Hi Lauren, I'm writing my first book too, it's definitely not easy, and lots of doubts/fears can creep in. One thing I've decided is to absolutely stop comparing myself to other authors, including my wife, who's written 2 books and is now working on her third. No matter how many copies you sell, there's always going to be someone who's sold more, all the way up to James Patterson/Danielle Steel level. There's just no winning that game, ever. Write the book that only you can write, and be proud of that, it's your unique contribution to the universe of human knowledge. Even if there are other books in your category, there's ALWAYS room for one more, as no one will write one exactly like yours. I wish you all the best and will be following your journey!
So, you're not a fraud. Your writing is clear and compelling and it moves right along. So don't worry about that. Good for you for engaging an editor to help you shape it. Creating a book is skill like anything else. You don't know what you don't know. It also helps me to think of a book as a container for ideas vs. some magical mythical beast that has the power to define (or destroy) my self-worth. You also might check out stevenpressfield.com. Pressfield talks a lot about Resistance and gives some great advice about how to overcome it.
Thank you Helena for the words of encouragement! Steven Pressfield's War of Art book was instrumental in getting me to just sit down and write without excuses.
Omg I think this is your best newsletter yet! Good job!
Hi Lauren, I'm writing my first book too, it's definitely not easy, and lots of doubts/fears can creep in. One thing I've decided is to absolutely stop comparing myself to other authors, including my wife, who's written 2 books and is now working on her third. No matter how many copies you sell, there's always going to be someone who's sold more, all the way up to James Patterson/Danielle Steel level. There's just no winning that game, ever. Write the book that only you can write, and be proud of that, it's your unique contribution to the universe of human knowledge. Even if there are other books in your category, there's ALWAYS room for one more, as no one will write one exactly like yours. I wish you all the best and will be following your journey!
So proud of you babe ❤️
My supportive, yet embarrassing husband.
So, you're not a fraud. Your writing is clear and compelling and it moves right along. So don't worry about that. Good for you for engaging an editor to help you shape it. Creating a book is skill like anything else. You don't know what you don't know. It also helps me to think of a book as a container for ideas vs. some magical mythical beast that has the power to define (or destroy) my self-worth. You also might check out stevenpressfield.com. Pressfield talks a lot about Resistance and gives some great advice about how to overcome it.
Thank you Helena for the words of encouragement! Steven Pressfield's War of Art book was instrumental in getting me to just sit down and write without excuses.