To Write or not to Write

Many people have asked me over the last year about my book. Sadly, my answer to everyone has been that I started a company instead of finishing my book. Most people then get a glazed look in their eyes. I then try and generate some enthusiasm by saying that I did manage to write 14 out of a planned 21 chapters. But this rarely works! I have deduced that writing a book is far more exciting than starting a company.

The thing is I did give up my old life to start a new life, and this new life was to be centred around the book I was supposed to write. Perhaps the glazed look is the result of a thought that I am a fraud? That I have gone from idealistic writing to the same old corporate nonsense speak...

Anyhow this has all made me think...

11 months ago I saved chapter 14, backed it up to my external hard drive, and forgot about it! In that time I have held onto a belief that the only way I will finish this book is if I have a couple of months of me time with absolutely no distractions. My breakthrough has been to change that belief and rather test my ability to fit my writing into the rest of my life. I can longer wait for the myriad of balls in the air to fall before I plot my course. Instead, I am going to try and write, then play the balls when they land, and not a minute before!

The day before yesterday I opened up chapter 1 and began the process of immersing myself into my expression of life. I was surprised by my arrogance, my assumptions, my narrow views, and my mistakes. The last 11 months have been good to me in many ways but from a writing perspective, they have helped me to really mature and temper my views with reality. Perhaps now I am ready to write a really great non-fiction book that will cause many to stop and think. One can sure hope!

At the end of the day, chapters 1 to 4 had been reworked and rewritten. I am back!