The Joy of Writing My Book
Did you ever groan when the English teacher assigned a five-page paper on some random topic? Same here.
I was the classic math-and-science kid and writing essays felt torturous. The only part of English class I actually liked was diagramming sentences because it felt logical like solving a puzzle.
The funny thing is, even though I dreaded English assignments, I secretly dreamed of writing fiction novels. I’ve always been hooked on detective stories where the hero chases down serial killers and solves murders. Those books grabbed me from page one and wouldn’t let go.
In my spare time, I actually liked writing but only when it was poetry or short stories, where I could unleash my imagination. Research papers? Forget it. They felt like too restrictive and prescriptive, all rules and no creativity. Creative writing, though? That was where I found freedom.
It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I finally got excited about a writing assignment. My English professor told us to pick a song that meant something to us and write about why. BINGO! I could talk for days about music and how it shapes my life.
Naturally, I chose a Pearl Jam song, which won’t shock anyone who knows me. As I wrote, it felt like the words were pouring out on their own. It was one of those moments where time disappears, and I was in the flow.
When I got my paper back, it was an A+ with two paragraphs of comments from my professor saying how moved she was by my passion and honesty.
But it would be more than twenty years before I felt that same kind of energy again.
It happened right after I ran my first marathon just 346 days after my kidney transplant. I knew I wanted to share my story and inspire others, but I wasn’t sure how. So, during some holiday time off work, I sat down at my computer and started typing.
At first, it was painfully slow because I kept trying to make it perfect. Eventually, I decided to let go of writing the “perfect” essay and just write.
Ten days later, I had a rough manuscript for a book. Two weeks after that, I’d cleaned it up enough to send it off for editing.
Little did I know that writing a book was the easy part. Getting it onto shelves? That’s a whole different beast. I’ll have to save that for another blog post.
Here’s what I’ve learned about writing:
Writing my book felt so effortless at times because, in many ways, it had been 47 years in the making. Every experience, every setback, every victory, every lesson I’d collected over nearly five decades poured into those pages. The words flowed because they were simply waiting for me to finally give them a place to live.
Here’s what I take away from that experience:
Sometimes the thing we’re meant to create is already inside us, waiting patiently for the right moment and the right version of ourselves to bring it into the world. Don’t let your doubts, your fear of imperfection, or the enormity of the process hold you back. Whether it’s writing a book, starting a business, launching a podcast, or chasing a new goal, you don’t have to have it all figured out.
Like most of my messages, it takes action. So, start writing, start building, and start creating. The clarity and momentum come through the act of doing.
Call to action:
Have you ever felt like there’s a story, a message, or a mission inside you waiting to get out? What’s the “book” you’ve been waiting to write: literally or figuratively? I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a comment below or send me a message. Let’s remind each other that our stories are worth sharing and that it’s never too late to start.
