Book

I’m writing a collection of fables (short stories with philosophical lessons portrayed through animal characters). Inspired by books like The Little Prince, my goal is to write whimsical tales that feed the soul, tug the heart and spark the mind. I’m really enjoying the process of writing (and illustrating!) these stories, and can’t wait to share them with you soon. Here are a few draft illustrations from the book:

In this video, I share a bit more about why I’m writing this book:

Lessons Learned from Writing the Book

As I write this book, I’m sharing process learnings along the way.

I’ve created a playlist on my YouTube channel featuring process videos for the book:

• One Year of Writing a Book: Learnings from a year of working on my book of fables—I explore drafting, editing and my plans for publishing. My biggest takeaway is that if you have an idea for a book, and it’s been bugging you for a long while, WRITE IT. At a minimum, you’ll let go of a creative burden and feel lighter. At best, you’ll go on to edit and publish a book into the world.
• First-Time Authors on Writing a Book: A fun & insightful chat with my good friend Patrick Perini. We both have a background in tech and are now diving into the world of writing fiction books. In this convo, we touch on the power of improv, playfulness, trusting your process and much more.

I’ve also published notes in my digital garden on learnings from writing stories:

• Finding an Editor: I reached out to an editor of a short story journal I like and admire, and have been working with him to edit the stories.
• Writing in Scenes: I shared learnings on writing a complete “scene” for a story every single day, ensuring each part of the story is compelling (not just the whole story).
• The Science of Storytelling: Writing lessons from the book Science of Storytelling. Crafting a compelling opening scene, leveraging visual metaphors, showing vs telling, the human condition and more.
• Overcoming Writer's Block: How I unblocked myself to start writing stories.
• Iterative Drawing: Learning to break apart complex drawing into smaller pieces, to make progress every day.

The best way to stay updated on the progress and learnings from the book is through my email newsletter, 🦊 Quick Brown Fox. Subscribe below: