I’ll let you into a little secret – I’ve written a few books in my time. All of them have been fiction. In the middle of preparing one of those books for publication, I completely altered course and started writing Eating Habits for Healthy Skin. I had an 80,000-word novel almost ready to go but I side-lined it to start another book with a word count, at the time, of zero.
It seems crazy to me, but all I can say is that I felt called to write it.
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Big Magic?
One of my favourite books is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert writes that the planet is inhabited not only by animals and plants and bacteria and viruses, but also by ideas. Those ideas are continually searching for someone to partner with and will reach out to a writer and ask “do you want to work with me?”.
Gilbert accepts, as do I, that this is not rational or scientific. But it’s how I felt with this book. I didn’t feel that I wanted to write it. I felt that I had to.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m quite shy and very private. It’s not at all in my nature to be out there talking about me. So to write a book about my experience of skin conditions and the associated emotional toll that took on me was a real challenge. To then go ahead and publish it, and tell people of its existence made me feel vulnerable.
I spent weeks trying to come up with the perfect pen name to publish my book under. But then I realised my book isn’t about me. It’s about you, lovely reader. And the chance that what worked for me might work for you too.
When the idea for the book first came to me, I kept seeing people that were struggling with their skin. There was a girl I saw every morning when I was walking my daughter to school. Her acne reminded me of mine. I knew at least some of these people could benefit from my experiences. But you can’t walk up to someone you don’t know and ask if it’s ok to talk to them about their skin. I’ve been on the receiving end of unsolicited skincare advice, and it’s not fun!
So I decided to write a book (and my blog) and let people know it was there. While telling my story has not been a comfortable experience, it’s my story, my experiences, and I knew I had to own it if I wanted others to really hear my message.
Claire Hamilton, that’s me, and Eating Habits for Healthy Skin is my story.
Eating Habits for Healthy Skin
When I was writing the book, I knew it had to be in two parts. The first part is a reminder of the back to basics approach to eating that has kept many generations before us, and now me, healthy; the second part is a framework that you can use to change your habits.
That second part is important because knowing something isn’t enough. You have to be able to apply that knowledge to make change possible.
When you change your eating habits, you free yourself from food drama. You stop following diet trends, and you stop searching for the latest superfood. You eat in a way that feels easy and makes you feel great.
Did big magic inspire me to write my book? I don’t know. I had an instinct, and I followed it. And from the comments I’ve had from readers, I know it was the right decision.
I’m not an expert in skin health. I’m just someone with a story to share, some of which might resonate with you.
To learn more, click here to read the preview.
