{"id":21,"date":"2023-09-28T10:03:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T09:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2026-04-16T08:59:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:59:04","slug":"story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/story\/","title":{"rendered":"My Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color has-background\" style=\"color:#ffff99;background-color:#000099\">My Writing Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Truth About Becoming a Full\u2011Time Writer: My Journey\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/54Ooh_3xReY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Watch this inspiring story of a writer who overcame self-doubt and skepticism to pursue his passion for storytelling!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-midnight-gradient-background has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/newsletter\/\" style=\"border-radius:15px;color:#ffff99\"><strong>NEWSLETTER <\/strong>and <strong>FREE e-book!<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing has been my greatest passion since childhood. Like many young authors, I struggled with self-doubt and endured skepticism from family and friends. In my twenties, I pursued my other passion and earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Although I loved scientific research, the dream of becoming an author relentlessly haunted me. Despite persistent self-doubt, I never stopped writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My breakthrough came when I recognized that my background in science equipped me with valuable insights into the human mind and enhanced my storytelling skills. It gave me the confidence to finish two novels and submit them to publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To my amazement, I received two offers, and several months later, I held my first \u201cpaper and ink baby.\u201d Since then, I\u2019ve authored numerous books across genres, and I\u2019ve been making a full-time living as a writer. I\u2019ve also had the joy of mentoring many writers who now enjoy fruitful careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be a literary genius, a celebrity, or a marketing expert to succeed as a writer. If there\u2019s a secret to success, it\u2019s this: Don\u2019t aim to impress; aim to engage. Storytelling is the art of emotional exchange. To truly connect, you must be willing to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-midnight-gradient-background has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/willraywood.com\" style=\"border-radius:15px;color:#ffff99\"><strong>HOME<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My Writing Journey Writing has been my greatest passion since childhood. Like many young authors, I struggled with self-doubt and endured skepticism from family and friends. In my twenties, I pursued my other passion and earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Although I loved scientific research, the dream of becoming an author relentlessly haunted me. Despite [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":true,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-21","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":380,"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions\/380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willraywood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}