Ask the Author: J.F. Whitaker
Answered Questions (5)
J.F. Whitaker
One day my granddaughter and I went to a restaurant and she sat in the seat with her back to wall, facing the door. I said honey Grampa needs to sit there. She said why, so you can be Mr. Social and see everyone? I said no so I can see if someone throws a hand grenade in the door. That was over 40 years after my return from Vietnam. Jessica then said Grampa you've never talked about your experiences...tell me. I started sharing that night and haven't stopped. That was 2012.
J.F. Whitaker
My book is a memoir so the ideas were my life experiences. The premise for writing the story was the need for our society to talk about and do something about suicide. Every 40 seconds there is a suicide in the US, twenty to twenty-two service men and women kill themselves every day and between the ages of 15 and 24 it is the second leading cause of death. If my experience can help just one person, I would consider this project successful.
J.F. Whitaker
Never give up and when your brain attacks you with doubt about yourself or your work don't listen. If just one person hears the message, enjoys the story or reacts positively it will be worth every minute.
J.F. Whitaker
Seeing the story come to life, especially if it's your story and then having readers say oh, I remember that or the way I remember it was like this. It is a great vehicle for healing, connecting and empowering.
J.F. Whitaker
The best answer is to connect with another like-minded individual that can listen and offer alternative solutions. I had two major blocks during the four year process of writing this book:
A. The death of my daughter...friends guided me through the grief process. It took a year.
B. An organizational block...I just couldn't figure out how to put it all together and make sense of the 75,000 words I had written. A life coach bounced ideas back and forth with me until I could find my answer. Eventually the light bulb came on and I broke the manuscript into three parts which seems to have worked well for me.
A. The death of my daughter...friends guided me through the grief process. It took a year.
B. An organizational block...I just couldn't figure out how to put it all together and make sense of the 75,000 words I had written. A life coach bounced ideas back and forth with me until I could find my answer. Eventually the light bulb came on and I broke the manuscript into three parts which seems to have worked well for me.
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