STEP 2: What the heck do I write about?

Throughout my life I have wanted to write a book. And it sounds simple: just sit down and start writing. And then arrange it into chapters, reread it for grammar, have some friends read it for feedback, find a publisher and put it out in the world for people to read. Well, it isn’t as easy as that. The first big question that comes to mind is what the heck do I write about?

I realized a lot has happened in my life. I could write about so many topics. I could write about growing up in a small town. Or stories about my college career – like how I would have never been remotely close to being a Homecoming King in my high school class of about thirty guys but somehow ended up being Homecoming King at Ball State University with over 10,000 guys, and to do it as the only Junior competing against all Seniors. I could write about landing a job in New York City on Wall Street right of college and the craziness of working on Wall Street. Or about being in New York City during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Or about my first trip around the world after I was burnt out from investment banking.

I could write about more emotional topics like being bullied almost every day in middle school. Or about trying to figure out my sexuality without any role models to look up to. Feeling alone and lost for a majority of my younger years without anyone ever knowing. I could write about the challenging relationship with my father. Or I could write about the struggles of not knowing exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life. I could write about getting to this point in my life and being single, something I never thought would happen. And of course I could write about traveling the world.

There is a lot of stuff to choose from for sure.  A lot.

Selecting the right topic to write about is one of the most important steps to writing a book. In fact, doing some upfront work before writing to understand your angle is key to any good book. Contrary to what many people think, you don’t just sit down and start writing.

I did a lot of “brainstorming” exercises upfront with my book coach to narrow down the many topics that I had considered. And this process was one of the most valuable experiences that I went through early on in my book writing process. I can remember being in the middle of Myanmar thinking about topics. And then I found myself in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on one of the first group calls speaking a little about my story. It seems like I was literally roaming around the world thinking about what I wanted to write about. It was like a big funnel of thoughts at first and then I would begin narrowing it down.

As I went back through my life, one theme played out over and over. It was this idea that I have done many incredible things in my life. Became Student Body President at Ball State. Worked on Wall Street and lived in New York City. Played cards with former President Bill Clinton in Geneva, Switzerland. Traveled around the world by the age of 25. Obtained my MBA. Landed a job at PepsiCo and worked for one of my favorite all time brands, Gatorade. Promoted to Director of Strategy for the Global Beverages Group and was relocated to the corporate HQ in New York.  So many awesome-sounding things.

But while it looked like I was successful on the outside, I didn’t feel successful on the inside. It was like I have been on the cusp of really figuring myself out, and I have been really close so many times in my life. But I just haven’t quite gotten there.  I am sure this may seem strange to read.  Because I am sure many of you think that I have figured myself out based on everything I have done in my life. But it really became apparent to me through this writing process and traveling the globe over the past year that I haven’t fully become me.  It was like a lightbulb went off: this book could really help me figure myself out.

So in the early weeks of brainstorming exercises, I narrowed down my purpose of writing the book.  It wasn’t about anyone else.  It wasn’t about writing a book for other people to buy.  It wasn’t about writing a book to make money.  But instead, this book was a process for me to understand myself better.  A potential healing process.  And if someone reads the book and is inspired or feels like it helped them, then excellent. But that would just be icing on the cake for me.  My primary purpose of writing this book is to come into my own.

This book won’t be a self-help book, like the ten steps to finding your true self.  But it will be a memoir. A memoir sharing pieces of my life that I feel need healed.  It will be putting my fears out there on paper.  It will be about becoming brave.

NEXT UP: STEP 3: FINALIZING THE ANGLE, BUT STILL NOT SURE…

If you missed the previous article “STEP 1: I HIRED A BOOK COACH”, click here to read.

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