Book Progress Update - Month Two

It's been another month, which means I'm officially two months into the publishing journey with The Parenthood Puzzle. The first round of edits has come back from my editor, and I'm happy to report she really enjoyed reading the manuscript. Her feedback was 100% positive, which is very encouraging indeed.

The current hurdle? Reading the whole thing out loud (as instructed by Viv and Julie - my publishing team) before sending it back for a final edit... without my inner critic constantly whispering, "Just rewrite the whole thing!" Oh, the work of accepting that what I've written is good enough. That's the real inner struggle.

I've been reminding myself of Brené Brown's words from her book The Gifts of Imperfection (which, thankfully I packed and unpacked in the move, so it's been right in front of me the whole time - if that ain't a sign!)

“Healthy striving is self-focused: 'How can I improve?' Perfectionism is other-focused: 'What will they think?'”
— Brené Brown

It's such a grounding truth. I have an unhealthy pattern of sliding into perfectionism when I'm afraid, especially when the fear is about being seen and misunderstood. This quote helps me stay connected to the purpose of this book, which I am wholly committed to. And already, just naming that, I feel better.

In a brave moment, after sitting with my manuscript for a few days, I shared it with my husband, my mentor, and the CEO of the Jai Institute for Parenting, asking each of them for their honest feedback. It feels both terrifying and exciting to let it be seen.

Amidst nurturing this growing book baby, which I've joked is in its first trimester, if I were pregnant with it, we've also made a big life move. After three years on our magical little island, we've relocated to the mainland. It's felt a bot like immigrating to be honest.

Packing up our home and getting everything off the island was no small feat. We had to hire a barge to ferry a truck across the river, load it up, then return it, all in the middle of a cyclone bomb. It was one of those moments where you just stand there, jaw dropped , in awe of how wildly beautiful and crazy our lives are.

We've now spent a week settling into our new home, and I've officially run out of excuses to procrastinate. The manuscript is due back to the editor by the end of this week. So I'll be pacing myself with kindness, offering plenty of grace, and feeding my inner critic a steady stream of cake so it leaves me in peace and far away from the plague of perfectionism, to trust my words and stay on my path.

💛 Thank you so much to those who've recently purchased the book! It's still available at the discounted presale price until it goes to print, so feel free to share with your friends and help support this first-time author.

With a grateful heart,
Delicia