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I haven’t posted in the last few days because of a moment that hit at 11pm three nights ago.
Having considered a book for months, I’d drawn a complete blank. Material hasn’t been the issue (as you probably know), but I hadn’t found the right angle to tell my story – without letting PSP steal the spotlight and give it undue prominence.
I won’t drag you through all the machinations or the dozens of failed attempts, but at 11pm, I woke up with a crystal-clear idea. By 7am, it was a book: a short one (now 6,716 words and 43 A5 pages), but one I feel genuinely good about.
This is a teaser because I’ve shared it with a few trusted readers for feedback – it’s still in flux, and it could all unravel. But the early responses from people close to me have been encouraging, so we’re onto something real.
What do I want to do with it? That’s my burning question right now…
I’m debating options. I’m in a wonderful but disorienting plateau with PSP – my physio of almost 4 years still wrestled today with the toughest rigidity in my neck and back muscles – but I know these lulls won’t last forever. So, I have no appetite for drawn-out publishing timelines and I have zero commercial ambitions. I do, however, want to reach the widest audience possible.
Why? Without a hint of arrogance, I believe it’s a positive story of faith and seizing opportunities as they arise. It might offer some people a spark of hope – or the inner strength to view their own journeys through a lens of positivity, even while battling a monster like PSP.
My gut impulse is to turn it into a PDF and/or download on my website and blast it out there, but I’m open to advice on more impactful self-publishing routes. I already know the traditional path – months or years of waiting – isn’t for me. Days is the absolute max I can bear.
Elsewhere, I continue to feel utterly useless during this lull. I’m unable to help my wife and kids with anything practical, and that’s one of the harshest realities of disability. The longer the plateau drags on, the more it stings.
On a brighter note – as a doodler gone wild – my daughter finally taught me to draw proper eyes. This sounds ridiculous, but I’ve been doodling for years (as I wrote about here: Your Illustrations Are Great – Is That Your Profession? And Other Surprises from My Blogging Life). Eyes have always been my kryptonite, but she nailed it. Now I can spend all day practicing. For some reason, this breakthrough led to an “animals” theme – I can’t remember why. Here’s the doodle – I know it is terrible but the eyes are a major upgrade.
What about you? If you’ve self-published or have quick tips for getting a short story out there fast, drop them to me please – I’d love to hear.
