Why Don't You Write Something?
I wasn't an only child but there were times in my childhood when it felt that way. I was the younger daughter. There were quite a few years between me and my older sister and that was compounded by the fact that early on she went off to boarding school. I was too young and I stayed home. I'm not sure but I think that was a thing back then.
Any whoooo, I spent my early days being a really avid Barbie fan, climbing the many trees in our yard, reading voraciously, and writing little stories. My imagination was a fertile plot and some of my earliest memories include me sitting in the crook of my favorite tree, Barbie beside me, spinning some fantasy only creatable from the mind of a child.
In school I excelled in English, and even was at some point awarded the English prize. I truly enjoyed writing. I never thought writing would be a career path that I would follow, it certainly was not encouraged. From an early age I was set along the path to be a Physician or a Scientist or something along those lines, but I never stopped writing. I wrote my short stories, I wrote copiously in my journal and I wrote, just for me and just for fun.
Out of my early childhood solitude was born that love of writing and it has stayed with me ever since. I had written many science based, health and wellness focused and medical articles over my years working in health care. The distant idea that I had as a child of some day being a bestselling author, was never given it a second thought. That was until a dear friend and publisher pulled me aside a few years ago and invited me to be a contributor to an anthology collaboration book project that was focused on women's empowerment, motivation and personal development.
The fire was reignited. I wrote a chapter in the best selling book Set Sail and my true nature again started to shine through. I enjoyed the writing process, the solitude of sitting down and just letting the words come to me and flow out onto the page. It almost felt as though I was cleansing my very soul. It was so cathartic.
And then the doubts came: Is it any good, will people like it, will people judge my words that are almost as precious to me as my children are? Will I and will they be judged harshly? Am I truly ok with putting myself out there, am I ok with allowing myself to be this vulnerable? All this time I had been writing for me. Except for articles and of courses pieces I submitted back in school, all my stories and journaling were just for me. I know for many aspiring authors, reception and rejection is a huge concern.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I know I'm not alone with this. Many of us may have doubts when it comes to our writing. If anyone identifies with this I want to let you know I acknowledge you and I am you. The antidote to fear of publishing is a loving and heart centered editing and publishing team. I have been fortunate, and with their guidance and a loving acceptance, I was able to take that big bold step.
It turns out my worries were unfounded. The whole process of writing AND publishing flowed like a symphony for me. I enjoyed meeting, getting to know and forming deep and lasting friendships with my coauthors: liked minded women who are so amazing and that I would probably not have had an opportunity to meet with otherwise. I got an amazing charge of adrenaline during our book launch as we shared our work with our tribes, and through the power of collaboration, saw our book rise to best seller among the millions of other books in the field. AND I had a tremendous sense of accomplishment when I saw the reviews, reviews from people who had been positively impacted by my stories and the words that we as a collective had shared with the world.
Since then I have gone on to publish my own solo bestseller, but nothing compares to working on a collaboration writing project. I have had the opportunity to participate in at least five other collaboration writing projects. Every time expanding my reach and my impact and to be honest, even though we don't talk too much about the money side of things, I've also been able to increase my income. Each time connecting with new outstanding authors that I am now so blessed to be able to call my friends. Each time connecting with new audiences through the power of a collaborative book launch. And each time just watching as someone, who I had never met, who needs the messages, encouragement and love in our books, receives just what they need at the perfect time.
I've enjoyed the process of contributing to anthology book projects so much that I partnered with Elizabeth Hill and Green Heart Living Press to bring the LPL Transformation Anthology Series into the world. We are so blessed to have just released our 2nd installment: "Success In Any Season." To be honest this was a perfect subject for our 2021 Spring release after we had all been through what 2020 had to offer. The stories of resilience in this book are heart warming and just oh so encouraging; Pointing to one stellar truth: We can be successful no matter what is going on in the world around us. If you doubt this, I invite you to read the book, see the things that these amazing women have risen above and then, only then, let's have this conversation again.
I've shared how I came to writing. That's all well and good. But what about you? What writing dreams have you fostered and for how long? Are you a prolific blogger or journaler (is Journaler a word?) Do you have a message that is so important that you need to get it out into the world in a way that we can be certain that the word will hear it? Are you a beacon of light shining your light into the world? Do you have stories of how shining you light into the void has transformed lives and had ripple effects that you couldn't have foreseen?
Lot's of questions, I know! But I will say this. If these questions have evoked anything in you. If reading this has sparked a desire to put your work into print, then I'd love to chat with you and get to know you because you seem like my kind of people! I'll preface this by saying that there are writing projects, both solo and collaborative, that I can share with you. There are also a number of resources that I can point you in the direction of that can truly enhance your visibility of your business and your brand. But all I'm suggesting here is an opportunity for us to get to know each other. A quick getting to know you call where you tell me all about what lights you up and what stories you want to get out there. At the very least, we will each make a new friend an at it's highest expression we might find magical ways that we can collaborate together. The choice is yours.
If you would like to connect, click through my brief survey and hop onto my calendar: https://www.growsmarternotharder.com/survey
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