Start Before You Are Ready

Photo by Dana Edmunds

Thank you to all of you for writing to say you bought a book, you’re gonna write a review on Amazon on June 6th when it actually arrives in person, or you are going to come to one of the book events! I am so excited to hug you in person. And even if you just opened my email, thank you!

The Adventure Awaits

Am I ready? I don’t know if you are ever as ready as you ever want to be. When I wrote the book, a sailor told me this best.

He said, “There are two types of sailors. Those who untie the dock lines. And those who don’t.” You can be unready forever if you let yourself be. There’s always more to do and more to refine, but eventually, you just have to set sail.

That’s sort of how it’s been with the book for me. I could have rewritten it five more times, but luckily books have deadlines and I had to turn it in. It feels like forever ago that I pitched and sold the book to Simon and Schuster and a lot didn’t go as expected. Part of it was the fact that I wrote it during COVID. Part of it is that publishing is a weird, wild world that I had zero experience in even though I have been a journalist for forever.

Diving In and Getting Dirty

In so many ways, writing is a lot like pursuing an adventure. You’re never as ready as you want to be and eventually, you just have to dive in the ocean, get dirty on the trail, or hit THE END and turn in some pages.

If any of you are wanting to START something big this spring and summer – and you aren’t totally ready, I wrote this book for you in mind. You can get educated and prepare as much as you can now, but know that there will be many things you can learn on the trail or at sea, as my captain friend shared with me.

I hope to see you in person soon. I am still planning book events as I go. Below is what’s on the docket now. Let me know if you can make it as I’d love to see you there. AND if you have recs for fun things I should do this summer to launch this book, I am all about being non-traditional and taking a different path. Let me know. Let’s Dive in and get dirty together.

WILL TO WILD EVENTS

  • June 11 – TEDx San Diego​

  • June 13th – Diesel, Los Angeles

  • June 24 – (TBD) Party in Encinitas preceded by Birthday Challenge to Surf 43 or 4.3 waves or so.

  • June 30 – (TBD) REI Co-Op Santa Monica Hike + book Signing

 
Will to WildShelby StangerComment