As I am writing my book “Son of a Viet Kieu” right now, I realized how writing changed my personality. Today’s blog will be about two misconceptions and one learning that I accumulated after writing 46,550 words.
Let’s start with the misconceptions that I had about writing:
1. Good writers are born! 🍼✍️
My language skills when I was younger were not top-notch. During middle school, I usually got D or E on my writing tasks. I even had to attend extra classes because of my spelling mistakes in German. I hated my English and French classes because I could not remember all the grammar rules. Whenever I had to write an essay in either German, English, or French, I would try to postpone it to the last minute and did it somehow. The fact that I hated reading books and enjoyed my anime more did not really help to improve my vocabulary and communication skills.
Only after going to New Zealand for a Work and Travel year did I start to write mini blogs in German to keep my friends up to date. It was more fun for me because each time I wrote, I could add photos and videos, creating an experience instead of a plain text.
Now, after living for more than 7 years in Vietnam, I have written hundreds of blogs—some smaller, others bigger—and dared to work on my own masterpiece. For some reason, I chose English to be the most suitable language to express my thoughts.
If you had told my former self that I would start to write blogs and even a book, he would probably laugh and nominate you for the next stand-up comedy session.
Today, I enjoy writing and I can proudly say that my writing has improved. Ideas are flowing more and sometimes I just feel it and can’t wait to put my ideas onto paper. 📜💡
2. You need to be an expert before you can write! 📚🔍
This one was a hard one. Especially when I changed my blogging content from fun traveling content to more serious topics. Often my self-doubt would kick in and leave me paralyzed. Imposter syndrome can be truly exhausting; sometimes it stands between you and your dreams and passion projects. But luckily I found a quote that says:
“You don’t get paid for being perfect. You get paid for solving problems.” 💬✨
Thanks to this quote, I focused more on what kind of value I can give instead of making sure that 100% is correct. After overcoming my inner demons and producing more content online, some people would comment on it, thanking me that I am able to share unique stories that helped them in their own life.
That made me realize that I always had been an expert—I had been the expert of my own life, sharing my stories and experience as the CEO of Thomas Nguyen. 👨💼🌟
But what has been my number one learning after writing on my books for months?
Well, the number one learning is:
3. You learn more about yourself on a deeper level! 🧘♂️📖
Every day, I spend loads of time thinking about what I said, what I did, or what I felt. But it is usually only in my head—like a cloud that appears and vanishes with time. Those short thoughts are like bubbles floating into my awareness and suddenly popping as soon as something else happens.
Writing is different. Putting your thoughts onto paper is like a photo of your landscape. Instead of observing your inner clouds, you take a screenshot. It gives you time to analyze it and dig deeper into your own experience. You can always come back and maybe after a while, you notice something else.
Writing has been therapeutic and helped me to slow down my thoughts. It has helped me to relive beautiful memories. Similar to looking back at old photos, whenever I read my lines again, my emotions come up and I feel connected to the experience.
Especially when I wrote about my teenage years, I finally felt seen and respected for who I was. Writing gives me the chance to process one thought at a time. Writing about my life as a Son of a Viet Kieu helped me appreciate being me more than I could ever have imagined. 💖✍️
As someone who learned to enjoy writing and reading, I am curious about your thoughts. What did you realize or learn when you write your blog? Leave it in the comments! I am excited to learn from you, too. 🤗💬
Bài viết thuộc thử thách viết 30 ngày của khóa học Writing On The Net.
#wotn6 #3
Kudos Thomas, I love your writing. Whenever I read your blog, it is so easy for me to read it till the end as I'm so into your story. It feel like you're enjoying your writing as it's a part of you