Dad Explains: Lessons From Writing Part 1
Well, the manuscript has been submitted. So now we wait.
Incoherent Ramblings
This weekend has been filled with finding and watching everything Kung Fu Panda with my kids I can get my hands on. Sure, they’re not paying much attention but neither am I. We’re chatting, building stuff out of Legos and making Number Blocks.
We’re also making quite the mess which I am sure their mother will appreciate seeing when she gets home. She isn’t expected to do the cleaning but messes aren’t desirable.
I’ve had this draft open and the title written since yesterday. I’m just letting it simmer. I sent in the manuscript, now it’s time to focus back on “actual work”. It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders but there’s also some emptiness while I wait on the publisher.
So why not write something like this?
Because Reasons
I started writing the book for a number of reasons. Let’s just make a list.
I lecture my children far too much and for far too long. This is a good way to distill much of that. Here’s hoping it will help shorten some of the one-way discussions.
I wasn’t as confident prior to writing the book that I could adequately explain what I knew and do it in a way that could be understood. I’m still not completely there, so I am going to continue writing. I have to hone the skill, after all.
I do not want my leave my kids without something to help guide them through difficult times or difficult situations if I am no longer able to be around. This was in part due to realizing my own Dad had to traverse life after losing his father around my age and that I still need him to help me out with questions I have. How did he do it? Well, he just kept living, naturally, but I imagine having his father around would have made it easier.
There are some confusing portions of life that people take advantage of. This isn’t new to modernity but there’s less community and less cohesion now so it feels more important to instantiate early and often. If ever they forget or are uncertain about who or what to believe, though I don’t give specific examples, I wanted them to have a reference for that. It is useful to be able to identify if a person is stupid instead of confused. Or confused instead of malevolent. Or malevolent instead of ignorant. These distinctions can help, but it’s also important to understand that at a certain point, with certain things or certain actions none of them matter.
I wanted to explore meaning and purpose in life and, once better understood, assist in explaining what that means, why it’s important, and how to go about finding their meaning and their purpose. I will not know what those are and neither will they, not originally, but there are effective ways for individuals to parse all of that out for themselves.
I often speak to my children about having a goal in life and then pursuing that goal. I had a goal of writing them a book about life and I had to make sure they saw I was able to see it through. That goal has not yet been reached, though a portion of it has. One way or another this will be published, even if I am going to do it myself.
That’s all for now, though there is more to come on this book writing journey of mine.
The book itself is meant as a primer for life and given the contents, there was much self-reflection and self-discovery that had to be done while writing.
The amount I was expecting of my kids that I wasn’t doing myself shocked and disgusted me.
Love,
Dad
Hi there,
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Best,
Andrew Ussery
Dad