There are three little words that everyone knows are the sweetest to hear from those we love, but last week I heard four of the most satisfying words I’ve heard in a while. In a note from my editor to the publisher at Lived Places Publishing: “this manuscript is approved.” Less than 48 hours after I submitted the complete, revised draft, and ahead of schedule!
Advocating for Mentally Ill Family Members: Lessons for Mental Health Policymakers is the second book I’ve written for this academic publisher, and I’m almost sad to be nearly complete with my writing projects for them. They’ve been wonderful to work with. Everyone has been supportive and professional.
I’m a nonfiction writer of mostly personal essay and memoir, but I adapted easily to the academic format. After teaching for 13 years in high school and college, I’m familiar with the demands of educational writing. Lesson planning was my superpower. Choose an appropriate learning objective, then create a plan to achieve it. Sounds simple, right? If students want to learn what you’re teaching, it can be. In my experience, many weren’t and it wasn’t. You know what they say about the best-laid plans…
Creating instructional material, on the other hand, without the inherent frustrations of actually teaching it, is marvelous! In this case, I interviewed family members of those with mental illness, drafted their stories, then analyzed them for what they had to teach mental health professionals. It’s my deepest conviction, after all, that every human story, every experience, has something to teach. The book will be a university course reading, and my hope is that the students who read it learn something from the stories that will help reshape mental health policy.
I came up with the idea for this collection of stories back in 2022, the year I published my first memoir about growing up without a mother because of her schizophrenia and institutionalization. After every book event, people approached me with their own stories of how a loved one with mental illness struggles to live a satisfying life.
There are a lot of stories out there, and I’m extremely grateful that families trusted me to hear them and pass them on. Some stories were heartbreaking and some had heartwarming twists. Still others made me laugh. In my manuscript, I shared family members’ frustrations in advocating for someone they love within a complex mental healthcare system that’s often too convoluted to navigate.
At the same time, I’m relieved to be finished with this part of the book project. The manuscript has now gone to the Lived Places production team, where talented copy editors and formatters will do their magic. I’ll provide input or approvals for those steps too, but that work is less stressful than agonizing over book structure and choosing the precise words that tease out a meaningful lesson. To be honest, I like the writing best. I just never feel done with it.
Now that the book is out of my hands for a time, I’m free to think about what’s next. I honestly don’t know. I’ve got a few essay ideas scribbled on the whiteboard next to my desk. I’ve got a memoir manuscript ready for publication, and I’ll be traveling to Alaska later this month. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come back with a book’s worth of reflections about our northernmost state. At the least, I should be refreshed and ready for what comes next.
Whatever it is, I hope it involves hearing more wonderful words. They may not be as sweet as the sound of “I love you” from my family and friends. But there are other three-word phrases of love I’d like to hear. “I love it!” would be the perfect response to my next essay or proposal submission, don’t you think?
Janice Airhart 