Oohs and Aahs for 11.29.24

A journal prompt for you plus fun links

There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but I hope you are surrounded by people you love and maybe even enjoying a long leisurely weekend. I’m so grateful you and this community. I’ve met new clients, made friends, and gotten inspired here. I hope you have too! 💛

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Theme is often a difficult area for writers to navigate, and perhaps that’s as it should be. Setting out to write about a specific theme can force a story to take an unnatural shape. Often a freelance editor is the first person to identify a book’s theme and work with the author to make it clearer. The theme isn’t not explicitly stated in the text, and it’s not the plot summarized in a sentence. So what is theme?

The theme is what a book is really about.

Last week I made progress on a manuscript that’s looking more and more like an early chapter book. I feel good about what I have. The characters are relatable. There are lots of fun moments. The tone feels light and silly. But I still felt like something was missing. Some little bit of magic and meaning. So I set a timer for 5 minutes and wrote at the top of my notebook “What is this book about?”

Three clear themes came through.

✨ Indulging your senses

✨ Wonder

✨ Friendship

I’ll be the first to tell you that friendship is not a highly original theme for an early reader/chapter book, and wonder might be a theme in every book I write. 🙈 But indulging your senses? That felt intriguing. And true to my vision! 🙌

This is what Twyla Tharp calls the spine of the project. When you identify the spine, it can carry you through the creative process, and you can build around it. Now that I’ve articulated this book is about indulging your senses, I’ll make choices that support that essential idea. In the end, I hope the reader will feel this theme coming through too.

If you want to try this journal prompt with your book, I encourage you to let your intuition guide you. Try not to censor yourself or jump to “That will never work.” It’s ok if what bubbles up doesn’t make sense right now. It’s still important information about your book. And if your mind goes blank under pressure, you can try starting your journal session with “Deep down I know this book is really about…” You might learn something juicy!

Need helping finding the themes of your book?

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This Week I’m…

• Wishing I could visit these gorgeous playgrounds with my son 🛝

• Rethinking the origin of fairytales 🌲

• Finding these dreamy zines enchanting 🍃

• Scrolling through NPR’s 2024 book picks 📚

• Celebrating the power of notebooks 📒

• Listening to this podcast episode about finding small ways to truly care for ourselves even when life is 😵‍💫

• Appreciating

  Platonic Love
  ’s look at the economics of publishing a cookbook 😬

• Sharing my 2024 gift guide ICYMI 🎁

• Offering discounted gift subscriptions so you can read Nebula Notebook with a friend 💕

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Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

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✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏