Yes, you read that right – I did it! It’s been a journey and not without challenges. Allow me to share the story how to write a book.

Many people dream of writing a book. But then life happens — jobs, kids, responsibilities, distractions, lack of time, and that nagging feeling of not being good enough… So many things get in the way. The same happened to me. Now the question is: What was within my control, and what wasn’t?

Well, let’s start from the beginning.

The first thing that happened was a tragedy. It was 2002. My friends and I embarked on what should have been a fantastic sailing and scuba diving adventure along the Croatian coast. We discovered an underwater cave and went exploring. Through a cruel twist of fate — a mix of coincidence, a mistake, and bad luck — one of us vanished into the darkness. We searched for him, but without success.

The following day, the authorities deployed two navy divers — who seemed to have never been in a cave before — to find our friend. One diver never came back.

Two days later, the nightmare intensified. One of my friends and I were accused of murder and thrown into custody. The Croatian police needed someone to blame. They claimed they had found our deceased friend with his diving knife buried in his chest.

You’ll be able to read the whole story, with all its twists and turns, soon — the book launch is scheduled for January 2026.

But let’s get back to the book.

While in custody, I meticulously kept a journal. One reason was to stay sane and kill time. Another was to record my thoughts, feelings, and experiences — so that one day I could, possibly, write a book. Yes, I had the idea, but it was a faint one.

Over the years that followed, the story would come up from time to time — sitting in a pub with friends, or over dinner with colleagues. Someone would ask, “Hey Dan, what about Croatia? Tell us what happened.” I would somewhat hesitantly share the story.

That hesitation didn’t come from fear. It came from experience: the story would often take over the conversation — sometimes the entire evening. People would stare, mouths agape, heads tilted slightly to hear better. When I finished, I always heard the same thing:

“It’s a book. It’s a movie. You’ve got to write it down!”

Twenty years later — still no book.

As I said, life took over, and I simply had other priorities. I also wasn’t sure I could even write something cohesive — a story people would want to read. It’s true that I started a blog around 2016, so writing wasn’t entirely new to me, but writing a book is a very different endeavour compared to short blog posts.
Then one day in 2023 — same situation — friends around the table, and once again: “It’s a movie, it’s a book…”

Someone suggested I tell the story to Robin, a member of our Green School Bali community who had spent most of her successful career in the movie industry.

She agreed to have lunch. After hearing everything, she said: “It definitely has potential. I can’t guarantee anything, but why don’t you write an 8-page synopsis? Let’s see what happens.”

All right then. I sat down one Sunday morning, pulled out my 20+ year-old journal, and started typing.
When I reached page 8, I was still at the beginning — at the pub where we had planned the trip!

That was the moment it hit me: Yes, you can write a book!

So, in my typical way — without much preparation, without learning about structure, without enrolling in any of the countless writing courses the internet is full of — my author journey began.

From all my years in the corporate world, managing global teams and competing priorities, I knew one thing for sure: If I don’t schedule writing time, it won’t happen.

So, I blocked chunks of time in my calendar. For me, it was Sunday mornings — I didn’t have spare time during the week, except evenings, and I didn’t want to spend those staring at a laptop more than I already did.

That was the first important point: Schedule regular writing sessions.

Some say that to finish a manuscript, you need to set a deadline. I didn’t like that idea. My life already had enough deadlines. I chose not to put unnecessary pressure on myself. I believe it was the right decision — though it may be different for you.

The actual writing went quite smoothly. The story was in my head and in the journal — I “just” had to write it down. Of course, there were moments I got stuck and had to pause or step away. Not every Sunday worked — I enjoy trekking, motorbike riding, or diving — but I learned not to be harsh on myself, as long as I made consistent progress.

It took me a year.

Right or wrong, good or bad — I was genuinely happy to finish! More importantly, I discovered that I really enjoy writing. It’s such a peaceful time, alone, fully focused on one thing. Quite meditative — and quite rare, in a world where our scattered minds jump from one thing to the next.

Of course, every manuscript needs feedback. So I kindly asked my dear friend Chris — a published author — and also Robin, to read it. After several weeks of impatient waiting, they praised the book (!) and gave me very helpful comments.

One key takeaway was: You need a professional editor.

All right then. I used Reedsy, an online platform where you can post your book and invite freelance professionals to pitch their services. I received five offers, selected one, and began working with a lovely gentleman named James — a professional editor and published author.

I expected him to fix my English, offer valuable comments, maybe tweak the style a bit. I assumed editing would take 1–2 months. I was wrong.

James liked the manuscript, but told me something important: “If you want the story to be truly impactful, you need far more dialogue — not just narration.”

I felt sorry for myself. I agreed with him, but I knew rewriting the entire manuscript to include dialogue would take ages. And I was right. It took another year.

So, 2024 was editing.

But the manuscript got far better — and if I can give just one piece of advice to soon-to-be authors, it’s this: Get a good editor.

This is where our writing journey ends… but we’re still far from publishing the book. Yes, the manuscript is finished. But publishing? That’s a whole different story — another journey. One could even say it’s a minefield.

Let me write another post soon about the publishing process, which is probably just as — if not more — useful than talking about writing.

Stay tuned. Feel free to read more about ‘The Cave’ here.

PS: You can write anywhere. For example in a campervan!