How it started…

People ask me all the time: What is your book writing process? How did you write Cancer Don’t Care? The truth is, I started writing it the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I didn’t know it at the time, but that’s when I started documenting my journey. It was all there in black and white. In my many notebooks, journals, photos, videos, recorded messages onto my iPhone. You name it. Even the words “Cancer Don’t Care” were part of that early documentation.

But, it wasn’t until after I was through the danger. After I had completed chemo, undergone surgeries, and received the best news ever — YOU ARE CANCER-FREE!  It took several months before I committed to this new journey — my book writing journey.

Writing by hand…

It began in almost a frantic, manic fashion. I was sitting alone in my office, holding a Sharpie marker in one hand, and a pad of lime green Post-it notes in the other. In under an hour, I had my whole book more or less outlined and staring at me from the surface of my desk.

Over the next week, I added more Post-it notes. Different colors to color-code the chapters. Then I began refining the chapters and adding sections to each. Fleshing out the chapter names and the content of each section.

Index cards and a fountain pen…

Cancer Don't Care - By Michelle SandlinThen the real work began. I started drafting each section of my book on individual 4 x 6 index cards. Writing on them with a fountain pen — my tool of choice. Often writing my story in random order. As I remembered it. In little vignettes.

I grouped the cards together based on the chapters and sections of my book. Cataloguing and organizing them in a file box. Changing the order again and again. I would sit in my office for hours a day, handwriting the first draft of my book. Chapter by chapter. And section by section. Shuffling index cards. Moving them around on the desk. Looking for common themes and ideas. Weaving it all together.

Each day I would pull a stack of cards out of the file box and place them on my desk. Adding bits and pieces where more detail was needed. Moving the cards around. Experimenting with the structure. Visualizing my story.

Soon my file box grew from one box to three. And the book I originally thought would have 15 chapters, ended up with 21. And in the end, my note card count was well over 600. Most were written on both the front and back.

From analog to digital…

Once I completed my first draft, it was time to begin writing on my computer. For this, I used Scrivener. It was perfect for this project, because it allowed me to easily continue writing my book in chapters and sections, while keeping everything well-organized. And for the next several months, I dug in. I wrote my story. The good, the bad, the bald. All of it.

And then came the editing. Oh boy! That part took me the longest.

There will be more to come on my writing process, including my editing process, so stay tuned…

As always, you can grab your copy of Cancer Don’t Care here:
Order the book on Amazon: Order Book
Listen on Audible: Order Audiobook