Letters from Marilyn - Update 18

I'M WRITING A BOOK.

That sentence both excites and terrifies me. I'm. Writing. A. Book. The light at the end of this very long writer's tunnel is now visible to me, readers. I am so close, I can feel it.

Today I dragged out all of my college writing resources to brush up on how I want to approach writing Marilyn's story. Because readers, you have only seen a glimpse of her life and letters. I have shared here only what I feel is most important. Certainly Candid has included a snapshot of her life. Now the overarching goal is the full picture - including all of the historical components.

I struggle making monumental decisions like the style of this novel. Do I want to write it in 1st person, from Marilyn's point of view? Do I want to infuse my own life lessons and this journey into it, a la Julie and Julia? Do I want to switch perspectives and write from Jennie's (her mother's) point of view in alternating chapters? Or do I want it to purely be a story - written in the 3rd person, as a narrative of Marilyn's life at Augsburg?

Right now, the answer is all of these! Not permanently, of course. As a general outlook, I believe play has a powerful impact on how we approach tasks and goals in life. If you don't get a chance to play, to practice, to take risks, how will you know what works best? I remind myself of this daily: to play and have fun. We only get so many days on earth (as the condolence letters to M's family reflect). We must enjoy our days, our activities, our passions, our work. Because if we don't, are we really fulfilling our life purpose?

With that being said, I am approaching Letters from Marilyn in a similar manner. It's been 15 months since I started this project, and even on the days where I feel stressed and overwhelmed with the magnitude of it, I remind myself of this: I am doing this because I am passionate about it, because it is fun, and because it makes me (and others) happy. 

As a result, today's update is merely that: an update on how this is all going. I know it's short, but that doesn't mean I'm not writing. The picture of this post very accurately depicts where I am at. 543 pages of letters. 15 months of research. 3 potential literary agents. 2 notebooks filled. 1 trip to Augsburg. And now, the crafting of a story. The next update will include the final set of condolence letters and a snippet of the actual novel (since I'm not writing that here online).

I know I've said it many, many times, and yet each time it doesn't feel adequate. So once again, thank you, dear readers, from the bottom of my heart. Views are climbing higher into the thousands. You have shared these posts hundreds of times. I've had many emails, FB messages, Twitter responses, and comments with your support. I don't deserve such a dedicated following, and yet, you are all still here, as equally (or even more so) invested in Marilyn. You all have my unwavering gratitude.

Love always.