I leaned over my keyboard on the verge of tears and took a deep, cleansing breath. Would this book ever be finished? I had been plugging away for six years by this point and I was discouraged, exhausted and full of self-doubt. I had a busy life that was packed with parenting five children and step-children, supporting a partner with an unpredictable career, taking care of two big dogs and struggling to build my livelihood as a professional marketing copywriter. But what I wanted to do more than anything in the world was to write a book, a novel, in fact. One of the biggest blocks I faced came in the form of the dreadful question that so many of my clients have tackled, too: who did I think I was to write this book?

Actually, the question I replaced that one with, eventually, was “Who did I think I was to NOT write this book?” Arrogant as that might seem at first blush, I eventually came to realize, I was the only person on the planet who actually could write that particular book. I had the skills, training, life experience and sensitivity to get that book written, and completed it in a way that was unique, appropriate, and powerful.

The same is true for you.

Have You Been Ignoring the Call Within You to Write a Book?

If you’ve felt the calling to write a book but you haven’t finished it yet, then I imagine there is a pretty hefty emotional and financial cost to your current state of mind about the project. Writing a book is a big project and it takes a huge amount of perseverance and there’s a dollar investment involved, as well. But if you have something important to say, then I encourage you get your thoughts down on paper and start creating the book you were meant to write.

Please be kind to yourself as you work through this project. If you’ve been struggling to get your book either started or finished, I invite you to consider the possibility that you’ve had a lot to deal with. Be open to the idea that your life experiences have cluttered up your psyche with doubtful thoughts somehow, so it’s been tough to concentrate on the job at hand. And ask yourself if you’ve secretly been nursing a bit of head trash that has been getting in the way of getting that book written and published.

Your past is not your future, in fact your past doesn’t even exist in the present moment. It’s over, done, gone. So leave those past experiences behind. They’re heavy and they get in the way of the dance of life. But let’s be grateful for the past even so. Because everything that has ever happened to you has created the life you have right now. Everything that has ever happened to you has resulted in the person you are, a person with the wisdom, training, insight and knowledge that you are now able to put into the service of the members of your ideal audience. You’ve been concentrating on a lot of other things up to now, and writing your book has not been one of them. That’s OK. You’ve been doing a great job elsewhere in your life!

I did eventually get my novel, Shades of Teale, published, and it was a moment of triumph for me when it was finally published. It had been a long road. But well worth the journey.

If you’re ready to take a few more steps towards the completion of your own book, why not book a complimentary consultation with me to find out what the range of possibilities are for you? I’m ready if you are!