"You've heard of the town Stars Hollow. Well, I'm here to tell you, it is real. It's a wonderful, happy place with cheerful neighbors, ballerinas taking classes at Miss Patty's, and a seasonal festival of some sort happening in the town square. It's a place where coffee flows freely, junk food has no calories, and Kirk has somehow found yet another job. There, the town meeting might be in session (although I'm usually late for it), with Taylor Doose presiding, and outside near the gazebo, there could be a hay bale maze set up for your enjoyment. It's a place where, on one special day every year, I smell snow."

I don't usually do this. I don't write individual book reviews for blogs because I find that they don't do as well as multi-book posts, however, I had to make an exception for Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham.

There are so many great moments and quotes in this book and I would like to share them with you. Lauren Graham walks us through various moments in her life: getting into show business, life on Gilmore Girls, writing Someday, Someday Maybe, and even a bit about being a judge on Project Runway.

Lauren Graham is hilarious. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook because she narrates it herself and lets her humor shine. There are pictures scattered throughout the book, so I recommend reading along so you don't miss out on those.

Life Lessons

What I loved most about this book was that it's not just about her life as an actor. She talks about life and lessons she's learned.

"Sometimes the idea of doing something is the most fun part and after you go through with it, you feel deflated because you realize you're back to looking for the next thrill." 

Graham is referring to getting a tattoo. She wanted a tattoo and she realizes that conferring with her friend about it was enough. She went through the excitement of a fresh idea and then let it fizzle without having to get the tattoo and deal with the disappointment later. I love this concept and it made me think.

On a more personal note, I just turned thirty two months ago. I've been feeling down about it since life goes by so quickly and I feel like I haven't accomplished the things I wanted to by now. Thoughts about hanging up dreams and pursuing something that makes more financial sense instead of emotional sense have been plaguing my brain, but Graham helped me through that today.

She was thirty-one when she stepped into Lorelai's shoes. I feel like Lorelai and Rory raised me in a way. Aside from growing up watching them on TV, I've embodied a lot of their characteristics. My fiancé agreed to binge the series with me and he could probably make a chart of how similar I am to these women.

If Lauren Graham can make such a big impact on someone at the age of thirty, why can't I?
Now, I have zero interest in acting… but I want to write a book. What surprised me the most about Talking as Fast as I Can is that it inspired me as a writer.

Writer Inspiration

This is not a book that's marketed for writers, however, my fingers itched for my keyboard after reading it. 

There are two chapters in particular that I would guide you to if you're struggling with a book and looking for some inspiration: Someday, Someday Maybe You'll Believe My Novel Wasn't Completely Autobiographical and The Kitchen Timer.

Lauren Graham writes about her experience writing Someday, Someday Maybe and it's amazing. She talks about her drafting process and editing, working with agents and the world of publishing. 
The part that struck me the most was when she talked about perfectionism.

She talks about how her agent had to take her manuscript away from her because she was editing it to death. I feel like this is why I've never published anything. It's never going to be perfect enough in my eyes, so why would I release it to the world?

"I can't edit a blank page," is something she was told when she was hogging her drafts.

In The Kitchen Timer, she reveals a method that I'm going to use this year. Mind you, this method isn't hers, but it helped with her productivity during the drafting process.

This tip is outlined in ten bullet points, so I highly suggest you read the book for the details, but I do want to highlight some points that struck a chord with me.

You're going to set a timer for a set amount of time. You schedule this time the day before and base it off of your realistic ability to sit down and write. If you're having a rough day, make it thirty minutes.

That time is sacred. Turn off your phone, disconnect the internet, and prioritize your time with your writing. Set the timer and do nothing except for write. Or don't write. You can stare at your word document the entire time.

I've heard this tip before, but the journal is new to me. She says to open two documents during these blocks of time you set for yourself. Your manuscript and your journal. If you need a break, switch over to your journal. If you want to write in your journal the whole time, that's fine.

A key point to this method is being kind to yourself. If you scheduled four one-hour sessions for yourself, cut back the next day. I'm going to practice this and see what happens. Maybe I'll have a shitty first draft by the end of the year?

In Conclusion

Overall, I highly recommend this book and rate it five out of five stars. It's under two hundred pages and the audio is roughly five hours long. I binged it in a morning while watching Gavin's sprints on his Patreon and doing housework.

In addition to fabulous writing, comedy, and insight… she reads her acknowledgements. I know that's small, but it's rare for narrators to read the acknowledgements and they're my favorite part of the novel (next to dedications).