Author Journeys: Writing about mental health with Micah Dawanyi

Welcome to Author Journeys, an interview series focused on overcoming rejection and other struggles in order to get published, self-publish, or secure literary representation. If you’ve ever felt held back, lost, or stressed out by the path to publication, this series is here to inspire and motivate you, no matter the route you want to take. I’ll be interviewing a range of authors, from self-publishing authors to traditionally published.

Interview with self-published author Micah Dawanyi

In this interview, I’m welcoming Micah Dawanyi, a self-published author, speaker, and artist. Micah published his first book – a collection of memoirs – at the age of nineteen, and explores themes of mental health, therapy, childhood and trauma in his work. Micah’s novel Battle Scars & Blossoms: A Journey Through the Mind came out in 2022.

Reeling from his adolescent involvement in a fatal car accident, broken family relationships, and financial struggles, Noel Young, incoming college freshman, arrives on his new campus with the hopes of putting his past traumas behind him.

With his mom on his case, trying to get him to reconcile with his past, Noel turns to campus life, work, classes, and new relationships to “distract himself” from the dark cloud of inevitable problems hanging over his head.

But you can only run for so long.

Perhaps against his will, Noel is eventually forced to embark on a journey of self-discovery to find his peace.

Battle Scars & Blossoms blurb

Welcome, Micah!

Thanks for having me! I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my work with you and your platform.

Your first book, a collection of memoirs, was released when you were nineteen. Could you tell us a little about how that came about, and what led you to self-publish?

It was a spur-of-the-moment situation, in all honesty. I was wrestling with some very heavy emotions at that time and just needed somewhere to put them. Obviously, that could have been done with a private journal, but I knew that the difficulties I was facing on my own journey through life could be relatable to other people. That’s why the collection of memoirs was titled Step Into My Shoes – because I wanted people to do just that.

I didn’t dream of becoming an author when I was a kid, although I enjoyed reading and writing in school. And I didn’t have any contacts in the world of literature, either. So, I did what most people do these days when faced with a task, problem, or question. I went to the internet. I googled “how to write a book” and began scanning through the suggestions that popped up. I don’t even think my brain registered the possibility of trying to get a book deal or anything like that. Self-publishing just seemed like the most convenient way to get things done at the time.

I also looked at the process as a unique learning experience. Taking on the mission of figuring out how to publish a book presented a lot of challenges, but I faced them head-on. I enjoyed even the difficult moments, as strange as that may sound.

Your novel Battle Scars & Blossoms: A Journey Through the Mind tackles some difficult topics, such as broken family relationships, financial struggles, and trauma. Were there parts of that story that drew from your own experiences as well?

Definitely. The book was originally going to be published as another collection of memoirs, actually. I’d written down numerous stories from my life dealing with the topics you just mentioned. When I changed the genre of the book to fiction, I decided to use some of those stories as scenes in the book. Roughly 60–70 percent of Chapter 1 was pulled from my real life, for example, and 90 percent of Chapter 5 was from my real life, too.

What I try to do as a (fictional) storyteller is pull from reality, and then bend reality as needed to serve the purpose of the storyline. I enjoy dealing with difficult topics; it’s not something I stray away from. Difficult topics tend to be the things that we should really be talking about, so I don’t mind risking vulnerability by opening up with my writing.

Writing about personal topics can be difficult for many authors. Do you have any tips for authors who want to explore their own experiences in writing, but find it tough to do so?

Well if vulnerability is the worry, I’d say to do some research and listen to other people. Observe. You’ll find that you aren’t alienated in your experiences, and in a lot of cases, other people are wrestling with similar complexities in their life. Sometimes those complexities just aren’t spoken about publicly, which gives writers the chance to bring such honest vulnerability to light. If you craft your story with the right intent, people will find comfort in those shared experiences. I’m speaking from experience when I say that. We are truly never as alone on our journeys as we think we are.

If it’s more about trying to determine what experiences should be incorporated into the book, you just have to think about what will best serve the storyline. What’s your message, or main theme? What’s the purpose of the book? Thinking about those things will provide clarity.

Authors face all sorts of barriers in publishing, which can be taxing mentally. Did you face any particular challenges on your own journey, and how did you overcome them?

I did face challenges, definitely. I remember submitting the manuscript for a paperback version of a book that I was testing, trying to preview the pages so I could see how everything would look. The pages for the right side of the book were shifted slightly to the right, and that confused me for weeks. When I created the manuscript, I didn’t have that problem. Everything was aligned perfectly. Eventually I realized that the automated publishing system I used was shifting the words slightly to the right to adjust for where the spine of the book would be. When I received the actual copies, the pages looked fine. But I remember little nuances like that giving me a hard time.

I overcame those challenges by taking a step back. The process from creating to editing to publishing can feel never-ending. Sometimes a pause somewhere in between is needed. Taking a step back gave me the kind of clarity that I wouldn’t have found with a tunnel-vision mentality, which is ironic considering how tunnel-vision focus can be so helpful.

You have your professional “eggs” in a lot of baskets, from writing to public speaking and art, and you’ve also juggled being a psychology student alongside writing and publishing books. How do you find balance and avoid burnout?

The only way to find that balance is through time management and planning. But thankfully, a lot of my endeavors work around each other. My school schedule is fairly flexible, so I can go to a speaking event or book club at 10 AM and still make class later if I have to.

As far as writing and illustrating go, I don’t do those things every day. I’m the kind of artist that only works when I have something to say, or when I truly want to express myself emotionally. That isn’t all the time. That isn’t even most of the year if I’m being honest. Speaking generally though, going to bed early and waking up early almost feels like a superpower. When I do that, I have so much time to accomplish what I need to. I can get everything done and really take advantage of my time. It sounds so simple in theory, but many of us know how difficult it actually is to keep a consistent sleep schedule.

What’s your favourite thing about the writing process, and your least favourite?

My favorite part of the process is world-building. I’m very imaginative, so I really enjoy fleshing out the details of the fictional universe that will center my story. My world-building skills are continuing to evolve as I grow in my artistry, so the process just becomes more interesting as time goes on. I’m always finding new possibilities for how to elevate the art and approach storytelling differently. There’s no ceiling of limitation with fiction, so in theory, I can do whatever I want to.

My least favorite part of the process is probably correcting grammatical errors. I don’t mind it really, but I could say it’s the least creatively engaging part of the writing process. It can feel like a chore when you’re going through hundreds of pages, but you know you have to do it.

Where do you find your inspiration, when you’re struggling creatively, particularly when delving into themes that are so personal to you?

The themes that are so personal to me are reflected in every element of my existence. The way I live my life, who’s in my life, what types of media I’m engaged with, what I see when I go outside, and so on. I can look to those things for inspiration. It might be a conversation with a friend. It might be a song, or a thought-proving film that lights a fire in me. It might be looking at the sky, as corny as that could sound. I think the key to staying inspired is to be open to finding inspiration anywhere. It’s not always going to come from the same place, and that’s something I’ve recently realized.

What’s next in the works on your writing journey?

Hopefully another novel! I’ve started drawing again, which is usually the first step in developing a story. Illustrations help me think of ideas, so we’ll have to see what I come up with. I’m also doing two key things that will be beneficial when I begin writing another novel. One, I’m taking the time to reflect on my own life. It’s important for me to clearly identify what themes are resonating with my spirit so I can put those things into the writing. And two, I’m soaking up as much knowledge as I can. Taking writing classes. Attending storytelling panels. Listening more. I really want to learn as much as I can because I genuinely care about this art form. It’s become a real passion of mine, something I think about every single day. All of that passion will definitely be reflected in my next story. For now, all I can say is stay tuned!

Thanks again to author Micah Dawanyi for joining me on the blog! You can buy Battle Scars & Blossoms: A Journey Through the Mind over on Amazon.