As many of you know Potomac Books released my first book, a memoir entitled, Father of Money: Buying Peace in Baghdad, earlier this year. Seeing Father of Money on the bookstore shelf was the culmination of nearly three years of work and an incredible amount of good fortune. The feedback from both veterans and civilians has been overwhelmingly positive, and I take pride in knowing that I succeeded in telling not only my story, but also a story that many of my fellow veterans can use to help facilitate their own narrative.
If there is one thing that I can validate, after travelling around and talking to hundreds of veterans, it is that everyone does have a story to tell. So, over the next few weeks, I am going to post some of the tips that I used to write Father of Money, starting today. So, lets get started:
First question: what are we writing?
For now, we will stick to the basic division, Fact or Fiction?
Fact
Writing a non-fiction novel based on your own experience is a great way to spend some serious time figuring out who you are. Almost everyone can identify an event or moment that rebounded and changed their life for the better or worse. The challenge is drawing out a meaningful lesson that will appeal to people outside of your immediate family. Stories of self-help and overcoming obstacles have become fairly clichéd, but there are infinite ways to tell an interesting story other than those overdone formulas.
Fiction
Fiction writing is different from non-fiction in one important way - you have no idea where the story will take you. I am working on a fiction novel now, that I hope to finish by early next year, and I have changed my mind about the pacing and the characters too many times to count. However, you can always use a fiction book to make the points that you do not feel comfortable with in your non-fiction world. Most writers crib from their real lives when they write fiction. For example, If you or a family member struggled to adjust after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, you may feel more comfortable working that into a fiction book - which is perfectly fine.
Summary
Writing can be a great way to contextualize a process after it comes to a close. As Iraq winds down, it is natural for those who have been affected by this conflict to ponder how it all began. A pencil can be a great tool for unlocking some of your best revelations.
Next week: Timing
