The Atom Project

What is The Atom Project?

The Atom Project, as the name implies, is about Atom. Who is Atom? Well, I can't share that yet. It is an alias for the Epic Fantasy Novel project I have been working on for the last 6 months. It was over 20 years ago that the idea for this story first started to take hold. Over the decades, I have continued to think on it, but didn't decide until this last year to start putting it into a medium to share with others.

Why?

About 6 months ago, I had a conversation with a colleague and friend who presented a framework for making hard choices. We often are split between wanting to accomplish two conflicting goals. In this scenario, we can't realistically achieve both of them, so we must make a choice.

We can't sit halfway between both, or we will get nowhere. For example, I can't try to write the very best book I can, or create an entire platform to build a community on, while still being a productive and successful employee. I wanted to do both, for a long time, but I wasn't able to make good progress on the book, because I cared to much about doing my job well.

Not that this is wrong, but it brings it back to the reality that we cannot do both. The proposition from my colleague was to set a date, maybe a month in the future, and make a commitment to myself that on that date I will choose between one thing or the other. So I did, I set a date, and I made my choice.

This wasn't about the book, this was about something different, but it was choosing to just focus on one thing that opened up space for me to realize that there was something else nudging me in the back of my mind. The story. That story had been stuck in my head for so long, but I kept pushing it down. It's easy to forget about the things calling to us when we fill our plate so full with our own plans, we become deaf.

The Leap of Faith

After trying to write my book on the side of working for several months, although progress was being made, I realized I was back in that situation of trying to do too much. I had to make a choice, I had to give up on my book, and continue to work hard and be there for my family. OR I had to leave my job, take a huge risk, and write the book. Well, that is a hard decision, and I didn't want to make that decision.

So, I pushed it off, but it kept coming back. And then, like a freight train, on the middle of some Tuesday, the thought came into my mind "Leave your job, write the book." That is the moment I knew it wasn't really a question of if, it was question of when. After looking into every possible scenario, it became clear that I would need to have the hard conversations, risk the judgment, and jump.

One month ago, we (me and my family) jumped, and I left my role as product manager to write an Epic Fantasy Novel, and try to find a way to build a community around the book, and the world the story lives in. At first it was fun, exciting, but then it started to become daunting.

Work is Just Work

A lesson I have been learning in life over recent years, is that work is just work. Whether you are volunteering with you church, writing a book, building a house, or driving forward new AI software, work is just work. Not to say work can't be truly fulfilling, but we ultimately must work hard, in order for our goals to become reality.

Writing, although fun at the start, is not an easy thing to do. It requires consistent dedication and self-discipline, and nobody is there to question you if you stop, or if you give up. It's just you, and the blank page. I have learned that the blank page is true for everything that we do, and in writing a new story, we take the risk of having no story at all.

Maybe that is why change is hard, and maybe that is why we (myself included) often do the work we are used to, because we are too afraid of a new blank page. The interesting thing I have found, is it's MUCH easier to work on something that brings fulfillment, even if it takes a lot of work, than to work on the comfortable thing. Even though we may have a lot of pages written, doesn't mean that part of the book is the most important, sometimes it's better to throw away that part of the story, and start again.

Fear of Failure

As my family and I have embarked on this journey, it has not been without fear. It is as if the deeper we go on the right path, the more challenging it becomes. Maybe more challenging than all, is the fear that we picked the wrong path. What if I should have never written this book? What if should've done the safe thing? What if the people I love are negatively impacted by the risk?

I imagine we have all had these thoughts, and these feelings, but it's the courage to trust in the process over time that really has made the difference for me this first month. I didn't know where the journey would lead, or that it would bring me here, but it's turned out pretty good so far.

New Revelation

It was a few weeks ago, that I realized I need to build a platform to have any type of community or following around my book. I looked at Wix, Squarespace, and the liked, but realized it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I was chatting with AI, looking at potential options, when it recommended I build my own. So I did (See post), and it has been awesome! This post, and the blog it's posted on, are all part of the platform.

Although it's still a work in progress, and probably always will be, I have been able to work really hard to build an awesome platform for collaboration and community, tailored to my story. That was a blank page I never expected to turn into much, and now it's a great story in the book of my life. If I had never taken the new path, I would've never had the chance.

The Next Steps

Now that I have the platform in place, with all the tools that I need to collaborate with the community, my next goal is to finish the first draft of my novel. I am currently 45-50% of the way there, you can track it on the home page, or subscribe to my newsletter where I will share updates on my progress.

Even after finishing the first draft, the blank pages of additional drafts, editing, reader feedback, revisions, and publishing loom. If you are interested in seeing how it goes, follow along!