Today,
My Writing Life is interviewing Duncan Bhaskaran Brown, an author from
Abingdon, England. Duncan wrote Get Over Indulgence, a memoir that uses
humor to tell a real-life story about facing adversity and being transformed.
This is the true story of a man who “learned
to stop drowning stress in alcohol, junk food and other unhealthy habits.”
In his childhood, Duncan had to confront school bullies; as an adult he worked
in politics and went through the heartbreak of losing a baby.
My Writing Life: What is the purpose of Get Over Indulgence? Is it a memoir? Is it
a self-help book? Tell us about your life and how your book relates to it.
Duncan:
The short
answer is that it’s both, but who likes short answers? I wanted to write
something that would help people and I also wanted to write something that
explored my experiences, but it’s far from a straightforward memoir. The best
way I can describe it is to say it’s the journey of my learning. I decided
early on that the lessons had to be the most prominent part and that I wanted
it to be as readable as possible. In the end, I decided that in places the
story should serve the message. I guess it ended up being a semi-biographical,
self-help novella – nothing pretentious about that!
My Writing Life: What other interests and passions do you have in your life?
Do they contribute to your writing in some way?
Duncan:
I love
dancing and music. They’ve both had a huge impact on my writing. On the surface
level I often end up using song lyrics for chapter titles and I quote songs
reasonably often. On a deeper level,
pretty much every gig I’ve been to in the last 20 years has given me an idea or
an approach that I can try when I’m writing. I think any form of art can teach
us something about any other form.
My Writing Life: I totally agree with you. Art forms can be interconnected
in several ways. What makes your book unique? Tell us about the moment in which
you decided you had to write it.
Duncan: Most self-help books set
out to fix the problem, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I’ve always
been interested in showing people that they’re not alone, that they’re not the
only person who feels this way. Get Over Indulgence has helped people to
change in significant ways but I think its real power is in helping people feel
less like they’re the only one and then nudging them in the right direction.
My Writing Life: This means it can be a helpful resource as well. I used to
say books are like friends that can help us through difficult times. How did
hitting rock bottom help you cultivate resilience?
Duncan:
I’m very
lucky – I didn’t hit rock bottom. I got out before I lost the house, the job
and the family. One thing I try to help people to understand is that they don’t
have to wait till it gets unbearable; you can change when it gets just plain
bad. But yes, I believe that my experience of changing my life has created
positive changes – some in beliefs, some physical – that means I’m better able
to handle the rubbish life throws at me.
My Writing Life: Did you write other books? Would you like to tell us more?
Duncan:
Get Over
Indulgence
is my second book. Since then, I’ve written two more. Real Men Quit is a guide
to what to do if you decide you want to take control of alcohol. I suppose it’s
the logical conclusion of Get Over Indulgence – one nudges you on to the
path and the other walks down that path with you. I’ve just co-written Juggle
Yourself Productive. It’s about harnessing the little-known productivity
hack that is juggling (not as a metaphor but with actual, genuine balls).
My Writing Life: What authors influenced your writing? Are you planning to
write more books? Are there any authors that inspire you?
Duncan:
Very briefly
I have been inspired, influenced and changed by: Jared Diamond, Laozi, Demond
Morris, Nietzsche, Seth Godin, Brené Brown, Johann Hari, Margaret Attwood,
Philip Pullman, Dostoevsky, Neal Stephenson, Douglas Adams, William Gibson,
Keats… I could go on.
I
currently have a few projects that I’m tinkering with and a couple that I’m
pitching: from using your phone to folk dancing, from high-performance poetry
to Christmas traditions. I’ve been a writer for about as long as I can remember
and I can’t imagine I’ll stop any time soon.
My
Writing Life:
Those are intriguing and fascinating topics, indeed. I look forward to learning
more about them in the future. Thank you for the interview.
