Mainly, it forced me to stick to a schedule. After I signed my first book contract, I was contractually bound to turn in books by a certain date. I guess it made me more organized out of necessity.
Years ago, I was on vacation in North Carolina, sitting on the beach with my boyfriend and reading a book. The book was by a fairly well-known author, and I was surprisingly disappointed in the book. I literally threw it into the sand, and my boyfriend said, Tee I've read your investigative reports, you write well enough to write your own book, and you've got the creativity gene. So we went back to the bookstore and purchased a blank diary that I could start outlining a book in. And I did!
