What is the date you began writing this memoir and the date when you completed the memoir? I started writing in September 2017 and finished in March 2020. It took me 2.5 years because I also teach elementary school. I’ve been a teacher for 24 years.
Where did you do most of your writing for this memoir? And please describe in detail. I wish I had an interesting answer—in a cabin deep in the woods, at various coffee shops throughout Europe, in the van where I live . . . but no, I wrote 100% of my book sitting at my desk at home. Snore.
What were your writing habits while writing this memoir- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? There was coffee involved. Lots and lots of coffee. Although, I’m a bit of a night owl, so even with all that coffee in the morning, nighttime is when I did my best writing. When I finally tried to sleep, I had so many ideas in my head that I had to keep Post-its next to my bed. Some mornings, I’d wake up with Post-its all over me. Then, in the morning, I’d stick them to my extremely boring desk.
Out of all the specific memories you write about in this memoir, which ONE MEMORY was the most emotional for you to write about? And can you share that specific excerpt with us here. The excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer, and please provide page numbers as reference. There were so many difficult memories, I was truly an emotional mess most days that I wrote. However, the most excruciating chapter to write was about my younger son, Rockwell (not the son my book is primarily about). I wrote about the day Rockwell almost died, and I felt like I was reliving it every time I sat down to write.
Excerpt:
When I took Rockwell out of the carrier, his body went completely limp. He was like a dishrag—unable to even hold up his head. The pediatrician and I exchanged concerned looks, then she carefully opened his diaper and screamed. Literally screamed. Like she’d just become a doctor yesterday. When I looked at Rockwell’s pelvis, I started trembling and crying hysterically.
Somehow, during those past three hours, Rockwell went from “He seems more swollen today” to “What the hell happened!?” His pelvis was discolored and enlarged to the size of a football. When I thought Rockwell was sleeping in the waiting room, he was actually dying from sepsis.
Can you describe the emotional process of writing about this ONE MEMORY? I would talk to myself beforehand. “Come on Claire, you can do this. No crying today. The faster you get this over with, the faster you can move on.” I must not have been very convincing because that didn’t really work. That chapter took me a month to write. I still think I could’ve dug deep on that chapter, but I just couldn’t handle the pain.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? I don’t even have an old copy of my book. I’m the kind of writer who just sits down and types. When writing my book, I had no outline, no rough draft, no plan really (outside of a sea of Post-it notes). I just like to type what I’m feeling in the moment, as if talking to a friend, which I believe is what sets me apart from other writers. I have an unfiltered, conversational writing style. When I do edit, I just make changes directly on my copy. So no, if I deleted something, it’s gone.