It didn’t kill me, but for a moment all the air escaped my lungs.
My son was playing T-ball, dressed in his oversized shirt that draped to his knees and sporting a ball cap that looked massive on his perfectly round head. I giggled under my breath, thankful for this special father-son moment. I was content. Life was good. The day prior I had sent in a chapter to my editor and I was proud of my progress. I was ahead of schedule and in the zone. I looked forward to positive feedback while I forged ahead with more writing. That day I had already written almost 1000 words, and hoped to add to that total once the kids went to sleep.
Then my phone buzzed.
Instinctively I took a glance to see if it was Melissa texting me for a photo of our all-star or a request for me to pick up milk on the way home. Instead I saw that I had an email waiting for me. I couldn’t help myself when I saw the name of my editor. I had to open the email and get an update on my progress. I felt good about my latest chapter and looked forward to his feedback.
I should have waited.
What I read was like the “unblockable kick” (for the young ones out there, this is a reference from the original Karate Kid movie). I saw it coming, but I couldn’t avoid it.
My editor expressed some deep concerns. He didn’t like the direction my book was taking. He felt I was writing two books and needed a re-write. I was devastated. I had already written 60,000 words. Its no wonder that so many people have tried to write a book but so few (comparatively) have succeeded. This was rough and kept me from sleep that night.
But I took his advice, swallowed my pride, and started over. I refused to skip a beat. I would not allow myself to wallow in doubt, disillusionment and self-pity. I had my mission to complete a book and I was going to do it even if I lost all my hair in the process (I have noticed increased hair loss lately…).
Writing my book Sideswiped: Three Keys to a Fresh Start For a Broken Heart was a six month process that took me to the limit of my talent and tenacity. But I’m thankful I never gave in to the voice in my head that tried to convince me to “take it easy” or “just take a day off.”
I made a commitment to my Kickstarter backers, told my friends and family that I would produce a book, and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.
Maybe you have a book in you. Rather than thinking about it,
a) tell someone else
b) let them hold you accountable
c) then do it!
You’ll be glad you did.