The chapter I kept avoiding
There was one chapter I kept moving past. It was not the chapter with the biggest event. It was the chapter where I had to explain a decision that once made sense to me but later created consequences I did not expect.
My first version tried to make the story cleaner. I explained the pressure and moved quickly to the lesson. The more I edited it, the less honest it felt.
Writing is more than remembering
Memory gives us scenes. Writing asks what those scenes mean. That can be uncomfortable because the meaning we prefer is not always the meaning the experience supports.
I could write the visible milestones easily. Moving countries, working in education, owning a school and building businesses were clear. The quieter details were harder: fear, pride, pressure and the help I did not fully notice at the time.
The mistake in the first draft
I tried to end every story with a clean lesson. Life does not always work like that. Some lessons arrived years later. Some questions are still open.
When I stopped forcing a motivational ending, the writing became more human. I could say what I knew, what I missed and what I would now ask differently.
Still in the classroom
The book is not finished, and neither is the life inside it. That is not a weakness. It may be the most honest part of the project.
I am not writing as a graduate of the University of Life. I am still a student. I am simply taking better notes now.
Three ideas to take with you
- Write the real scene before trying to explain the lesson.
- Name what you did not understand at the time.
- Allow an honest question to remain open.
Thank you for reading. We are all still learning. You can listen to the related episode of GlobioHub Reflections or join GlobioHub updates for new articles, books and future events.
About the author
Onur Guler
Onur Guler is the founder of GlobioHub. He writes about education, migration, entrepreneurship, technology, resilience and starting again.
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