CE406: Module 6

Learning by Experience  

As we have often done countless amounts of time, we have decided to write something. This could be an idea that we wrote down for a project that we wanted to create. This could be an entry in a journal or diary, or just taking notes in a class.  But some written word was expressed on paper, typewriter or computer. This is the act of writing, and today we are going to learn about the act of writing a book.  To some, this process of writing a book is a very daunting task. This task of writing a book is just a dream to most, and others something that they do for a living. 

Writing a book can be the hardest and best thing that you will ever do in your life. I have taken on that very laborious and daunting task of writing a book. So, I guess I can call myself an author. Writing really is hard, but it is something that most of us do every day, especially if you are in an academic environment you are required to write. But how do you write a book? Where do you start? What do you write about? 

Writing like anything is something that you have to practice, and the more that you write usually the better that you get. I started to write my first book in 2019, after deciding that I wanted to have something for others to read about the five aspects of freedom.  My wife encouraged me to write this book as I was very apprehensive at first.  I made all types of excuses for why I didn't want to write a book. I knew that I wasn't a great writer, and who would read a book that I wrote anyway? So, like any good husband, I did what my wife told me to do, I started writing my first book called, Fruits of Freedom. After almost three years of waking up early and going to bed late, I finally self-published my book. 

Today, I will take you on a journey into the landscapes of writing your first book. The act of writing is just like riding a bike. First, you decide what type of bike you want to ride, then you get on the bike, hold on to the handlebars, put your feet on the pedals, and start pedaling down the road.  Now, this doesn't mean that you won't fall off the bike, run into a curve or two, and even decide that riding a bike isn't for you. But you will have to learn how to balance the act of riding to succeed. Then riding a bike will be fun, exciting, and so freeing.  

Some people decide to write on their computer in some sort of word document, others take out a piece of paper and write their ideas on paper.  Some may decide to audio record their thoughts, then put those thoughts in a document. However, you decide to write is completely up to you, but you have to start recording your thoughts somewhere. Don't worry about the spelling of words, or the order of the work that you are doing, just start putting ideas down on paper. After you have written several thousand words, you will begin to see some progress and have all types of anxiety and regret, but this is completely normal. Keep writing, and then the organization will come after you have written about five thousand words or so.  Now some people may want to write a small book, some may want to write a novel, but the words will need to be written.  The mistake that most people make is that they want to edit the book before they complete the first draft. This is a very costly mistake to make.  The first step in writing should be what is called a brain dump. This is where you write down every thought that comes into your head. Don't think about the words as much as you think about what comes to mind and write it down. 

Just like experiential learning, you have a baseline of knowledge about writing, because you have done it before.  Experiential is simply, learning by doing. Experiential learning theory was created to provide an intellectual foundation for the practice of experiential learning responding to John Dewey's call for a theory of experience to guide educational innovation. Think of writing as an experiment that you are creating something that not only you will use, but others will read for the rest of their lives. Writing a book is an opportunity to secure on paper your thoughts and intellectual property.  You have the opportunity to write something that inspires others, tell a story, or come up with a solution for a problem. In my opinion, writing is the best form of communication and the best way to learn. 

You can only truly learn by doing, and writing is action. You can't talk about writing, or think about writing, you have to simply just write. Experiential learning follows that same approach. First, you come up with a concrete experience that might be a new experience or situation, or a reinterpretation of existing experience in the light of new concepts. Secondly, you have a reflective observation of the new experience. Thirdly, you have an abstract conceptualization and reflection that give rise to a new idea or a modification of an existing abstract concept. Lastly, you have active experimentation where the learner applies their idea(s) to the world around them to see what happens. 

Many books have changed the world and how we think.  The Bible is one book that has changed millions of lives, most for good. Stories written by famous writers have inspired and taught us so much about the world. Other books give us a greater perspective of the people that we learned about in history, science, or politics. 

The hardest thing about writing is really getting out of your own way. What does this mean? When you write, oftentimes doubts crept into your head about how bad your writing is. You come up with all types of excuses why this book is terrible, and why would anyone want to read such a piece of junk. This exact thing happened to me, and it still looms over me today. I would suggest taking your manuscript to a professional editor and getting the advice of an expert. Allow them to read over your manuscript and make suggestions of how you can improve your writing or tell a better story. I would also recommend having several people that you know, and trust will give you an honest answer read your book. The more readers that you have, the more perspectives that you will have on what your book is truly about. Then after you have a couple of readers and an editor tear your book apart, you can finally start to write your book. This may take some time, so make sure to leave a couple of months for this process of rewriting your book. For most people, it takes about two years to fully write and publish their first, second, or even 10th book. Writing a book is truly a process and one that takes a great deal of time, dedication, and commitment. But in the end, it is worth it! 

Just like experiential learning, we never fully arrive, there is always room to grow. When we write, especially a book, we must have the mindset that we will get better. Learning is just that process, what you learn today will only develop. Children don't learn how to walk by walking, they start out by crawling, and then standing up, and they begin to hold on to tables and chairs and take small steps. After a while, they gain the confidence to take a few more steps until one day they are walking without any support or assistance from anyone. Writing is the same way, but harder. Writing is like learning how to ride a bike with the training wheels on for years. Sometimes we ride until the training wheels just fall off themselves. Riding and writing may feel like you need support, but you already know how to balance without the extra help. The question is, will you ride long enough for the training wheels to fall off, or do you decide that you don't need them anymore. 

If you ever feel the need or you need the inspiration to write a book, please let me know. I would be happy to take you through all the stages of writing your first book. You don't have to do it alone and trust me, I encourage you to not try this type of learning on your own. The best way to write or ride a bike is with other people. So, get ready, find a bike, put on your helmet, gather some good friends, and get ready for the ride of your life.