They say that history belongs to those who write it….and with my Teen Authors in the making it seems that they are making good on the Renegade’s brand. Without a doubt they are determined to make history and not follow it…those doggone Gen Y’ers :) It has been a tremendous and inspirational week for me and my rebellious and deviantly curious teen boys…all whom I LUB very much <3! Everyday they never cease to amaze me with the things that they are dreaming and DO’ing!

November 20, 2008:

Murph, a 17 year old teen from the U.K., kicked things off last week. He wrote to me on Thursday November 20, 2008 and said he had an idea that he hadn’t told anybody about and he wanted to share it with me. So he told me about it with much enthusiasm and how he had been eating, drinking and sleeping this ‘thing’ for the past 6 years. He had been trying to build an online community but coding was taking forever and the project was getting overwhelming. Well I explained to Murph that if he is a Pioneer in his niche industry that he needed to get his idea out there in a big way that made a statement- he had to be fast and first because indeed someone else somewhere in the world was thinking about something very similar and trying to put their idea in motion as well. So he explained to me that he didn’t have much disposable income as he is brand spanking new in the entrepreneurial start up phases. So I basically said to him, well thanks for the VIP Pass to the Pity Party but I am afraid I’ll have to pass.  I told him to work it out and focus on what he would be able to creatively do with the resources (i.e., translation, read between the lines, get a clue, aka) your intellectual property. It’s something you have at your disposal NOW and it is free and you have an unlimited amount of it. Then I told him to get back in contact with me once he was able to think of something. Well…let me tell you—LOL,  when I get my boys fired up and thinking on their own of the possibilities and what is at stake they think of solutions and ideas fast.

Update November 21, 2008:

Approximately 12 hours later on Friday, November 21, 2008 I woke up to this email from Murph. It said I thought of writing an ebook but I really want to write a book, but I want to have it written and published before Christmas. Do you think I can?

We have this synergy and theme in the Renegade CEO’s that’s called “The Infinite Expedition”…it is the moment that a teen consciously grasps onto an idea or a concept and is already in motion- it doesn’t matter what parents, teachers, significant others or friends say or threaten. They are already dreaming and do’ing and functioning on another level and completely being guided by their internal compass. And from this point forward nobody can tell them anything because they are in a place where dreams never end.

 So I said to Murph- all it takes is one person that truly believes in your idea. And being that I am the 2nd person, I think that you are well on your way.

He responded with anxious but nervous energy. He said he wanted to do it but felt he was naive about this whole book writing thing and said he had to research how to make an ebook and write a real book. And I said “Murph- nobody cares about what you plan to do, they only care about what you have done.” And here are the cliff notes- open a frickin’ word document and start typing, LOL. I know, I am so horrible aren’t I?!?!?  Focus, focus, focus in all your waking moments and don’t stop writing until you have made your point. I gave him the Shonika Secret Squirrel No Writer’s Block Book Writing Technique. So we made a deal- he gave up ALL his free time to focus on writing his book and nothing else and I gave up all my social networking, tweeting, facebooking, myspacing, linking in, to 100% focus on answering his questions and providing support and inspiration for him everyday as he works through his first masterpiece.

Update on November 25, 2008:

47 emails, too many silly jokes, lots of feel good emails throughout the day and nearly 6 days later- he has his 8 chapters clearly outlined and is about at the 1/3 point of his book.  We consider his official start date of writing the book on or about November 23, 2008 because he needed a couple of days to (get comfortable with me a strange girl from overseas, lol and also finalize his concept). And he also had to wrap his brain around it. It’s just a wee bit overwhelming for a 17 year old kid you know.

Being that he had off today he commited 10 hours to writing today to push him over the halfway point. He is 7 hours ahead of me here in the states and he has already checked in several times to update me on his progress. He says it is getting easier, he feels more confident and he is looking to the end.

Pulling it together:

I have my primary trusty and super speedy editor in place and ready to take on the project as soon as it is completed (we estimate his manuscript will be completed by this weekend). Our goal is to have everything done- editing, layout, publishing, sales page and the like live the week before the Christmas Holiday! I have already been busy setting everything in place. How happy he will be to have a real book in his hand that he conceptualized, wrote and published in less than 30 days!

Now Everybody’s Writing

Of course while he has been writing he is also making notes of the 7,463 other ideas that he has thought of in the process. In the meantime and in between time my other boys were getting a little jealous. So I now have 3 of my other teen boys who got inspired and motivated to start writing books on their respective niche interests or social causes they feel strongly about. Indeed the Infinite Expedition has taken us on a journey where dreams never end…