Tag: first book

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Writer’s Block? No problem.

When your biggest and longest-held (lifelong) dream and goal has not come to fruition, but you’re still trying, how do you feel?

When you remember each morning that you still haven’t achieved your longest-held (lifelong) dream and goal, how do you feel?

I will tell you.  

Yucky.

Only, that is, if you allow yourself to get carried away on a wave of despair.  Some days you might feel despondent, scared, or worse, we all do. Don’t give up.  

I’ve been through a little stuck-patch, but I’m not allowing myself to go down that road of doom and gloom.  

We all feel scared at times and despondent.  The trick is, to nip it in the bud before it runs away with itself and takes you with it. 

On a Down Day, I always know an Up Day is on the horizon.  The new day will dawn, I’ll wake up, get out of bed and start again.  I will read what I’ve previously written (feeling pleased that it’s better than I remember) and continue writing and editing my book.  

I keep my faith, my hope and my optimism going.  I trust myself and bolster my belief in my ability to complete the task.  The task I set myself; remembering, that no one else set it for me, this task of writing, finishing and publishing a book.  

Lately, it has been a little difficult. 

– I stopped working on my book.

– I stopped blogging about working on my book.

However:

– I continued to write daily in my journal, as I always love to do (and it’s always easy).

– I worked on other (easier) creative projects, to keep my spirits up.

– I bought a course on Writer’s Block.  

I must tell you, I do not have writer’s block and never have.  I can always write and do it every day.  

What I do have is first-book-writer’s-block. I also have blog-writer’s-block.  I’m hoping both of these are a thing of the past – since my Writer’s Block course, because I have new strategies.

The course I took is called Writer’s Block Relief, by Joseph Michael.  It gave me some new techniques, tips and tools to try. It also gave me renewed hope.

Using what I’ve learned in the course, I’ve decided to take a different tack: 

  • For the next week, I will work on my book and my blog, every day.  
  • Each day, I will focus on turning up for the process and will not focus on results. (Not yet anyway).
  • At the end of this week, I will then review my writing progress.  

I don’t think it’s fair to Joseph Michael to reveal everything I learned on his Writer’s Block Relief course. But I will say, that I’ve learned enough to feel a real shift. Wonder of Wonders, I am champing at the bit to get back to writing the book!

My main takeaway from the course means that I will approach my writing time differently. My commitment to writing both book and blog will be for a teeny, tiny period of time, each day. I will then celebrate and reward myself for that achievement, and my success in showing up.  If I want to spend more time working on my book or blog, (beyond the daily time period I’ve set and committed to) that is fine.

I’m choosing to focus on what I am getting done, what I am achieving and on the progress I am making. No longer am I focussing on what isn’t yet done (as I started to do at the beginning of this post).

Okay, so the book, the project, the life’s work isn’t yet completed. So what! If progress is being made and you’re enjoying the process – hoorah! Cheer yourself on.

Previously, my book and blog-writing pattern had been a hard slog, working over long, unbroken periods, followed by the need for a complete break from writing.  Working too long and hard without breaks, meant enthusiasm and inspiration faded, and the creative well ran dry.  

Not any longer!  

I’m starting my new (less is more) writing process today.  I’ll let you know after seven days of using this new tactic, how I get on.  It has to beat spending a whole day, sometimes two, trying to write one paltry blog post.  I will never write for long periods, without a break, ever again.  Unless I’m in effortless flow of course!

I realise that I will work better, incorporating scheduled breaks into my working week – at regular intervals throughout the day.  This will keep my energy fresh and my mind clear.  All I need to do then, is be open, receive the inspiration and write it down. 

It feels so good to be back on track.  I’ll let you know how I get on with this new way of working. Am hoping to prove, that in doing less, I will accomplish more.  

See you in a week!

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The Stop Button

Too many projects?

I recently moved to Nottinghamshire, after a lifetime in London. At the same time, I’ve taken on several new projects, all at once, and am beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed. As well as the project of moving into a new house and new county, my other projects include:

  1. New Plot: rental of a plot of land from the local Council, the size of a small field, covered in couch grass and weeds, the roots of which go down several feet into the earth
  2. New Book (my First): committing to focussing on, finishing and publishing my first book. This feels like I’m putting myself under pressure, as I’ve already tried to complete this for many years, without success.
  3. New Website and Blog: a further commitment to publish my first book, through creating this new website and blogging about my book-writing journey, from draft to publication. Thereby putting myself under the cosh even more, by choosing to do all of this publicly.

My projects require a mixture of mental brainpower, together with plain old physical muscle and sweat of brow. I’m getting to grips with learning stuff I don’t know, including techy things such as the workings of WordPress and search engine optimisation – which is vital but not hugely inspiring or interesting to me if I’m honest,

Is there a way to stop the train? The Universe says Yes

I’ve been wondering to myself, have I taken on too much?  This worrying feeling showed up recently, in one of my night-time dreams:

In the dream I was on a train with various people from my past.  The train stopped and it was time for me to get off.  Suddenly, one of my friends, who had lots of luggage, needed help with some stuff she’d dropped.  Rather than get off the train, I felt I had to help her gather up her stuff. I knew this would mean the train might move off with me still on it and I was likely to miss my stop.

I said to the train driver, “Excuse me, can I ask you something?”

He nodded, so I continued, “Is there a way to completely stop the train? You know, if you should ever really need to?”  

He gave me a look that said, “You are joking?”  as he pointed to a massive red button on the train’s control panel. 

The button was huge, how could I have missed that? 

So I said, “Ah yes.  Of course.”

Then I woke up.

And yes, it was obvious. If I wanted to stop, all I had to do was push the big red button, and stop. 

The train seems to represent Where I’m Going.  I wanted to get off the train but felt duty bound to help my friend with her stuff. The friend might even represent an aspect of me. The me who’s been trying to finish writing her book all these years and is wondering if it’s worth it and maybe I should just get off the train.

Staying on the train, for whatever reason may mean I’m On Board with my projects, and that I don’t want to Stop the Train, just yet. But what if I do want to stop further down the line? Can I do that?

Asking the Train Driver, was like my asking for reassurance from the Universe: 

“Hey Universe, I know I’m committed to all these things, but, if by any chance I needed to change my mind/back out/stop – is there any way I could actually do that?

As I’ve said, the Train Driver simply pointed to the big red button.  He didn’t speak, but the look on his face seemed to say:

“You’re kidding me? Just stop.  It’s no skin off my nose.”

It’s not just about me

So why the feeling of overwhelm and even, why am I feeling a little bit scared?

Ahh.  Then I realised.  It isn’t just about me.  

It’s about readers.  It’s about the readers I’m imagining may read my blog and read my book.  

Somewhere out there (please God) are people who might read and enjoy my book.  Or who might one day read my blog and, dare I hope, feel encouraged by it.

If it was just me I could merrily write for myself, and not share it online or anywhere else. The idea to do this publicly was because I hoped it would give me that spur – when you say to others you will do something you are more likely to do it.

Yet, I’d love to think that my blog or my book will help not just me, but others too. When they read about how long it’s taken me to finish my book, it might make them feel better. It might give them a spur too, to finish their book, or start a blog, or create a website, or create a product – but most of all, to trust themselves to do it and trust they will do it well.

The thought that it isn’t just about me, is both terrifying and encouraging. Knowing someone might be interested in the next stage of the story, helps me to keep writing. If I blog about my progress consistently, I’m more likely to achieve that goal of finishing and publishing my first book.  

Thinking about it logically, I really don’t need to feel overwhelmed.  I am the one who has chosen these projects. No one is forcing me to do any of it.  

It’s early days for my blog. I have two people on my subscriber list. Two people who I would hope, have subscribed because they are interested in the topic of my blog. If I continue to blog regularly, maybe that list of two will grow.

Even two people signed up to your blog is a vote of confidence and means there is now expectation. It means you need to go on and write those blog posts and that book. And hey – I want to, I want to do this!

So on I go. I will continue to post on my blog and continue to allow myself to hope, that sharing my story might help others to share theirs.  When I think of those others, I feel more incentive to keep going. It doesn’t matter whether this blog is helpful or just interesting – but I hope it’s one or the other!

Thank you my two subscribers. I appreciate you and your support. And just to let you know that for the moment, any thoughts about pressing that big red button have faded away.

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She published her first book at age 95

There is an inspiring story about an American woman, Delana Jensen Close, who has recently indie-published her first novel, aged 95.  Her book is called The Rock House and she started writing it in 1955. Yes, sixty-three years ago.

Wow! There is hope.

Delana’s book has its own Facebook page which features an excerpt. The protagonist, Abby, is in a fair amount of pain, giving birth to her baby . . . in the presence of a priest.

In the same way as birthing a baby, Delana said about her book, “It had to come out.”

Yes, and she spent sixty-three years getting it out. 

I have no idea if Delana worked studiously, year after year writing her book, or whether it was in a dusty drawer for decades and she unearthed and reworked it. 

Whichever it was, I say, Well Done Delana!  You have given thousands of first-time book writers hope.  You have made me realise, it really is never too late and age is just a number.  

I have not read Delana’s book, but the back cover blurb suggests the story line is potentially a good one.  According to its Facebook page, The Rock House has even won a prize.  

Delana’s story is inspiring. I wonder how many more first-time authors are in their seventies, eighties and nineties?  (Maybe someone should do a survey?)

One other first-time author springs to mind: Mary Wesley, who in her seventies, wrote The Camomile Lawn. Her book was so popular it was made into a t.v. series. Yet, in an article about Mary Wesley in The Guardian, way back in 2006, Gloria Glendinning said of Mary: 

She had been writing all her life for her own pleasure, but apart from two novels in the late 1960s, which did not make a mark, had always thrown away what she wrote.

Well Mary, we differ there. I cannot throw away anything  I’ve written upon, even the back of an envelope!

By the way, Delana is currently working on her second and third books.  Yes, aged ninety-six.

So, let’s just end with a message to all aspiring first -time authors out there, including me:  

Keep going! You can do it. It really is Never Too Late.

Are you working on your first book?  How long have you been writing it?

If you’re already a published author, how long did it take you to write and publish your first book? 

Note: Just so you know, I first found Delana’s first-book-story at www.dispatch.com. Although I was able to read Google’s snippet of the story, I couldn’t access www.dispatch.com’s full webpage, presumably because I live in the UK and not the USA.   Thankfully, author Lee Martin, had also shared Delana’s story online and I got more detail about it from his blog post.