Writing a book is hard, but this author’s 30-year journey will inspire you to keep going

If you have ever published a book, or considered publishing a book, you know how complicated and stressful it can be to write, edit and publish a book.

For Alle C. Hall, this is especially true.

“When I got off the phone call where I was offered the book deal for “As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back,” my chubby, fifty-something self hopped around the kitchen for so long and in such joy that my then-14-year-old asked, ‘Is publishing this book on your bucket list?’ I said, ‘Publishing this book is my bucket list.’ That was 2021. In 1993, I wrote the first sentence of what I knew (having never written a book) would be a novel: “I was watching myself from beside myself.” That sentence has never changed. It came out solid and without premeditation, the way the novel’s story just popped: an abused American girl escapes to Asia, where, after months of addiction disaster along The Lonely Planet Trail, she encounters tai chi and, through those lessons, builds a life.All one sentence, all one thought,” explains author of novel, “As Far As you Can Go Before You Have To Come Back,” Alle C. Hall.

For Alle, the story that would eventually become her novel came about by happenstance.

“The story arc popped up just another day that I was filing away at some job that I hated. I had recently gotten out of treatment for PTSD and filing was the only job I could handle. I didn’t even do it well because I hated it so much, leading me to think, on this particular day: Why the hell didn’t I steal a bunch of money, when I was a kid? I could have run away.”

Alle would later realize why she did not run away as a child, but at the time she was just focused on the novel and where it would go.

“Children who are groomed from the time they are young don’t run away. We adapt to the inevitable. I wasn’t thinking that in 1993, however. I was too busy hopping around in front of the file cabinets because my first-ever idea for a novel was shooting through me.”

After the eureka moment of the idea, came the details of the book writing process.

“That the setting had to be Asia was never a decision. Before landing in treatment for PTSD, I spent three years living in Japan, and traveled a bit in Southeast Asia. It is never accurate to say, “I traveled a lot,” because the more you travel, the more it becomes clear that you will always have gone to fewer places than you have left to go.”

The next step was deciding on the main character.

“I don’t recall the main character ever having any name other than Carlie. I didn’t look up the meaning until years after the file-cabinet hopping; after, even, the kitchen-hopping. Turns out, in Latin, German, Slavic, and Hebrew, Carlie means “free.” Some things are meant to be.

Also, the German kerle means ‘warrior’,”

For Alle, Carlie needed to be a warrior to survive. So it made sense for Carlie to turn towards an ancient martial arts practice for Carlie to utilize in her journey.

“Tai chi has the reputation of being all woo-woo and fuzzy but watch out: it is one of the deadliest martial arts, the one used by the emperor’s guards in ancient China. The reason is that it is based purely on observation and chi—the organic, harmonizing energy in every living thing. My Carlie was going to be a real fighter. She was going to take on her childhood.”

Eventually, what started as an impromptu idea began to take form. Now, Alle C. Hall was ready to share her story with everyone. While it took time and effort, the book process, just like life, is not always straightforward or simple.

“‘As Far as You Can Go Before You Have To Come Back’ publishes in 2023, making it a smooth-edged 30 years between hopping around the filing cabinets to book-in-hand. I used to feel a lot of shame, that it was taking me decades to not achieve my one-item bucket list. When I finally did land a deal, I realized: there’d be a lot more novelists who published after 30 years of work if more of us stuck it out.”

For Alle, the book writing process took a long time, but has come out the other end with advice, insight and experience to share. She has gained some wisdom over that period of time, and has a bit of advice to give to those who might be stuck in a rut or feeling like it’s not worth pursuing dreams of authoring a book.

“I get asked how I stuck it out. I have two answers. One: to give up on myself was more depressing than all the rejection; and two: the final image presented by the final sentence of ‘As Far as You Can Go Before You Have To Come Back.’ I am going to make you read the book to get to that sentence, that image; but know that the idea of being able to share with survivors of everything the idea put forth in the final moment kept me in the game. I had to share this story.”

Alle C. Hall‘s award winning novel, “As Far As You Can Go Before You Have To Come Back,” released on March 2, 2023 and is a National Book Award nominee.