Sharmin Smith - Your Brain Is Like a Computer With a Million Browser Tabs Open (Author From the U.S)

Your brain is like a computer with a million browser tabs open at any point in time. Constantly be writing your next book in one and filing away research notes in the others. 

Those tabs help you to compartmentalize and file away important information you will need later. Don't ever delete anything you've written. 

Tell us more about your background and journey.

I'm a military brat, I come from a couple of storied bloodlines that help connect the dots of history in unique ways. All of the Presidents are related through one King 800 years ago, the lines are well documented. When I shook my family tree I had Presidents fall from two different branches. One of my Presidential bloodlines is subject to the Curse of Tecumseh. 

All of the years I heard my grandmother joke about our family being cursed took on a whole new meaning when I learned about Tecumseh. Fortunately for me, I'm also from the Polk bloodline and I too believe in Manifest Destiny.



When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

I had my palm read in my 20's and was told that I would be a famous author someday. At that time I could not imagine anything in my life would be worth writing about. After being diagnosed with PTSD, I embraced the reality that my political dreams were over. No one would ever elect someone with a diagnosed mental health condition, or at least that's what I thought in 2008. 

When I started writing my first book in 2014 it was a way to play out the dreams I never thought I'd be able to fulfill in my life. Fiction was an avenue to live my life vicariously and a way to turn my pain into purpose.



Is it a financially stable career?

No. At least not so far. To date, I've spent more in marketing than I've ever made in book sales. I've recently learned that successful books only sell about 15,000 copies. That simply will not do, I'm manifesting millions of units in book sales.



Who is your favourite writer and why?

I'm currently enjoying The Captain. He's smart, funny, handsome and he writes in a way that crosses the gender divide. 

He manages to help other men man up and I appreciate him for it.

Where does your inspiration lie?

I believe it lies in my pain. I focus on trying to make the world a better place than I left it. What has hurt me, hurts my heart and my heart is in the place of preventing others' pain. I believe that there is nothing so wrong with our country and the people in it that it can't be corrected with a little common sense and compassion. 

The trick is finding the key that unlocks common sense and compassion. I'm constantly looking for ways to create buy-in and help people embrace others' pain instead of creating more pain by ignoring what already exists.



What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring writers?

Your brain is like a computer with a million browser tabs open at any point in time. Constantly be writing your next book in one and filing away research notes in the others. 

Those tabs help you to compartmentalize and file away important information you will need later. Don't ever delete anything you've written. Store it somewhere in a document you can reach out and touch later. You don't even know when you're going to need what you've already done.



Which is your favourite book and why?

F*cking History by The Captain - go ahead and read some of it and tell me this guy isn't on to something. 

Connect on Instagram

Interviewed by - Subham Biswas