Dirk Hooper Write Works

Originally published March 20, 2017.

I’ve been mostly absent from my usual social media habits lately, including this blog. Maybe you’ve noticed?

I spend an inordinate amount of time working photos, writing, and sharing content, but lately I’ve been busy.

If you’ve been keeping up with my writing, one of my constant refrains is how important it is to do the big things. The big things take much more time, it’s always more complex, it’s challenging… and it crowds out all the small things you’ve been filling your time with.

Well—I’ve been doing a big thing lately.

Since I’m closing in on the end of this big project it’s time to tell you a bit about it and what I’ve learned so far.

I’ve been doing narration for Suzanne Steele’s book Glasov. Let me take a moment to give her a plug. If you haven’t been reading Suzanne Steele’s books about alpha males, then you’re really missing out on some great characters, engaging plots, and some exceptionally steamy moments. You can check at the bottom of this post for several links to her work. She’s a highly prolific, successful, and lauded author.

Glasov is a story of a beautiful New York entrepreneur and the Russian mob boss who takes liking to her… to say the least. The story is told in first person by a number of characters, which means that I’ve had to adopt the voice of a whole cast of characters.

It’s been a complete blast! It’s one of most fun things I’ve ever done!

And that’s the point that I’m trying to bring to you today.

Although I’ve had experience with being a voice talent and doing audio production since 2005, this is the first time I’ve done a project of this sort. This project is also a huge deal that had to be shoehorned into my usual busy schedule. It would have been easy to not take the leap of doing something like this.

However, the rewards have been amazing, and we haven’t even released the audiobook yet.

I’ve been challenged every step of the way, both as a narrator and as an engineer. I’ve learned so much.

I’ve also discovered that I deeply enjoy this type of work, something I never would have known if I hadn’t taken the plunge.

Finally, I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve done on this project. Because it’s a large project and it’s taken so long to get to this point, I’m even more excited about what I’ve accomplished by getting this far. It’s been a lot of satisfying work.

The big things are scary. I know.

When you look at a project that might take a few months, or a few years, then it’s easy to just go watch The Flash, or surf the internet, or hang out with friends, instead of buckling down and carving out the extra time a big project takes.

I’ve sacrificed a lot of time, and missed out on a number of fun things, to do this. And it’s all worth it. Trust me. When we release the Glazov audiobook it’s going to be so sweet to share it with the world.

What is your big project that you’ve been putting off? Do you want to write a book? Do you have a comic you’d like to do? Maybe you’d like to start a new business, or re-do your bathroom.

Get started on it today. It’s worth it. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, there’s so much work to do and you’ll have to miss out on some fun things now and then. But when you get near the finish line you’re going to see what I see right now.

The big stuff is what life is all about.