I’ve been thinking a lot lately about dreams, goals, and what I want my life to look like in five or ten years down the road. At 24, I’m in a perfect transition period in my life: I’m living in a different country, learning a new language, making friends with people all over the world, and learning a ton about myself. I’ve taken to journaling almost every day, and nothing could have been more healing and eye-opening in this life-season. However, I’m aware that this is just a season, and I’ll eventually need to figure out what my next step will be.
In the past year or so, I’ve had one major life goal: to write a book. I realize a lot of bloggers want to be published, but it’s more than that for me. On my old blog, I wrote about my adoption story semi-frequently because it’s one of the stories that makes me different, which I’m learning to embrace. Last year, after finding some of my biological family, I started recording the moments so that I would be able to remember all the little details.
Adoption has become a huge topic almost everywhere I look. Facebook friends, several celebrities, and more bloggers than I can count are all celebrating the fact that they’ve chosen to adopt. While I’m all for adoption and think that it’s a beautiful way to extend love to children that might not get to know it otherwise, I know that many people who adopt aren’t aware of the way it can affect their adopted children. There are so many books on the topic, but most often from the view of the parent or a psychologist. There are nowhere near enough books giving the adoptee’s perspective, and I believe that point of view is the most important. Because of this, I’ve started to use some of my journaling time specifically for covering my thoughts on adoption. Perhaps within the next five years, I’ll be able to combine all of those thoughts and turn them into a book.
The main goal I have in writing this is helping parents who are thinking about adopting or have newly adopted realize a little more what they’re committing to. Adoption isn’t something many people decide to do lightly, but the emotional and mental repercussions on the child can be overlooked. There are many issues I’ve struggled with throughout my life that I’m just now able to recognize as stemming from being put up for adoption. I’m not blaming any of my problems on that, but it’s important to pick out the moments and events that help define a person, and adoption is a major one.
The idea of writing a book is very daunting. I’ve never been a very confident person, and the idea that other people could be interested enough in something I have to say sometimes feels almost laughable. However, adoption has always been a huge part of my life and I feel like I have enough to say that writing a book might be crazy enough to work. I’m fully aware that my opinions on adoption aren’t the only ones worth sharing, so if you’re reading this and think that I’m onto a good idea, I’d love to get some help. If you’re adopted and want to answer a few questions for me, please email me at thekostory@gmail.com or leave me a comment and I’ll get those questions to you!
listening to: John Butler Trio
Knocked Out No Longer 
wow! that picture really says a thousand words! that’s so cool. I for SURE think you need to write a book, seriously! so many people want to adopt and most of the time they only hear other adult stories of their adoption experience but they never hear the kid’s side of it. DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!
To reiterate Whitney Cramer’s point. I am a potential future adoptive parent and I am very interested in adopted people’s life stories.
I have a couple friends that were adopted, and one sibling. I’ve probably learned the most about transracial adoption because my sister was adopted from Vietnam. Additionally I’ve learned from Seattle writer Chad Goller-Sojourner, who has shared lots of stories about their transracial adoption.
(got here via Butterbean Wilkins)
Go for it! Yes, there are many bloggers out there who want to be published and the prospect of writing a book is very daunting, but your motivations for writing this particular book are so deep and personal you will have both the motivation and insight to create something that is needed by many :)