Enjoy the process

Julia Jones in da tub

It’s Publication Day for our Up & Running book! 

Why a pic of Julia Jones in a tub? Well, when Dietgirl came out, I didn’t properly enjoy P-Day. I felt scared, fraudulent and undeserving. Back then, I still believed if I dared celebrate something, I’d be immediately struck down for being so indulgent (see also: iPhone laundering incident).

But now I appreciate that life is random, and you can’t dress rehearse disaster (paraphrasing Brené Brown), so you have to soak up these moments!

I went a bit bonkers during the writing part of Dietgirl, too. I had a meltdown over the last chapter, which Gareth never tires of re-enacting. I somehow wound up kneeling on the floor, punching the seat of my chair while howling, “I CAN’T DOOOO THIIIIIS!”.

This time, I declared I would enjoy the process. 

Every time Gareth looked in while Julia and I were writing, he’d ask, “Are you punching the chair yet?” and I’d be all, “Nooooo… still good!” and he’d look disappointed.

It comes from knowing you’ve done it before and that it’s meant to be challenging, but also from not having your entire self-worth tied up in the project. This time, I just loved the act of creation and collaborating, even the months when I had to use that bloody voice dictation software.

So Julia lounging up there in the bathtub (snapped during the book’s photo shoot) sums up a fun and relaxed process. For once in my life, I reckon I’ve been fully present for it all. A large gin shall be quaffed tonight. Woohoo!

I wanted to say mega thanks to my friends and family and blog pals for being so patient during those writing months, to the Up & Running community for your fantastic contributions and always inspiring us, to the good folks at CICO Books, and of course to Julia for everything!