So, You Think You Can Write a Book?

By Ricardo José González-Rothi

There were pieces of my life in Cuba that my wife and children would never know. It started as scribbles on napkins, on notepads or on paper bags I stuffed into a manila envelope that I meant to leave them – you know, just in case. At the time I was in the throes of an enriching, albeit intense career in academic medicine. I wrote late into the night with grinding, molasses-like progress. I thought about the Ivy League creative writing instructor who cautioned me, “You just don’t have it.” So, in an effort to spite him, 40 years later, I submitted my first essay (40 times!) to literary journals before it was eventually accepted. I was 62.

“You should write a book about your life in Cuba,” said people who read my work.

I succumbed, and the idea eventually morphed into “The Mango Chronicle.” So I wrote it. Mind you, I never had the advantage of graduate work in Fine Arts, but people tell me I have never needed prodding to tell a good story. After several courses on how to learn the challenging craft of writing, I realized that creativity and “having a story to tell” are not enough to write well; there is much to structure and method. Mrs. Farley, my third-year high school English teacher, was right. Nothing comes easy that isn’t worth struggling for. “The Mango Chronicle” is a bittersweet, coming-of-age story about a kid whose Cuban Huck Finn-childhood is upended by a nuclear crisis, lands him in a place where he feels unwelcome, then becomes a “Good American” by living in two souls, later seeking his roots by remembering the branches of the mango tree that framed his childhood. A Kirkus Review (the Grandpappy of book reviews) came back with, “This is a gripping autobiography and an affecting remembrance of a Cuba few get to see.” Vindication.

While writing the memoir I cried over it, savored it, nurtured it, wrote it, rewrote it, stayed up late with it, and then rewrote some more. I learned the rigor of submitting a manuscript to publishers without an agent. Wrote pithy pitch letters. Pushed “Send” and waited. Rejected, declined, “thanks-but-but-no-thanks”. Fourteen tries later: Acceptance. Small independent press. Signed contract. Accepted edits, cover designs. Waited. Waited more. On May 7 2024, publication. I had just turned 74.

I didn’t think I could write a book. But I did it. Anyone could write a book. BUT … enter that little three-letter word, the stump-knocker, the air-deflator, the hold-you-back word, the enemy of “AND.” But, not everyone gets their book published. Not everyone gets to sell that book.

You want to write a book? Here’s my advice:

1. Don’t start with the mindset of “writing a book.”

2. Start by reading. Read more. Explore genres you might like, i.e., memoir, fiction, fantasy, magical realism, etc.

3. Spend $4.00 and read William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well.” Underline as needed. Read it again.

4. Start small. Write small pieces, stories, vignettes, poems, essays, editorials-write about what you know and like.

5. As you begin, write about whatever comes to mind. Don’t get caught up in editing. Take classes. I recommend online because most are self-paced, some are live on Zoom and recorded, which gives you the shelter of anonymity and opportunity to review materials.

6. Find literary journals you can submit work to via resources such as Duosuma.com.

7. If you prefer camaraderie and human feedback, it may be useful to join a writing community via your library or local writers’ group.

8. Submit. Wait. Repeat.

9. Accept rejection as an opportunity to hone your craft.

10. Write for passion, for entertainment, for the need to create, or to leave a legacy.

Yes, you can write a book. For me, it has been a greatly-satisfying life accomplishment.

Ricardo José González-Rothi is a physician and author who loves to roam the sandy edges of Chesapeake Bay. Contact him via his website https://gonzalezrothiauthor.com/.