Writing, writing, writing

Every time I tell someone that I just published a book or my book is at the publishers, there is a sound of awe in their voice as they ask “how long did it take you?” My answer: I guess once I started, not so long

The fact is it starts well and it usually goes very well. The challenge is to get it all done for the publisher/printer. That’s what takes so long. But I do not consider myself a writer. I started writing when I was in University. That’s where I did lots of stuff for academia and such closed walls. Now I want to write for everyone to read and I know that I cannot write non-fiction, fiction novels. I cannot write poetry. To me that’s a writer (smile). I can write what I know about. I cannot write fiction. I guess it’s because I grew up on academic language and tradition where everything has to be based on fact or well formulated theory. It’s just plain different.

Writing feels good though. I find I will write, like this challenge I have given myself to post once a day for a week. Once I start I am okay. It will come. Like all good ethnographers, you have to start.

The writing I do is fact coupled with good sound advice. What’s the use of knowledge if you don’t share it? Been this way since ever I can remember and it’s not likely to change. So this book that is now at Friesen Press is all about developing the self-confidence of the preschooler.

A lady asked me how can you write such a book? This age child, three plus+ to eight years of age is full of self-confidence, full of positive self-esteem. And then we started to think about the ones who don’t. That’s how it came about, the book I mean, because it is so natural, so easy, so God-given for this age child to be self-confident, bursting with energy challenging every Holy Cow and beloved material belonging that you hold sacred. There are many children out there whose parents really have become so stressed with everyday living or perhaps have just moved to a new society with new ways of doing things, that they need reminders and/or pointers on how to  develop this sense of self confidence.

There is so much to talk about that I developed an acronym that captures the critical points I want to make. It is SHINE. The SHINE technique: 5 Easy ways for Parents to help their children feel good about themselves. Simple.

I will talk about this some more as the week progresses.