Episode #720 How Paul Hlabse Finished His Novel After 18 Years
“Whatever you start, you have to finish it. And it may not be the outcome you want, but you have to see it done.”
— Paul Hlabse
Debut Novelist • Author of Violent Disturbance
What happens when a dream you abandoned years ago refuses to disappear? Paul Hlabse’s journey demonstrates how time, loss and life experience can transform an unfinished idea into something worth completing.
Episode Summary
Paul Hlabse began writing Violent Disturbance approximately 20 years before finally seeing the finished novel in print. After putting the manuscript aside for 18 years, the birth of his daughter gave him a compelling reason to return: he wanted her to see that what we begin deserves the opportunity to be completed.
In this conversation, Paul takes Audley behind the pages of his psychological thriller and into the real-life experiences that shaped it. He reflects on losing his brother, the role faith and accountability played in his life, and why grief can lead different people toward dramatically different choices. Those themes became central to a fictional story in which anger, revenge and unintended consequences spread through an entire community.
The conversation also explores the vulnerability of publishing, the difficulty of exposing creative work to public judgment and the importance of acting before certainty arrives. Paul explains why finishing his first novel changed what he believes is possible and gave him confidence that an audience exists for the stories he wants to tell.
Listen for an honest conversation about unfinished dreams, creative courage and what can happen when you finally decide to begin again.
Top 4 Key Takeaways
KEY TAKEAWAY 1
Putting a meaningful project aside does not necessarily mean you have abandoned it forever.
KEY TAKEAWAY 2
Life experience can give an old idea the depth and direction it was originally missing.
KEY TAKEAWAY 3
Courage is not limited to beginning; it also means finishing the work and allowing others to judge it.
KEY TAKEAWAY 4
You do not need a complete roadmap before acting. Movement often reveals the direction that planning alone cannot provide.
Meet Our Guest
Paul Hlabse is a debut novelist, storyteller and operations professional whose first published novel, Violent Disturbance, blends psychological suspense with elements of true crime. The story explores grief, faith, revenge, morality and the consequences that can follow when people act from pain.
Paul began developing the novel roughly two decades before its publication. After leaving the manuscript untouched for 18 years, he returned to it with greater life experience and a renewed commitment to finish what he had started. Away from writing, Paul has spent approximately 25 years working in manufacturing and process improvement.
He describes storytelling as his true passion and uses fiction not only to entertain readers but also to leave them questioning how they might respond to grief, uncertainty and morally complicated choices. Paul has already continued writing, with another novel in development and plans for a prequel to Violent Disturbance. His public professional profile also identifies him as the founder of Rise and Resilience
Special Offers, Books, or Resources Mentioned
Violent Disturbance
Paul’s debut psychological thriller follows a 15-year-old whose grief and anger after losing his mother set increasingly consequential choices in motion. The novel explores revenge, faith, morality and how people respond differently to devastating loss.
AMAZON ● BARNES AND NOBLE
AUDACIOUS INSIGHT
Blog Post : The Dream You Paused May Still Be Worth Finishing
Summary: Stepping away from an important goal does not always mean you failed; sometimes the intervening years provide the experience, clarity and purpose the work still needs. Living audaciously can mean returning to what you started and discovering that you are finally ready to finish it.
Personal Insight from Audley
What stood out to me was how closely Paul’s experience mirrored part of my own journey as an author. We both began with an idea, reached a point where something was missing and placed the work aside until life gave us the perspective needed to return.
That reminded me that walking away temporarily is not always quitting. Sometimes the vision needs time to catch up with the person creating it. The critical piece is being willing to recognize when the idea calls you back and then taking action. A story sitting on a shelf cannot touch anyone, but a story we finally finish has the opportunity to teach, encourage and change lives.
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