A friend recently emailed me and asked what it was like writing X-Revolution. After thinking about it for a while, I wrote a short article describing my thoughts on the project and what it was like to work on it. Here you go:
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Writing X – Revolution was the hardest creative thing I’ve ever done. And also the most necessary.
It started like most things do for me: with frustration. I was tired of the way we talk about politics. Tired of the yelling, the tribalism, the endless cycle of outrage that never seems to go anywhere. I didn’t want to write a book, not really. I just needed to do something with the noise in my head that wouldn’t go away.
So I sat down and started writing scenes. I had no outline, no contract, no one waiting on the manuscript. Just this idea about a person who creates a political voice so honest and logical that it starts to spread like wildfire. At first, it felt like therapy. A way to say the things I couldn’t seem to say out loud without being dismissed or labeled.
Then it got out of hand.
Characters showed up that I didn’t expect. Storylines started pulling me in directions I hadn’t planned. Some nights I’d write until 2 a.m., sitting in the dark with nothing but the glow of the screen and a mug of cold tea. Other nights I’d stare at a single paragraph for an hour and delete the whole thing in frustration. I’d question whether the story was too idealistic, too cynical, too messy. Usually it was all three.
The character of Elliot came first. He’s not me, but he’s definitely got parts of me buried in there. The quiet frustration. The hope that logic might still win if given the chance. Jess came next. Then Mitch. Then Claire. Each of them forced me to confront different parts of myself. Writing them was equal parts invention and reflection.
There were moments when I thought the whole project was a waste of time. Nobody was asking for this story. I wasn’t a famous author. I wasn’t even sure who the audience would be. But I kept going because deep down, I felt like someone needed to write it. Not to lecture. Just to imagine a different kind of political voice. One rooted in reason and empathy instead of branding and rage.
Some chapters came fast. Others nearly broke me. I rewrote the ending more than once. I second-guessed myself constantly. I’d think, “Is this too dramatic? Too simple? Too much?” And I’d answer yes to all of it. Then I’d keep writing anyway.
By the time I finished, I didn’t feel proud as much as relieved. Not because I thought the book was perfect. It isn’t. But because I had finally said the thing I needed to say.
X – Revolution is a story about the kind of voice I wish existed in real life. The kind that speaks to the 80 percent of people who feel ignored by both sides. The kind that listens, questions, and still believes change is possible.
Writing it wasn’t easy. But it felt like telling the truth. And that made it worth it.