Ask the Author: Dawn Johnson
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Dawn Johnson
The short answer is, "from my own experience with workplace bullying." However, the journey to write specifically on this topic and in the format of non-fiction was a journey over a decade long.
I attempted to write about my experience with workplace bullying several times. First, as a fiction book. Almost immediately after my second experience with bullying, I started to try and write about it. I thought fiction would allow anonymity for both the guilty (bullies) and the innocent (me). Some of the things that happened were "stranger than fiction." However, my lack of experience in writing fiction and the intensity of the emotions I was processing, forced me to abandon it as a fiction project.
A few years later, I took a class on writing memoirs. Perhaps my story would fit in this genre? However, I quickly realized that I was writing my story for the wrong reason. I was writing out of my desire for revenge and not for the benefit of the reader. At this point, I put aside writing about the topic completely.
In early 2021, I stumbled across a 24-hour book outline challenge provided by Self-Publishing School. We were still primarily locked down in the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic and I had some extra time on my hands. I highly doubted that I could develop an entire book outline of any kind in 24 hours, but I was up for the challenge.
Going into the challenge I thought I might write a book on leadership or something related to my profession. As I walked through the questions and the steps of the challenge, one particular question caught my eye, "What topic(s) do your friends/family/colleagues come to you for advice on most often?" My answer? Toxic people and situations at work. Within three hours of answering this question, I had a complete draft outline of my book.
At first, my book had a much broader theme of toxicity at work. As I continued to research and refine my outline, I realized that my two experiences were not just "toxic," but were actually categorized as workplace bullying. I refined my topic even further to focus specifically on workplace bullying.
My topic had its share of detractors. Several fellow authors were vocal about their thoughts on the damage the topic could do to my overall career. I was warned that potential employers or clients may look at the topic and view me as weak or as someone who might disrupt the status quo of the organization.
Despite the concerns, I felt compelled to bring this topic into the light. When we have a language for something we can more easily identify it and deal with it. By providing readers with the knowledge that what they are experiencing has a name (workplace bullying) and providing identifiable behaviors we can start to make a dent in the destructive phenomenon of workplace bullying.
I attempted to write about my experience with workplace bullying several times. First, as a fiction book. Almost immediately after my second experience with bullying, I started to try and write about it. I thought fiction would allow anonymity for both the guilty (bullies) and the innocent (me). Some of the things that happened were "stranger than fiction." However, my lack of experience in writing fiction and the intensity of the emotions I was processing, forced me to abandon it as a fiction project.
A few years later, I took a class on writing memoirs. Perhaps my story would fit in this genre? However, I quickly realized that I was writing my story for the wrong reason. I was writing out of my desire for revenge and not for the benefit of the reader. At this point, I put aside writing about the topic completely.
In early 2021, I stumbled across a 24-hour book outline challenge provided by Self-Publishing School. We were still primarily locked down in the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic and I had some extra time on my hands. I highly doubted that I could develop an entire book outline of any kind in 24 hours, but I was up for the challenge.
Going into the challenge I thought I might write a book on leadership or something related to my profession. As I walked through the questions and the steps of the challenge, one particular question caught my eye, "What topic(s) do your friends/family/colleagues come to you for advice on most often?" My answer? Toxic people and situations at work. Within three hours of answering this question, I had a complete draft outline of my book.
At first, my book had a much broader theme of toxicity at work. As I continued to research and refine my outline, I realized that my two experiences were not just "toxic," but were actually categorized as workplace bullying. I refined my topic even further to focus specifically on workplace bullying.
My topic had its share of detractors. Several fellow authors were vocal about their thoughts on the damage the topic could do to my overall career. I was warned that potential employers or clients may look at the topic and view me as weak or as someone who might disrupt the status quo of the organization.
Despite the concerns, I felt compelled to bring this topic into the light. When we have a language for something we can more easily identify it and deal with it. By providing readers with the knowledge that what they are experiencing has a name (workplace bullying) and providing identifiable behaviors we can start to make a dent in the destructive phenomenon of workplace bullying.
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