A Must Write

And the Beat Goes On The Gift of Sharing

A Must Write

What in the world is a "must write," you ask. I can best explain what it is by mentioning its counterpart, which you're probably familiar with since it's often found in readers' reviews of their favorite books---a "must read."

Let me elaborate. A must write is something that I as a writer feel the absolute need to get out of my head and onto paper, be it a story, an essay, or a mere thought or idea. But isn't that the case with just about anything that I write, some of you may say. Don't I write because I feel compelled to in the first place? True, and true. But another truth is I often have more subjects I'd like to scribble about than I actually have time or energy for. And when a certain idea happens along that proves so consuming it demands my immediate attention to the detriment of everything else, it is a must write.

Previously, I've shared with my friends and supporters that I was working on a collection of short stories as my follow-up project to Once upon a Mulberry Field. Well . . . that has been temporarily put on hold. What can I tell you? A new "must write" has come along.

Let me start from the beginning. Late last year I had an opportunity to join a group tour to Southeast Asia, and on the spur of the moment I decided to grab it. I was lured by the fact that a major portion of the tour would take place in Việt-Nam: Five cities in just under two weeks, which was about all I could afford in terms of time off and expenses. Another important factor to me was the sense of security in traveling with a group---strength in numbers, as they say---not to mention the companionship and camaraderie.

So off I went, on my first journey home in over forty years. A lot had happened in the meantime: A war had ended, and millions of people were uprooted or risked their lives in search of freedom---a sweeping sea change for all of us of Vietnamese descent. It was no surprise then that the trip turned out every bit as emotional and impactful as I expected it to be, a real whirlwind in every sense of the word. Not only did I get to revisit my former hometown of Sài-Gòn, but I also had a chance to visit other parts of the country for the first time ever: the medieval port of Hội-An, just south of Đà-Nẵng where I was born; the imperial city of Huế, with so much history and tragedy; the beautiful Hạ-Long Bay, a World Heritage site; and Hà-Nội, my parents' original hometown.

At the end of the tour, on my return flight across fifteen time zones and eight thousand miles of ocean, a simple thought occurred to me: I have got to set everything aside so I can concentrate on writing about this once-in-a-lifetime trip. No question about it. No excuse.

The decision was easy. But now came the hard part: the execution. I've been working diligently since the holidays on this new project, a travelogue of the aforementioned tour, but being the slow writer that I am, I still have ways to go. Besides it being a new genre for me to tackle, I also need to pick up some new skill sets along the way, especially as concerns the back-end setup: How to include color pictures (yes, what's a travelogue without photos, eh?); which publisher is most cost-efficient for this type of printing; how does eBook formatting handle photos etc. So far I've learned that color printing is extremely expensive so it's most likely I'll have to switch publishers, which is a real pain. Also, it's necessary that I keep my book length to a minimum in order to reign in the higher cost so the book can be reasonably priced in the end.

It's not my intention to bemoan the new challenges---they come with the territory---only to give you an update on my writing status. Last year's trip, and by extension, the travelogue I'm working on, mean a great deal to me. It's something I dearly wish to share with all of you some time soon. The project requiring all my attention these days, I may keep a low profile for a while as I try to work through the technical issues, one at a time, and finish the book. I shall keep you all posted on any status change and look forward to the day, soon I hope, when I can finally announce from the rooftop the launch of my new travelogue!

Meanwhile, y'all get on out there and enjoy a wonderful summer, if only for me.