I like stories. I have always appreciated how a story can emphasize a point. Outliers: The Story of Success* by Malcolm Gladwell has been one of my favorite books because of this format.
I’m writing a book. First, I decided on the why of the book. The who was tricky, but I knew I wouldn’t (couldn’t) write a book for everyone. However, I could write a book that any person could digest.
Today, I’m more excited about this book than normal. I figured out the how I’m going to deliver the book’s message.
It’s been a little intimidating setting out to write my first book alone. But I remembered that what I appreciated so much about Outliers was the real stories – whether third party accounts or in-person interviews. Gladwell was able to tell the stories that support his main points. His storytelling craft is as valuable to me as the content in the book.
Unfortunately, I won’t be publishing the synopsis of my book here, but my explaining some of the why will give context to the point I’m making.
I’m writing a book to influence anyone in a position of authority to be a benefit to a certain kind of follower.
With that, I can explain why I’m geeking about having nailed down a format for my book. One of the military’s biggest flaws has become its biggest advantage for me: having 1,000 bosses. With 6 assignments and 5 deployments spanning 20 years, I’ve had direct interactions with so many bosses that I couldn’t possibly count them. And there is the gem!
I never wanted to write the book in a vacuum, because not only would it be short, it would be one person’s perspective. And that’s boring. But I don’t have to write it alone. I’ll just reach into my bag of supervisors, commanders, chiefs, etc.
It’s like having a well to pull from that doesn’t run out.
THAT is why I’m freshly excited about my book today.
Maybe you’ll notice changes in my storytelling over at mikewriting.com. Recently, I experimented with getting the perspective of friends for a recent essay, and I loved it.
*The book Outliers: The Story of Success is genuinely a great read. It’s famous for explaining the 10,000 hour rule to mastering something. For me, it flipped the ideas I had about winning at life (succeeding) by giving context to the idea that success is more about hard work and timing than it is about privilege and natural ability. If you buy a copy, buy two. Give one to someone else that could use it. Malcolm Gladwell, the author, narrates the audio version.