I know that it’s been a minute since I’ve shared an article or two, but like most people, 2020 has been one hell of a year and a lot has happened since the early quarantine days. The last few months felt like a whirlwind of Zoom meetings, random grocery runs, community service, more Black trauma, and caring for my family. Besides the news about having a pretty soon, one thing that I’m really proud of is the book that I wrote during this quarantine. That’s part of the reason I’ve been away for a bit is to focus on writing the book and trying figure out this self-publishing thing. The book, Dear Black Dads: Wisdom for Your Journey to Fatherhood, is a short collection of advice and wisdom from some pretty amazing Black fathers trying to change the narratives around Black fatherhood. You know? The “Black men aren’t in their kids’ lives” or the “Black men are deadbeats” trope. As someone who will shortly welcome their first child, I take umbrage with those messages. I’m trying to break generational curses as many of Black dads are so it was important to me to share their thoughts/stories to encourage another Black man. The book will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, Kobo, and a few other places soon. The date? The book will drop on December 1st!
The book writing process itself is a doozy though.There’s a wealth of information on the innanet and a lot of it is contradicting. Here’s a few reflections from the journey. Stay tuned as I’ll be writing a lot more to give tips and lessons learned!
- You have a story to tell and nobody can tell it like you. Get YOUR story out there! Someone wants to hear your voice.
- Keep good people in your life. They’ll remind you of your goals and dreams when needed. This is what happened to me when I spoke to my old college roommate. He reminded me that I told him that I wanted to write a book about being a dad back in college. That gave me the extra push I needed!
- Lock in and block out the distractions! There’s a book called the War of Art, which talks about the struggle of an artist and completion of art itself. There’s so many barriers such as work, life, television, social media. Take time to when/if you can to focus! Turn off the noise.
- Honor and hold your stories true. In a world that is easily manipulated by social media and the loudness in society, we have a tendency to cater to everyone thus changing who we are, when we really need to cater to those that deserve it.
- Go to blackwritersweekend retreat! The wealth of gems I received out of this experience was top-notch!
- Believe in yourself. It’s hard to do something that you’ve never done before. You’ll make up so many excuses about WHY you can’t do something when you’re called and capable.
As I mentioned, these are just a few thoughts. You’ll see more about the journey soon! Back in the lap I go!
melanatedandeducated 