“It was a dark and stormy night…”     NOT!   How I wrote my memoir.

(See the Peanuts cartoon at the bottom of this blog entry!) 

Since My Adventure is only the first book I have written, I won’t pretend to be an expert on how to write a book.  I do get asked how an ordinary sort like me managed to get a book written (and, less interestingly, published).   For a first-time author like me, writing proved to be a challenge while self-publishing merely required money.  Perhaps sharing my thoughts might inspire some of you to take on actually writing that first book you know is somewhere inside you and just dying to get out.

In hindsight, yes, a book was somewhat of a daunting task for me just as it legitimately may be for many of you.   However, just like many difficult-seeming tasks, with some patience and perseverance you can get there.  Certainly, a bit of discipline is necessary, but that was hardly my strong suit.   Taking six years to finish and publish my book was in no small part because of experiencing more than one much needed multi-month hiatus from writing.   Sometimes, you just feel like doing something else.  As I described in my prior blog on why I wrote my book, being quadriplegic and in bed for long periods of the day did make it easier to start writing.  As I said in another entry, writing is a passion for me although one I rarely got to pursue creatively.

As Snoopy has so ably demonstrated in the Peanuts comic strip I have attached, my book did not start out with a page one: “It was a dark and stormy night…”.  Where do you go from there?  I suppose possibly to mention “the wind was blowing and the birds heading for cover.”  Then you have to come up with an actual story to ferret out why anyone should care about those weather conditions anyway.  I suppose master novelists can piece together their plot goals and maybe just start writing.  Maybe their story just rolls out.  Not so for me.

My book is a non-fiction work that took on the form of a memoir.  It was quite easy to comprise compared to much non-fiction like a biography or historical work in that I had the benefit of just observing and recounting what I encountered and not having to spend a great amount of time researching and gathering facts or engaging in the serious practice of histography that was imparted on us undergraduate History majors.  This fact meant that as a practical matter I just started writing relatively short stories of things I observed or thought about (see my “dreams” chapters in my book).  Over time, and by “time” I mean several years, I discovered that I had several chapters written, though they were my no means necessarily in any chronological order or importance of topic.  I was having fun telling myself stories and remembering things I maybe hoped I would never actually encounter again.  At this point, seeing a list of my saved Google Documents on my laptop, I realized I had the making of a book.  Add to that when I was asked to tell of my adventures at a gathering (such as Wednesday morning “Breakfast Club” at The Forum at Park Lane senior living facility I was at the time living in), no way was there time to tell all my stories without putting people to sleep.  You really want to know what all happened?  Read my book.

I remember the week I began printing out my chapters and realizing, physically, I had the makings of an actual book.  I took my stack to a conference room in The Forum and laid them out on the large table.  Then I physically placed them in an order that seemed to make sense for my book.  A table of contents was created and now I could see the outline of what I had.  Little did I know this would really just be the starting point of my real work.

By seeing my chapters in a defined order, I now realized that there was much work to be done to create a comprehensive work so that my stories made any sense.  More chapters had to be written and existing chapters had to be edited to give them context.  Lots of background had to be provided and I began seeing important themes I wanted to express in my book.  Little did I anticipate that this would require many more edits as well as creative thinking.  This allowed me to explore such ideas as my purported optimism throughout my illness as well as trust, patience, privilege in circumstances and my emerging faith in my God.  I found I came to terms with death and learned much more about aging and facing the challenges life inevitably throws at all of us.  In short, my book really took on a new life and importance.  With encouragement from friends I now felt I had a calling to tell my story.  Perhaps it will be helpful or inspirational to some.

My book would never have been completed or even out of Google Documents without the help and encouragement of my great friend Carol Van Dine.  Carol was the word processor at the law firm I first joined in 1983 fresh out of law school.  My first boss and future legal partner Chris Rentzel and I were privileged to have Carol stay with us through four different law firms, which for me was nearly 30 years until my illness ended my legal career.  She is truly a lifetime friend.  When I realized I was now writing a book, I turned to Carol as I did not have a clue about converting Google Documents to Microsoft Word.  Carol was always considered the most talented and capable typist/word processor at every firm we ever worked.  Truly a uniquely talented and kind woman who was an expert in her chosen field.  After asking a few questions (Carol had spent her career fielding my most basic questions, turning my written product into sound legal documents, and being totally aware of my technological incompetence), she was soon converting my documents to Word, typing up my scribbled notes, rearranging paragraphs and providing the well timed encouragement.  When the process was finally completed, I counted at least eight drafts of my work, two years (on and off) of production, and over 90,000 words she had typed or converted to Word.  Mere words here cannot express my appreciation to Carol as this book would never have happened without her.

What made my book possible?  I was presented circumstances that gave me the front row seat for writing a book.  The subject was easy to see; it was in my face.  Look what’s interesting or needs to be said in your life.   Put it together in written snippets of creativity.  Follow up tying those snippets together to tell your intended story.   Perhaps that book you write is closer than you think. This is actually more like it for me!

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Occasionally I have been asked why and how I actually wrote my book, “My Adventure: An Encounter with Life”.  This was of course my first attempt at writing a book.  While the idea seemed wonderful, it also seemed so daunting. In the back of my mind I have always thought it would be life-fulfilling to actually write and publish a book.  But the excuses were always there: I was a busy lawyer, my kids were growing up and family activities were increasing, deadlines were forever present, and work required constant writing (not so-called “creative writing”) that was as precise and exacting as a lawyer’s good legal document could be.  And, of course, there was still the need and desire to exercise, in my case whether swimming, cycling or playing tennis.  In short, when was there ever time to creatively think, plan and dedicate time to writing a book?

But my desire was there.  I have a lifetime love affair with books. Indeed, I have a comprehensive ever-growing library of my own and that only reflects books I mostly acquired in recent years.  Yes, I have seen those estimates that some fanatics have spent maybe $100,000 buying books in the course of a lifetime.  I would hate to be audited – surely, it can’t be that high!  (Good Lord, is $30,000 likely possible?).  I am a bookstore junkie and all travels include finding the great local stores.   In my spare time flying, traveling or at home, where better to explore bookstores than in airports or during some free time on a Saturday afternoon?  My subjects include history, biography, self-help, architecture, arts, photography, sports, novels…I am exhausted thinking about it.  Me, make time to write a book?

Well in my case, my unique illness and time spent recovering made it unexpectedly possible.  “My Adventure” came about because everything I had scheduled or expected to encounter in my life actually went on hold.  After my seizures and periods comatose, then heavily drugged fighting for my life, things eventually began to settle into a routine.   This was probably about 18 months into my quadriplegic existence.  In my book I recount how there seemed to be one day when I remember my brain seemed to wake up.  I credited it to the reduction (and actual discontinuing) in my use of the heavily steroidal drug, prednisone; the drug that likely saved my life.  The drug use made my mind crazy including many wild dreams I recount in my book.  I seemed to live these dreams as reality was not part of my day.  (Some say prednisone should not be consumed more than maybe two months; I was on it for about 14 months before I was weaned off).  I do remember not long after mentally waking up I asked my sister for a book to read.

Once I was mentally functioning again, and because I was now nearly a full quadriplegic, my sister blessed me by getting me a chrome book and a cell phone.  My life changed radically even though I was destined to spend a few more years mostly in my bed or wheelchair.  I soon became an email and social media hound.  For some reason, perhaps due to telling of my dreams and daily encounters in emails to various friends I actually started writing about things going on in my life.   I wanted to share my bizarre dreams and what I found interesting being a patient in my condition.  So, I wrote.  I discovered Google Docs and just started describing my life in separate short entries.  My love for writing creatively seemed restored.  Unfortunately, my skills as a typist (which were part of my life as a lawyer and all the way back as a college journalist) were not the same.  Since I was very much still a quadriplegic, I really could only peck out emails and documents with one finger on my right hand.  You might remember from my book that I had some movement in my fingers and toes despite my overall feeling of being quadriplegic.  One thing I never really got restored, perhaps because of the size of the keyboard on my phone and my later iPad, was my two-handed multi finger mastery of the full keyboard (that dated back to my high school typing class in 7^th grade with Mrs. Palmer at Burris School).   Therefore, I pecked, one letter at a time.  Yes, it’s true, My Adventure, containing some 90,000 plus words when published was written using one or two fingers to peck out my story.  (Although I have full use of my hands and entire body today, I am still primarily a one-finger typist as I write this blog.)

During my time at The Forum (assisted living facility) back in Dallas, beginning in 2016, I developed the idea that because I had written (and saved) so many entries in Google Docs, I had a story to tell.  Frankly, as I started enjoying my adventures at The Forum and being back in Dallas, I began to sense a mission.  I found myself telling my story so often to so many inquiring people that the idea of finishing a book became important.  Often, rather than telling my story ad nauseum to many, I was told I should write a book.  Soon that turned into my responding, “yes, in fact, I am writing a book.”

My story was in my face.  Circumstances permitted that.  Love of creative writing, reading good books and lots of free time due to my long illness made all made possible my book, My Adventure.

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Welcome!

This is an exciting day…well, for me at least.  My website, Williammillardauthor.com, has officially opened today (9/1/20).  Its been in production for months as it seemed to take forever to get it pulled together.  I thank my publisher Archway Publishing for constructing it and especially Courtney Vasquez at Lavidge (Phoenix, Arizona), my social media coach, for teaching me how to use it.  Now let’s see how effective and interesting I can make it.  We know there are countless websites and bloggers out there.  Got to start somewhere, so here I go.

You are probably at this website because in some way you are aware of my new book, My Adventure: An Encounter with Life.   The book cover references my website address even though it hit the market long before this site was up and open.  I thank you for coming back.

It is no secret I hope to spread the news about my book, create some interest in it so it can actually be available in select bookstores and further my goal to share my knowledge and experience in surviving a presumed fatal illness.   As you may have read, I spent over 7 years fighting to survive an ALS diagnosis, suffering severe seizures that left me quadriplegic and on respirators, then subsequently being fortunate to slowly recover.   This meant I was in facilities that ranged from ICU at hospitals, highly skilled care, innovative leading rehabilitation and finally a multi-year stint in assisted and senior care centers.  My book takes you through this adventure.  Having been fortunate to recover despite initial diagnosis, I gained near unprecedented first-hand knowledge of what it is like to be a patient and resident in facilities.

I realize I have a rather unique Patient’s Perspective of what it like to go through all this in America today.

The Patient’s Perspective offers me the opportunity I hope to inspire people facing seemingly daunting challenges in life…something inevitably we all share one way or another.  Attitude, patience, family, friends and faith all benefited me greatly.  I also gained superior insight on what may be good or could be better living in senior or assisted living centers.  I hope it will be helpful for those considering a move or for family members facing a decision on behalf of a loved one.  I also hope to be helpful to owners, developers, designers and non-profits operating healthcare and senior care facilities in today’s market.  I look forward to sharing my thoughts on what patient’s want and need by posting blogs from time to time that I hope becomes helpful and of interest.

As you may have noticed touring my website, I will be offering consulting services and speaking engagements to groups who may have interest.  I think some of it will be relevant especially with Covid 19 issuies.  I was fortunate to be invited to speak about the patient’s perspective in June 2019 at the Greystone Communities Event 2019 convention for non-profit operators and developers.  Greystone is truly a national leader in creating senior and assisted living facilities throughout America.  You will be able to communicate with me directly on my website.

Thanks for reading this, reviewing my website and considering my book.  Bil

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