and silent meditations as key to writing books. Neither of those were realistic for me. Real life means that—when your kid gets sick, or you can’t concentrate because another mass shooting targeted your community—you flex your energy and timeline and do what you can.

There were times I woke up at 2 a.m. thinking about the book, got up, and savored the quiet of the night to make the chapter better. You can’t schedule when you’re going to be productive, but you can power nap later in the day to make up for the lack of sleep!

I hope everyone has a moment in life when someone believes in them in a BIG way, whether that’s a family member, friend, agent, publisher, mentor, or manager. That someone is willing to bet on you, walk alongside you on the journey, and see you through the ugly tears to the gold.

Can you be that person for someone today? For whom? ​
​What could you do?

Or maybe you are staring down a similarly daunting task. I hope these tips help you get it done—one small bite at a time.

Thank you for reading and being on this path with me. Going forward, I’ll be writing letters like this every month. If something resonates with you, hit reply and write me back—even if we’ve never met! I love hearing from you.

By the way, if you’d like a sneak peek into my book’s content, you can hire me to speak. I keynote on unlearning silence virtually and in person, and I’d love to share that with you.

Elaine