First 72 Hours of Writing My Novel
The 20-min video that inspired me, and the 4 phases of the journey thus far
“It’s my dream to write a book someday.”
I’ve said this sentence a thousand times in my life. But…what will it be about? Will it be a waste of time? What will I tell people while I’m writing this book? If I fail, will it confirm my fear that I’m not a good writer? That I’m not funny enough, clever enough, imaginative enough…
Maybe you’ve had these same thoughts. If so, comment your biggest fear of writing a book so we can anguish together. ↓
Last week, though, I stumbled onto a YouTube video titled “What it’s like to write a book (4 year documentary)”. And, it damn near changed me.
It was by Haley Pham, a 25 year-old content creator and published author who I’d admittedly never heard of (not because she’s not popular but because my social media algorithm has somehow evaded the realms of “BookTube” even though I am absolutely her target audience). In this multi-year vlog, Haley shares vulnerably about her experience writing her debut novel Just Friends (released on March 6, 2026). One of the opening scenes was actually footage from her first day writing it (which she saved but was too scared to share with her audience until this vlog compilation…4 years later).
As I watched this 20-minute video, my soul was ignited. It excited me to see her go from staring at a blank screen, to printing her first draft (then second, third, fourth, and fifth), finding an agent, making major plot and dialogue re-writes, securing a publisher, shipping out her Advanced Reader Copies, revising (and revising and revising), co-creating the book cover, and finally seeing her own book on the shelf of an airport bookstore on release day. I got goosebumps. It was the first time in my life I could truly imagine myself in a published author’s shoes.
Because, while I’ve met (and befriended) many book authors in my life, to be one has always seemed the most elusive thing in the world: more than “A-list actor”, “Neurosurgeon”, or “Fortune 500 CEO".
But, after witnessing Haley’s writer’s journey (albeit curated) at this particular moment in my life, I felt the strongest pulse of creative determination course through my veins, trickling from my frontal lobe to my finger tips (like when you hang upside down for too long and then suddenly stand straight up). I was going to do the thing. I was going to write a book. Yup. It was happening.
Perhaps, this is what it feels like to be influenced??
"I’m Writing in a Cabin in the Woods” Cliché
Long before I stumbled upon Haley’s video, I had booked a 3-day solo trip to Lake Tahoe, CA to immerse in nature and maybe work on Tomatokind’s upcoming podcast. But, with my brain now filled with dreams of becoming a published author, I decided: “I’ll go write my book in the cabin in the woods.”
Heck, that’s perfect! What bonafide author doesn’t do their best work in a cozy A-frame with a reading nook and fireplace by a lake somewhere?? So, this is how it went:
