# Am I Crazy for Writing A Book?

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2021/02/20/blog-am-i-crazy-for-writing-a-book/
- Published: 2021-02-20T10:00:00-05:00
- Author: Brian Johns

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Yes, you read that right! I am writing an e-book on martial arts training tips and
FMA concepts. At some point, it will be self-published and sold through Gumroad.

How did I decide to do this? Before the pandemic, I was teaching Modern Arnis classes
and private lessons. Additionally, I taught women’s and all-gender self-defence 
classes at Ontario Tech University thrice weekly. Further, I taught self-defence
to developmentally delayed adults at the [Abilities Centre](https://abilitiescentre.org/home)
in Whitby.

All those classes, except for private lessons, have been shut down due to the pandemic.

## This has left me with a lot of time during the 󠀁[current lockdown](https://brianejohns.com//2020/03/02/blog-under-lockdown/)󠁿.

This is the first time that I’ve attempted to write a book. I’m using the book template
from the Apple Pages application. To date, I’ve written 25 chapters covering various
Modern Arnis topics. Thus far, it is a mixture of old blog posts on training tips
and YouTube videos featuring some of my drills. I will also include some private
videos in this book.

This book requires writing skills that are different from those I have used in the
past. I primarily have two writing styles: legal and blogging. Some of you know 
I have been a hearing officer (administrative law judge) for nearly thirty years.

So, writing legal decisions after administrative law hearings has been a dominant
part of my writing life.

As alluded to above, I’ve blogged about martial arts topics, mostly Filipino Martial
Arts. Unlike legal writing, this is quite enjoyable.

I attempted one other kind of writing several years ago. I wrote several [white papers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper)
for a company in the Seattle area. Frankly, I struggled with writing white papers.
In hindsight, I think that I sucked at it. It was a good experience, though.

And now, I’m writing an [e-book](https://brianejohns.com/2016/11/07/blog-taking-advantage-of-technology/)
on Modern Arnis/Filipino Martial Arts training tips.

## What have I gotten myself into?

![](https://i0.wp.com/brianejohns.com//wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Screen-Shot-2021-
02-19-at-8.56.32-PM-889x1024.png?resize=889%2C1024&ssl=1)

**The tentative title page of the e-book**

As mentioned above, the book comprises cleaned-up blog posts, YouTube videos, and
photographs that optimize your training experiences.

## It will be published in PDF format. The below button contains a sample of the first few chapters in rough draft form.

Please note that when you see “_Click on this image to play the video_,” it will
trigger the browser on your computer to open YouTube and play the video.

## Click on the button to download a free sample of the book!

[**Free Sample of Book**](https://brianejohns.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sample.pdf)

I confess that I keep re-evaluating what I have written thus far and it’s a fair
bet that the above free sample will see quite a few revisions. We shall see as this
project rolls along.

## Additional Reading

 * [Sparring or Free Play?](https://brianejohns.com/2024/02/21/sparring-or-free-play/)
 * [Video of the Week 4: Using the Center Line](https://brianejohns.com/2024/03/18/video-of-the-week-4-using-the-center-line/)
 * [FMA Books](https://brianejohns.com/2008/06/11/blog-fma-books/)
 * [The Downside of “Going With The Flow”](https://brianejohns.com/2023/01/17/blog-the-downside-of-going-with-the-flow/)
 * [Teaching the Centerline](https://brianejohns.com/2015/12/17/blog-teaching-the-centerline/)

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