So I’m a writer now. For almost two whole weeks! I was before, of course, but now it’s basically all I’m doing and I’m learning as I go. The most important thing I’ve learned is that there is indeed a process and it needs to be followed.
When I’d write 25 to 30 press release-style features per year (over the last couple of decades) that was a lot of writing, but each one was about 1,000 words and they were all self-contained. Each a different story, and each a new subject altogether. A typical pre-race feature would take me about an hour to write, unless I was late or in a huge hurry. At best, I could crank one out in 30-minutes, although that increased the chance of typos or other horrible mistakes by a quotient of, well, I don’t know how much but it was a lot! So, I always took the same hour or so and that was my rhythm, week in and week out, year after year.
Now, I’m writing a book and it’s all one story. In the end, I suspect it will be somewhere north of 190,000 words, all in a specific order to tell a specific tale. I rarely needed an outline for PR work, but there’s definitely a need for one now and it’s my road map to keep me on task, on the path, and on target. Heck, my working outline is close to 20 pages itself!
But, the bottom line is I’m thrilled to be doing this and I can already feel the growth in my writing chops and my style. I’m just two weeks into this but I can feel the flow and the style starting to materialize and develop, and that’s a really cool thing. Plus, I now have three (count ’em, 3!) chapters done, and that means I’m ahead of even my most optimistic schedule. I was in unknown territory the first day I sat down to get started, so I really didn’t know how much output I could create each week, but a full chapter (which can be anywhere from 6,500 to 10,000 words) feels about right, so far. And, more than anything else, what I find most refreshing and exciting is that it’s really fun. I wrote last week that it was fun, and I’m already starting to appreciate the joy this brings to me, even more. It’s definitely “work” and it takes a ton of focus and dedication to make it happen, but it’s fun.
I’m juggling quite a bit to do this, because I have to write the actual book, I still need to promote it and promote the Kickstarter campaign that will help support it, I have this blog to write, and then there’s social media, emails, and other “stuff” (like paying these bills that are stacked up next to my laptop). So, I can’t just get up in the morning and sit down here, blocking everything else out. There’s a process!
As for Kickstarter, I knew going in that launching it right before Christmas was not the best timing, but as I’ve described before I felt like I needed to strike while people still remembered who I was. And, other people who have first-hand knowledge of how it works were quick to inform me that a typical Kickstarter deal has a burst of activity in the beginning, a lull in the middle, and another burst at the end. That definitely held true for my project.
The lull happened during the last week. All of the avid “Let me know when you launch this and I’ll jump on board” backers were quick to get in and quick to help promote it, and for that I can’t express how grateful I am. I also heard from a number of people that they’d be waiting until near the end, and I’m thankful for that. In the middle, all of a sudden we slowed to maybe one new backer a day. And then last weekend and yesterday happened.
Over the weekend, when I was still struggling to get up to the 50% mark with my targeted goal, someone by the name of “A Friend” jumpstarted my Kickstarter with a huge anonymous contribution. And what a jumpstart that was!
Yesterday, we added five new backers in mere hours, and it has continued today. We’re now all the way up to 76% of the goal with 57 backers (it was 56 when I started writing this blog, so stay tuned!) and those numbers are really telling.
When I launched the deal, a number of people were quick to inform me that my reward levels were too lofty and that I’d never (absolutely NEVER) make it to the goal expecting people to contribute as much as I was hoping to land. A typical Kickstarter project averages about a $25 to $30 pledge per backer, so if your target is up there in four figures you’re going to need a ton of people to support you. That actually works for a lot of people and a lot of projects, and I’m as appreciative for a $20 pledge as I am for a larger one, but my gut feeling, going in, was that my longtime blog readers and my friends in the sports business would be much more generous, loyal, and supportive. I didn’t know that for a fact, and I’ll admit to a little bit of fear and trepidation, but I had a feeling and I wanted to go with it. Right now the average backer pledge is an astronomical $276, and even if we deduct that one enormous pledge from the anonymous donor, you’re still talking somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 per pledge. That is stunning, and I’m not sure what the word is for how that makes me feel, because “grateful” and “thankful” and “humbled” aren’t quite good enough. I’m all of those things and much more.
And now we have about two weeks to go and we still need to close that gap and get to 100% of the goal, because at 99% of the goal you get zero. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. It’s an all-or-nothing deal on Kickstarter.
I love all the support, especially the social media posts and the kindness of so many people who are helping me make this thing a reality. I’ve got goosebumps right now, just writing that sentence.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2085148939/bob-wilber-bats-balls-and-burnouts
And, in case you didn’t notice, you can see that Todd Myers, my esteemed and uber-talented graphic artist, has continued to tweak and improve the look of the cover. It’s awesome.
So what else is going on around here? Well, tonight I’ll be packing for a quick trip to Pittsburgh for the weekend, with a (gasp!) 7:00 a.m. flight in the morning, first to MSP and then to PIT. The lovely Barbara Doyle is already in the Twin Cities, so we’ll meet up at the airport and then fly to the Steel City together, where her nephew Colin will pick us up and escort us to his house (Colin was my intern for a couple of races a few years ago, so you may remember him.) We’re headed there to see the first show on the new Bruce Springsteen tour, in which The Boss will play the entire album “The River” for his avid fans. Should be FANTASTIC! And it will be great to spend a few days with Barb’s brother Tim and his family, who are really fun people. I’m hoping there will be bowling! There’s a very cool old-school bowling alley near their house, and it’s not just fun it’s also like stepping back in time to the 1960s to bowl there.
We’ve had some warm days here in Liberty Lake, if by “warm” you mean “above freezing” and that’s exactly what it’s been, which is a good thing because our neighborhood street should’ve had two blue lines and red line painted on it for the last 10 days. It was sheer ice for a good long time. Getting better now, though.
Boofus and Buster have been missing their mom, who has been gone all week, but that just means more snuggles for me all night and the joy of having both boyz with me in my office all day. They’re good boyz and good assistants.
So far, no elephants have stormed the house, my printer hasn’t levitated and flown away, and they’ve done a great job of eating the treats I gave them for breakfast. All in all, I’d have to say they’re right on top of their game.
It can’t be all that easy to sleep 16 or so hours a day and then “head to work” and stay as focused and determined as they are. Buster, for the record, is now snoring. Loudly. So much for focus and determination, although Boofus is doing a bang-up job right now, trimming his own claws on his back paws. Attaboy, Boofie.
My mom’s birthday was just a few days ago, and she would’ve been 91. She’s in a much better place, though, and those last few years with Alzheimer’s were really tough. I’m glad she’s at peace.
My dad afforded me enough baseball talent and enough guidance to get a free college education from the game, and a lot of fun along the way, but my mother’s writing and communications skills were basically a priceless part of my DNA. Without Taffy Wilber’s talent, there would be no blog and there would be no book. I’m truly eternally grateful, and I still have moments when I want to call her and tell her all about this. We were very close, and she’s awfully easy to miss.
Whew, just had a big scare right there. For some reason I lost my internet connection and the WordPress blog writing platform here just totally seized up. I was lucky to not lose this whole thing, but that takes me directly into my next topic, as you will now see.
One thing I did last night was make a run to Best Buy to purchase a new external hard drive. The one I had was acting up and not always backing up my work, so I thought it was pretty critical to have one that actually, technically, really did its job. When you’re writing a book digitally like this, the very thought of a computer crash and a total loss of data is beyond zombie-apocalypse horrifying. This way, with the Apple Time Machine auto-backups, I’ll never be more than a few words away from having everything saved.
And with the new one being “blank” it’s doing its first backup now, and that means it’s copying the entire contents of my hard drive as I type. It’s a lengthy process. But, this was $99 extremely well spent.
Stop and imagine writing a book on a manual typewriter. It’s hard to fathom, but it was only done that way (or even by handwriting it) until just recently. I don’t think Earnest Hemingway worried too much about external hard drives, but he probably did concern himself with that 500-page manuscript. Wouldn’t have been too much fun if one of the cats knocked that off the desk and spread the pages all over the floor. Yikes.
And speaking of money, by the very fact that I’m writing this blog today and not huddling in closed-door meetings with financial advisors, lawyers, and bodyguards, you can figure out that I didn’t win the lottery. I suspect if you’re reading this, the same holds true for you, as well. Hard to believe, huh?
And here’s another thing that’s hard to believe: Those bills on my desk, next to my laptop, have not yet paid themselves. What kind of world do we live in where you actually have to send money to companies that provide you services? Hang on American Express, you’re next as soon as I finish this.
And before we do that, how about a little news and commentary about our favorite form of motorsports, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. I’ve been on record for quite some time with my view that 2016 will be a huge year of big growth for NHRA, and I’m please to say that not only do I still believe that, but I’m actually beginning to think it will be bigger and more epic than ever.
Everything I see right now, from the new TV production crew to the schedule (welcome back, Topeka!), the new series logo, and the new people who have been brought on-board is not just positive, it’s almost stunning in its structure.
Between the “live” TV and the promotional might of FOX Sports, combined with a totally new approach to bringing the action to TV viewers and online streamers, and with the talented group they’ve assembled for everything ranging from TV, to sales. to promotion, to social media, I have NEVER seen NHRA so poised for growth.
And, to be honest, a lot of the credit for all of this goes to NHRA President Peter Clifford, who hit the ground not just running but sprinting. Peter has been a revelation, and his decisive “take charge” leadership is beyond refreshing. He also knows he can’t micromanage, so he’s surrounding himself with top flight people who are just as dedicated to make the sport everything it can be.
In short: I CAN’T WAIT FOR POMONA!
My first race, in person, will be Gainesville, but I’ll be on pins and needles waiting to see that first weekend of televised coverage.
Time to pay these bills and do some laundry. At least I don’t feel the urge to be buying any lottery tickets this week. There’s that…
Bob Wilber, at your service.