The Writing Process…

No one is going to come rescue you—you only have yourself. The good news, it turns out, is that you are all you need.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER tale of reading his audiobook. Intrigued by his story. Here I share in his own words

I could tell you I am fantastic at everything, but I’d be lying.

I just finished recording my audiobook, Be Useful. It comes out October 10. I could tell you how amazing it was to sit down and record my own words, but the truth is, I was absolutely dreading it.

Here’s my secret: I’m a terrible reader. They didn’t talk about learning disabilities in Austria in the 1950s, so most of the time, when I was asked to read out loud in class, it was just a disaster, and I got smacked with a ruler. But now I know that I’m dyslexic.

When I prepare for a movie, I read the script over and over for months until I’ve memorized every line. I need time and reps to get my mind around the words.

They told me authors ready their books in 2 or 3 days at the studio. I asked for the recording equipment at home and told them I’d do 20-30 pages a day. That way I could log in with the director and producer twice a day for shorter sessions and I could practice non-stop in between.

In this process, I used my own lessons.

1. I let myself dread it and complain for a minute, but then I forced myself to get moving, because denial wasn’t going to get it recorded.
2. I did so many reps I couldn’t count. I broke it up into small pieces, knowing that small wins build up into big victories, or in this case, a whole book.
3. I had the help of a fantastic team. My own team, but also the producers and directors Nithya, Danny, and Kris, and Eric who set up the equipment. All of us need help; none of us are self made.