Entry #3 - And the journey looks real

I love writing it’s somehow liberating

Even as I write these words, I can’t believe my brain can seamlessly coordinate thought with eyes and fingers. The same way we speak, it feels like it happens in real time. How can a community of neurons conjure words and ideas out of nowhere?

Sometimes, I believe we live in a slow-motion state, where everything we say has already been articulated inside our minds at a speed we can’t comprehend. It’s like those split-second decisions when you swerve to avoid an object while driving. You just do it.

I’m writing a new book, titled Leadership as a Verb the same as this publication. There have been periods when I’ve written nothing and others when I’ve written a lot.

So far, I’m enjoying the process and the pace. It’s almost the end of the year, and I believe I have another six to seven months to go before I start revising and have a book ready to publish.

One thing that has happened often is the amount of writing I’ve discarded sometimes 50 pages. After rereading, I didn’t like it at all.

Some friends have suggested I hire a ghostwriter or use ChatGPT to write the whole book.

But I don’t believe that’s me.

I think, like anything I do, there’s a legacy in it. What’s the point of putting something out there that I haven’t worked on myself? To sell it and make money? To boost my expertise?

Because having a book is a great achievement?

It’s true that books contain tremendous knowledge in condensed form. They’re a great way to experience other lives or imagine them in your own mind.

With this book, I don’t want it to be just another feel-good guide or a prescriptive take on leadership. There are others better suited for that. Yes, it will reflect my personal view of leadership, but it’s also a message a raw, human experience. I can’t tell you how many leadership books I’ve read, only to feel like I’m reading the same book over and over again.

I want it to bring something to the reader, to let their imagination run free and learn from it. To empower. It’s like climbing a mountain you don’t hire someone else to do it for you and then claim the summit when you reach it.

It reminds me of some founders who claim ownership of creating an electric car brand, when in reality, it was a hostile takeover. We somehow revere these figures and forget that many unknown people make our world go round.

When it comes to AI, I use it to correct my grammar and for research. To me, LLMs are nothing more than a way to query a database, delivering output in natural language. Yes, this is an oversimplification, but I keep it that way to remind myself that I’m not interacting with a sentient being. It also helps me avoid the trap of thinking, Why not use it to write the whole book so I can relax and enjoy life?

I believe writing is a unique and irreplaceable expression of ourselves. I used to browse Amazon for new books, only to find ones clearly written by AI. Writing 300 pages in a month is possible, but the amount of junk out there is staggering. Fortunately, I’ve trained myself to research and spend time learning about authors.

Just like exercising, our bodies remember “muscle memory.” When we pause and return, it’s as if the body remembers, and everything flows smoothly. The same goes for writing. If I don’t write it myself, how can I remember what’s in the book? The struggle of coming up with ideas, the effort to write a single page, or the satisfaction of writing a lot only to discard it all after revision.

I love it when I go for a run and ideas suddenly flood my mind. I used to wish I had a pen and paper, only to forget later. Now, I run with a pen and paper. People might think I’m crazy when I stop to jot down ideas, but I’ve also trained myself to remember things. By the end of the day, I sit down, and all those ideas come easily. It took me years to get here.

Just as it took me years to start writing seriously. I spent too much time dreaming and wishing. Maybe those years were necessary to bring me to this stage.

For me, writing is an experience. The act itself is deeply appealing. I don’t imagine it becoming a bestseller or making me a millionaire. If that happens, it happens. I just want to write and keep writing.

I write a lot on Substack, but I had to pause because it was interrupting my book writing.

I’m not a native English speaker, and English isn’t my first language, but writing has improved my ideas, my writing in English. I’ve bought books on how to write a book, grammar, building environments, and developing characters all great resources.

At first, I made it so hard for myself. I thought I needed to know everything before I could start writing. While I believe you do need to understand a lot about the process to prepare mentally and develop your own style, it’s also a battle against deadlines, patience, and socializing. It’s a solo adventure a marathon, really.

But it’s amazing how our brains can generate ideas, tie them together, and make sense of them. Truly, the brain is an incredible organ, and the power of collective endeavor is awe-inspiring.

By the end of the year, I hope to share with my readers where I am with the book and maybe even some pages.

Thank you

Diamantino Almeida

Leadership as a verb. Tech | Writer | People