I’d like to welcome to my blog Alice Crider! She is my life coach and, more importantly, my friend. Plus, she’s going to be on my radio show, Living Inspired, this week. To listen to the interview: go here and click on the player in the upper right corner of the screen. Thursday at 3:00 pm Central.
Perhaps you had a dream one day: Why don’t I write a book? I like to write, so why don’t I do it for a living? I’d get to be my own boss. When you paid attention to those thoughts, they became obsessively irresistible, didn’t they? You felt compelled to start writing and publish a book. No matter what you did to shake it off, you couldn’t get rid of this idea. If you’re like me, you envisioned yourself in a cozy home office, sipping tea and writing as your children played joyfully and free of mishap outdoors. And you imagined what it would feel like to receive that life-changing phone call—the one offering your first book contract. It wouldn’t be long before publishers and fans began to clamor for more of your wordsmith wisdom and literary delights.
Congratulations! According to Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth Revisited, you had an “entrepreneurial seizure.” The idea that you could make a living doing something you love to do gripped your heart, never to let go. From that moment on, you were never the same again.
No matter what your reasons are for establishing a publishing career, consider that God’s plan is to use your dream to grow you. He not only wants to expand your horizons, he wants to expand your heart and stretch your soul. Often his primary purpose is not to make you an overnight success, but to draw you closer to Himself, heal you, refine you, redeem your life, and transform you into a unique reflection of Him.
Every successful author I know has a strong sense of his or her unique gifts, abilities, and aspirations. They know their own voice, their passion, their calling as a writer. And they know they don’t know everything. They recognize their own need for continuing personal and professional growth. They are life-long learners who seek to know God and themselves as well as others.
So how do you start writing that first book? If you attend a writer’s conference, you’ll hear that step one is to hone your writing craft. Step two: Develop a unique concept. Step three: Build a platform. Simple enough—maybe you’re already doing those things. However, I invite you to consider that the very first step toward your writing career begins with a question. . . .
Who are you, and what do you have to offer the world?
If you’re interested in exploring that question, you may want to look into author coaching—a personalized program to help you grow into the author God wants you to be. As an author coach, my mission is to empower you to realize your book-writing dreams and live a life that glorifies God.
Do you feel called to write? If so, don’t just put it on your bucket list; take a step into your dream now.