I don't consider myself a writer, however, the publisher refers to me as one.
For me, writing a book was possibly the biggest challenge I have undertaken, apart from standing up in front of an audience as a keynote speaker.
With no formal education in writing, the process of doing so initially felt overwhelming. For my first book, I leaned heavily on my police notebooks, using them as a foundation and expanding on the details from there.
I couldn’t shake the lingering questions: What will others think? Will they like it? Or will it fall flat?
Writing about the tragic events I encountered during my time with the police was both cathartic and highly emotional. Getting those experiences out onto paper helped me process and rationalise what had happened. Yet, in doing so, I was often transported back to those emotional moments. One particular incident took five attempts to write. Each time, I found myself in tears, reliving the tragedy and pain of others.
Following an encounter with depression and many of life’s challenges while in the police, I spent a lot of time learning about myself. I then studied the brain which was a selfish pursuit - I wanted to know why I was different to others, why I wasn't ‘normal’.
What I didn't realise was in doing so, I was preparing to write a second book.
In the course of learning about the brain, I read loads of research and numerous books written by a range of specialists. Adding practical experience to this knowledge through running workshops in my business, it was an easy decision to write another book. All this information should be available and accessible to others.
The book was initially meant to be humorous, with the title Our Bullshit Brain.
However, after the loss of a close family member, I decided to reshape it into something that could help others. Writing this book helped me to work through the tragedy our family had faced, and yet again, it was a painful experience.
I never intended to write a third book. Two bestsellers, anyone would be happy with that. So when asked to write a third, my immediate response was, 'No!' But eventually, I was persuaded to write again.
Distractions are aplenty in today's world, and I found them all, trying to avoid the extraordinary effort to complete each book.
I believe all of us have the ability to write a good book, at least one.
Each of us has unique experiences in our life and for those who have been through life's struggles, it is our duty to share that journey in some format.
Work chronologically - lay out the facts, add in the details, and don't forget the emotions.
Just as emotions are required in life, so are they when writing. All it takes is for you to tap into those emotions that you hide away. Get them out of your head as though you are writing for yourself, and others will want to read them.
In writing a book you're not only helping others, but you are also helping yourself and that's not being selfish. It is a selfless act!
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I Am Not A Writer, But..