GENESIS. THE BAND OR THE BEGINNING?
Genesis. Could be a couple things. One of my favorite bands or the beginning of something. We’ll focus on the beginning here. Though please reach out if you’d like to get together and rock some Genesis together! Invisible Touch is one hell of an album.
The beginning. The origin. The formation. It relates to what is likely the most fielded question we’re receiving. How did this come to be?
I took a lot of time trying to figure out the pieces in my active addiction puzzle. It’s extremely complex. The process began like a toddler who can do those big piece puzzles attempting to put together a 5000 piece. I’m the toddler. Life is the puzzle. And it’s way beyond my skill level.
Journals were the clear place to start. It’s on paper, it’s the tangible starting place.
For a long time I was not proud of who I was. It took a year of not drinking to feel some sort of true confidence in myself. And when I felt the confidence to go back and relive the bad times to further the good times, I attacked it. I wrote every morning at 5am for 6 months to get my thoughts on paper. Then I took a few months to read and edit for my own mind only. That’s really not that long for a book. I’d like to thank Stoicism and its principles for establishing that morning routine and discipline. It's also easier to write when a portion of your content is already written in journals.
There were many days that reading and analyzing my actions/writing was too much. Knowing when to step away was key. AB would keep close watch on this, as it would be easy to spiral into depression and self-loathing reliving the really hard times. There is a whole lot I’m not proud of and when I felt my inner monologue get mean, I’d put it down. A big sign to take a day off was if there were tears involved. I’m all for a good cry to let it out but not all the tears were good ones. Luckily, this didn’t happen a lot. For the most part, I managed to stay level and write like I’ve never written before.
The main point of how long it took me to write is that I had a lot to say and did not have any idea how much I wanted to say it. Words flew out of me and onto the page. It was unlike any writing I’ve ever experienced before. Turns out part of my purpose in this life is to help others, what a beautiful gift that the book made me realize.
When it started to take shape as something others may read, I was nervous to ask AB to join. The first question was the write the introduction. After the intro and more conversations, it was clear that her writing and sharing session notes could be a HUGE addition to the book. However, I knew that was a big ask with the time that goes into this. AB has a busier family life than mine, so it wasn’t a guarantee. There was a worry that she may not share the enthusiasm and see the potential that I do.
Luckily she did, and has continued to believe in NYTFG. She’ll have more to say on these newsletters and blogs in the near future. Until then, like I’ve previously warned, it’ll be me over sharing to you, very on brand for the book.
For most of the book, we worked independently. AB waited until I wrote and read a full version for myself before she started. As much as I wanted to get the book out into the world, she knew I needed to say what I wanted to say uninfluenced by her notes. Then via a shared doc, she wrote and we made notes together.
The editing is a whole different animal, and that’s something we left for a professional. Its part of the process getting the right team, the first round of professional editing will end with a self-published ebook for you all.
Here’s another two chapters for your enjoyment! It’s the ice breaker of the book, and an extended bio for me. There are 13 journals to go through after these, so plenty more to come!
Thanks for being here. Talk to you next week
- Mathias John
