Why Writing a Book is like going on an Adventurous trip?

I like writing and I like adventures, both speak to my soul directly. Having just published a book recently, I couldn’t stop myself but compare the long-winded arduous journey of writing a book to my most recent adventure trip.

In both the cases, I had a fair amount of idea about the respective destination but I wasn’t entirely sure of the roads that will take me there. I had several doubts brewing in my mind before I began my journey, full of what-ifs scenarios? What if I don’t reach point A before the night-fall driving by myself in a treacherous remote location? What if the book gets rejected and never finds a reader? What if I fall and break my bones while attempting rock climbing? What if the cover page doesn’t reflect the vision that has gone inside the book ? There was no end to what-ifs that kept cropping up in my mind from time to time but once I firmly set sail on the journey, the what-ifs gradually died down on their own. I then realized that taking action is the best antidote to nipping doubts in the bud.

Adventure inherently comes with certain risks and similarly putting a book out there in public inherently comes with the risk of being judged. Both are uncomfortable experiences that can blow out of control, if not managed well. But if risks are managed well in the first case and the brand reputation of you is managed well in the second case, congrats you have tested the limits of your comfort zone and come out unscathed.

Serendipity is another positive aspect of any long journey. I believe you don’t have to know everything to embark on a trip and turn it into a managed experience. The beauty of life lies in the fact that we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Just think for a moment that you knew what your future holds, then how would you have experienced fundamental human emotions of hope, dreams and aspirations? Serendipity is what makes a writing journey interesting as you twist, turn or alter your sub plots as you scribble pages after pages or serendipity is what sparks joy as you behold a dreamy rainbow on the horizon and you choose to take a detour on the road to witness the splendor. Whoever said that journey itself is the destination couldn’t be more accurate.

There are more but that could be another post soon !