Interview with an Author: Alexandra Franzen
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Our April author is Alexandra Franzen.
Alexandra Franzen is a writer, consultant, and entrepreneur based in Hawaii.
Her sixth book is The Checklist Book: Set Realistic Goals, Celebrate Tiny Wins, Reduce Stress and Overwhelm, and Feel Calmer Every Day. Other books include You’re Going to Survive and So This Is the End: A Love Story.
She has written articles for Time, Forbes, Newsweek, The Huffington Post, and Lifehacker. Her work has been mentioned in The New York Times Small Business Blog, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, and Inc.
She writes about a wide range of topics: life, love, death, grief, unplugging from technology, creativity, focus, productivity, simplicity, time–and how we spend it.
She is the founder of the Tiny Press, a publishing imprint specializing in very short books–100 pages or less. Tiny Press books include Say It Now by Sherry Richert-Belul (#1 Amazon New Release), Wishwork by Alexa Fischer (featured on Good Morning America), and Your Next Level Life by Karen Arrington (nominated for 2020 NAACP Image Awards, Outstanding Instructional Literary Work).
If you would like to purchase Alexandra’s book, The Checklist Book, you can find a copy here.
Tell us a little about your writing journey. Have you always wanted to be a writer?
When I was a little kid, I had big clunky braces, bad eyesight, big glasses, and pretty severe asthma. I was also incredibly shy. Let’s just say, I was not drawn to sports and athletics! Haha. I loved quieter pursuits.
I loved going to the school library, reading, writing, and making up stories. I made my first “book” when I was about 7 or 8 years old—it was about flying unicorns, and I stapled it together in my dad’s office.
I’ve always loved the power of language.
I’ve always loved the power of language. To me, it’s incredible how you can have such an emotional impact on someone’s life just by saying the right words in the right order. Just one sentence can shift someone’s whole day.
I ended up majoring in English in college. My first job after graduation was at a media/radio broadcasting company. Later, I decided to jump into self-employment. I started my own company specializing in writing, publishing, and marketing services, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 11 years.
Was there a certain point you remember where you felt empowered to call yourself a writer? Or have you always felt like you were a writer?
I still remember the very first time I got paid—actual, real money—for a writing project. It was back in college. I got a part-time job working at the university magazine.
At my school, the magazine got distributed weekly to about 20,000 students, professors, and folks in the local community, so getting published in the magazine felt like a big deal to me. It was exciting and also nerve-racking, knowing that thousands of people were going to read (and potentially criticize and judge) my writing every single week.
I remember feeling so much anxiety the night before my very first article got published.
Would people like what I wrote? What if they hate it? What if the editor fires me? Aiiyeedsfgisofgsgskfjgf.
I rushed to grab a copy the next morning. I still remember the rush of excitement I felt, seeing my name in print…in an actual magazine! It sent sparkles all through my body and I was grinning so hard my cheeks hurt.
That was the first moment when something clicked and I realized:
Huh, maybe this is a real ‘thing’ that I can do. Maybe writing can actually be my career path.
Your book, The Checklist Book, talks about your checklist method, The Franzen method. Could you talk a little about how and why you developed your own method?
You know how some people have a daily journaling practice, or a daily meditation practice? I have a daily checklist practice. It’s a daily ritual that keeps me feeling organized, calm, and powerful in this crazy chaotic world.
Every evening, I make a checklist for the next day. So, if it’s Thursday evening, that’s when I make my checklist for Friday. That way, when I wake up on Friday morning, my checklist for the day is already ready, done, sorted out ahead of time. Kind of like setting up your coffee maker the night before—it just feels so good! Like a little gift to your future self.
As I am making my checklist, I ask myself:
What’s my main intention for tomorrow?
What are the highest priority things that need to get done?
How could I make tomorrow feel calm, peaceful, and joyful?
What are some sweet, simple little ‘moments’ that I want to experience tomorrow?
My daily checklist includes things I want to accomplish (“finish the proposal and send it to Rachel”), and also, things I want to experience (“take a moment to enjoy your coffee and look at the dawn sky”).
It’s really important to include both—things you want to do, and things you want to experience, savor, and feel. To me, that’s the secret to creating a fulfilling and emotionally rich day. Often, we focus too much on the doing-doing-doing and we forget to just live.
I’ve been making a daily checklist for years, and I’ve come up with my own format and approach for doing it.
A couple years ago, I started showing my daily checklists to other people and the reaction was so interesting. Many people were like, “Show me how to make one.” “I want to do this, too.” “Can you make a template for me that looks like yours?”
That’s when I realized, almost accidentally,
Oh, I guess I have a unique way of making checklists. I have a ‘method’ that I could teach to other folks, and I didn’t even realize it!
There are 4 chapters of fun and interesting info before readers learn about the daily checklist. Tell us a little about your philosophy on how knowing yourself on an intimate personal level can help you make more effective check lists?
When you type out a checklist for your day, what you’re doing is setting a clear intention for your day.
You’re deciding, “These are my highest priorities. This is how I intend to spend my time. This is how I want my life to feel,” and you’re putting those intentions in writing—in a list format.
So, in order to make an excellent checklist, first, you need to know yourself deeply. You need to know your values and what you care strongly about.
When you type out a checklist for your day, what you’re doing is setting a clear intention for your day.
That’s why I start The Checklist Book with an exploration of some deep questions, like, “What does living a ‘good life’ mean to you?”
For instance, if you decide, “For me, living a good life means making a positive impact on my client’s lives, and it means laughing and playing with my kids, and it means connecting with nature,” then, you can plan your day accordingly and make a checklist that includes the things that matter most to you.
This isn’t complicated stuff. It’s pretty simple. Consider what matters strongly to you. Then, plan your day accordingly. It’s simple yet difficult, because often, we forget to slow down and actually do it. By creating a daily checklist habit, this gives you an opportunity to do this every day.
Describe your writing and/or creative process.
I’ve written around six books so far, some fiction, and some non-fiction. With each book, I usually start with a central question or idea that intrigues me.
For example: “What if you knew that you only had 24 hours to live? What would you do with your time?” That’s the central question that inspired me to write my novel, So This Is the End: A Love Story.
Or, an idea, like, “Making a daily checklist will change your life.”
Once I’ve got a clear question or idea, then I build out the book from there.
I always start with an outline, which is usually one page or less. It’s basically just a list (yes, huge shocking surprise, I love lists, haha!) of the main points I want to cover in the book.
I always start with an outline, which is usually one page or less. It’s basically just a list (yes, huge shocking surprise, I love lists, haha!)
Then I block out time to write. For me, blocking out 5 to 7 days is usually what I need in order to make serious progress on a book manuscript. I can usually pour out a first draft in that amount of time, and then refine from there. Of course, it depends on the book. Some books require research, interviewing, and gathering materials before the actual writing begins. And some don’t. Every project unfolds differently.
Ideally, I like to go somewhere—check myself into a hotel, or an Airbnb, somewhere where I can completely concentrate without all the distractions back at home.
Sometimes, I don’t have this luxury, so I need to just work with whatever I’ve got! For instance, I wrote most of The Checklist Book on my bedroom floor with my laptop, sitting cross-legged, using a low wooden bench as my temporary “desk.” I planted myself there because it was blazingly hot, and I wanted to be directly under a ceiling fan.
What was your biggest writing obstacle and how did you overcome it?
My biggest obstacle has been learning how to deal with criticism from readers and from complete strangers online.
I’m a very tender-hearted person. I feel things deeply. And, I deeply want to “do a good job” and make a positive impact on people’s lives. So, when I occasionally see a book review that says, “waste of money” or “not worthy of purchase” (these are actual things that have been posted online about my books) wow, it hurts. It rattles my confidence. Even if there are 48 positive reviews and only 2 negative ones, it’s the negatives ones that I fixate upon and replay in my head.
Over time, I’ve had to learn how to handle criticism gracefully and move on without letting it drag me down. I’m still learning. It does get easier over time.
What motivates you to keep writing?
Impact and connection with readers. I’m motivated by a desire to make an impact on people’s lives, in any way, big or small.
I’m motivated by a desire to make an impact on people’s lives, in any way, big or small.
When I get an email from someone saying, “Your book really helped me”…or…“Look, I used your book and I made a checklist!”…or…“I’ve been having a hard time lately, and the message you shared was just what I needed to hear”…whenever I get a note like that, it moves me deeply, and I feel motivated to keep writing.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to aspiring writers?
Often, I hear people say things like, “I am not a ‘real writer’ because I only write blog posts.” Or, “I only write a newsletter.” Or, “I only write children’s books.” “I only write short poems.” And so on.
You might feel like, somehow, your writing doesn’t matter and it’s not important. Like somehow, your project isn’t “big enough” to be worthy of praise and recognition.
Your style is valid and important and powerful.
Please remember tiny projects can create a big ripple effect. One blog post can touch thousands of lives. One 5-line poem can change someone’s whole day. A lovely children’s story can bring a family together at bedtime.
There are so many different kinds of writing projects. Not everyone feels called to write an 800-page novel and that’s okay! Do the projects that call to you.
Just like there are thousands of styles of music, there are thousands of styles of writing. There is room for your style. Your style is valid and important and powerful.
If you feel completely overwhelmed and you’re struggling to start—or finish—a writing project, have you considered making a checklist? It might help.
If you would like to purchase Alexandra Franzen’s book, The Checklist Book, you can find a copy here.
If you know an author (or of an author) you would love to read an interview with, email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or submit a suggestion here.