Writing my first book is pretty much like having my first baby

I always ask myself with Eckhart Tolle’s question, “If not now, when?”

I became a mom for the first time in a small hospital in Manila in 1981.

After going through labor pains for 24-hours, my obstetrician told us she needed to do caesarean section to get the baby out safely.

When you are 18 and alone in the big city, you don’t argue. I said yes and told my parents. I cannot even remember asking why.

Friends, cousins and aunts have warned me how it is. They gave me a thousand tips on how to conquer the pain and the discomfort.

In the end, it was on me.

Alone in that operating table with all the surgical equipment and masked staff, I braced myself for the ordeal.

Honestly, I hardly remembered the details anymore until I wrote about it today. What really lasted was the piercing cry of my baby. A son. From me. It was an amazing feeling.

I bet many firsts in our lives are a lot like this. Painful yet beautiful.

You brace for the impact. But as soon as you tear down that wall, the journey becomes a myriad of colors. Well, there will still be some hurdles. Life isn’t all sunshine.

As I scroll at the pages of the story I am writing into a book, which truthfully I have done for countless times, it felt like giving birth for the first time all over again.

Giddy. Excited. Scared. Inspired. Unsure. Confident. Pressured. Determined. Repeat.

I have read so many tips, experiences, self-help guides and anything I can get help from. Online resources abound I consider myself lucky to have them at a click. It is still scary. It is still daunting.

In the past months, my learning trebled.

Writing a blog or a book isn’t just about writing anymore. It is also looking at what you want to write and what people wants to read. Then you marry both.

I also discovered the fun of belonging to “tribes” of budding and seasoned writers. I just started but I am happy with the company. I get replies to my questions even before I ask. It is liberating!

Putting the story together and make a book out of it is actually the easiest in the process. I am wiser. But there’s more to learn.

Getting into your potential readers’ heads is the hardest. The next is finding someone to publish it. I haven’t even gotten to this part which, based on many descriptions, seemed like a beginner hiking to Mt. Everest.

The world has evolved and it’s not just about writing anymore. It is also learning ways so people will read what you’ve written.

I take a step one day at a time; one fear at a time. I live with hope.

I stumbled into my ‘muse’ and I am sticking to it. Things happen for a reason.

A guy who ventured out of Iraq but is confused how the world will accept him. His story, and many stories like his, is in every newspaper’s headlines. My gut tells me the story needs to be heard.

Embarking on the journey for over a year now, it was almost magical how my path lighted up. It opened a lot of insights, support from friends and acquaintances, opportunities and that burning challenge in my heart.

I am on to my next level.

When I started writing 20 years ago as a freelance correspondent, I wrote weekly with 90 percent of my storied getting published.

I stopped when I got deployed for 2 years in Thailand covering the Asia tsunami.

My blog istoryya.com was born in Vientiane, Laos on January 31, 2011. A good six years now. My first published blog was on fits and starts about the mystical Luang Prabang. Istoryya became my confidante and travel companion to over 30 countries.

Perhaps there’s always a good time to do it full time. In my case, raising a family as a single mom, I just rolled with whatever time and opportunities I have.

Through those writing years, I wandered looking for my anchor.

It took me few more years to find it in the Middle East.

Just this week upon waking up, I opened my phone and read about a successful writer and blogger who languished at not having her book published. After years of trying.

The reasons she had were almost the same as the fears in my mind. Her story is valuable I can learn more from it. It gave me courage.

Then, I remembered my mother’s words. “Every situation is a chance of a lifetime.” It’s up to you to make a mess or succeed with it.

If she is alive, she would know my answer. I don’t do regrets. I will not turn my back until I can say, “It’s out!”

Do I sound like I am re-assuring myself? Yes, I am. If I won’t start with myself, who else will?

I even blogged about it just to make sure I don’t forget my promise to myself. Check here: Ok, let’s get the secret out. I am publishing my first book! This has been 2 years when I was still on assignment in Iraq. But it kept me reminded.

As Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. said, “Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, ‘It might have been’.”

For more inspiring stories, visit me at www.istoryya.com. I would love to be a part of your inspiration.