Book Writing Journey: When Will I Write My Book?

Setting aside time for writing my book, or for that matter any other special project, poses its challenges. Like most everyone, I have lots of fun ways I like to spend my time plus many commitments and obligations.

Right now, I divide my time among:

• interacting with my coaching clients
• writing for publication
• working at a resort and RV park in exchange for our RV site
• walks and other physical exercise
• meditation and spiritual practices
• reading, watching DVD movies
• cooking, laundry, and keeping our home clean, uncluttered and comfortable
• personal time for journaling, professional development and spiritual growth
• outings to explore the area around us on hikes and scenic back road outings
• treasured time with my husband, dog and friends.

That’s a lot even without including important time-users such as sleep and personal grooming!

So WHEN will I write my book? The most important thing to me is that my time commitment be one that steadily moves my book writing journey forward with ease and grace—AND one I can and will honor.

Based on my current life and work style while we're in southern Utah, my WHEN is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for an hour from 4 to 5 pm. That’s a commitment of three focused book writing hours a week. I may continue writing beyond the appointed hour. I may even find open time on other days to do additional book writing.

That certainly would be a plus. But the critical factor is to hold to my commitment to write three hours a week, preferably on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 5 pm—times that are available and have the lowest likelihood of interruptions and distractions. If circumstances arise that interfere with my current WHEN, my schedule still offers flexibility to squeeze in the writing on a different day or at a different time.

My next step? Schedule those book writing times as firm appointments in my calendar and honor them!

Book Writing Journey: What Is My Book About?

This is the theme statement for my book in progress, whose working title is Writing from Source:

Writing from Source describes a simple 3-step writing process that connects you with the power inside you to gain insight, guidance and solutions for a specific issue or concern.

My theme statement describes the central focus (a simple 3-step writing process) and the benefits people can gain by reading the book (a method to gain insights, guidance and solutions for a specific issue or concern). Its purpose is to guide me as I write the book and as the basis for telling others about the book. Total number of words: 29.

Book Writing Journey: Who Is My Readership?

Years as a professional writer have taught me that the best way for a writer to connect with her readers is to know who is drawn to the topic. And, more specifically, to know who cares enough about the subject to spend time and energy reading what the book offers. Otherwise, I’m writing for one reader and one reader only— me!

Identifying my readership is always a challenging step. Admittedly, I’d like to take the easy way out and say, "This book is for everyone!" or "The ones who are meant to read this will find it." But that would be like throwing a hissy fit and telling my life calling I didn’t want to play unless I could do it my way.

The importance of identifying my ideal readers doesn’t just happen when the book is finished. It happens before the first word gets written! I need to know my ideal readers so that my writing speaks directly to them. And I need to know who they are so my decisions about what language, tone and style to use and what content to include are based on what resonates with them.

So I will do this essential step before I start writing and follow the techniques that I know work.

Fortunately, I have a great resource to guide me in identifying the ideal readership for this book—the monthly Writing from Source teleseminars I have held for nearly two years.

Here’s how I’ll go about identifying my ideal readers:

1. I’ll brainstorm about the qualities, values, needs and challenges of the participants in the Writing from Source teleseminars.
2. From that information, I’ll identify a real-life person who most closely represents those qualities and characteristics. If I don’t manage to identify one person, I’ll create a  "persona" who embodies them.
3. Once I am able to visualize that specific person or composite persona , I will claim him or her as my ideal reader.

To capture the ideas that percolate during brainstorming, I decided to sketch a mind map. The results are shown here:

Mind Map to identify the ideal reader for my Writing from Source book

My ideal readers are open and heart-centered, feel connected to something greater than themselves, and are seekers, especially of their purpose or calling in life. Within each of these attributes, I’ve identified additional values and qualities.

As I look at the characteristics on the mind map and the participants who come to the Writing from Source teleseminars, I see that my ideal reader is:

• 50+ years of age
• Female
• Involved in a role that enriches personal growth and well-being
• Believes in a higher power
• Knows that she has a purpose (calling) that she is meant to fulfill

I can see this ideal reader in my mind's eye. I can even call her by name. This is the reader I will visualize and chat with as I write my book about Writing from Source.

Book Writing Journey Begins!

People I honor and respect have been telling me for more than a year now that I need to get Writing from Source out there in a bigger way. When the "intuitive nudges" I've had for several months turned into serious pokes, I started to pay attention!

The message has finally come through — write a book about the Writing from Source process. At this point, I'm not to concern myself with what type of book. That will eventually reveal itself.

My instructions for now are to start the book writing journey, trust the process, and let it guide me.

And so I begin ...

Honoring the Gift

Do you believe that each of us is presented with a gift to share with others—whether with loved ones only or the world at large? I do!

For a long time, I've wondered what my "gift" is. I've shared my talents knowingly and unknowingly through the years. Some, like my articles that bring extraordinary places to life for my readers, are obvious to me. Others I learn about only when a person who has been touched by them goes out of her way to tell me.

One cherished remark pops to mind. When I was visiting a small Brazilian town 25 years after I worked there as a Peace Corps Volunteer, a young woman approached me to say, "You won’t remember me–I was only 5 years old when you lived here. But I loved to watch you walk down the street self-assured and with such beautiful posture. I looked up to you and always remembered you." My heart sang knowing that just by being me, a little girl believed she, too, could walk in her world with poise, confidence and self-esteem.

But the "gift" I’m thinking about is one that falls into our laps, comes out of nowhere. It’s something that shows up and causes us to wonder where it came from, why it showed up, what we’re supposed to do with it, and how long we’ve had it in our possession without realizing it.

About two years ago, I started getting inklings about the gift that I’m meant to share with others when I crafted three statements to use in a program I presented to a women's group. Six months later, I used the same three statements as the writing prompt for a free teleseminar series on surviving the holiday season.  Encouraged by the participants' comments, I started offering free, monthly teleseminars called Writing from Source.

Participant feedback about invaluable insights and guidance prompted me to continue. Twenty months later, I continue to hold the monthly calls. Whether one or a dozen people show up for a session, I’m pleased to facilitate it. The fact that I do the calls simply because I love the process and what it reveals tells me I’m meant to be doing this.

Yes, this is the gift I am meant to share—Writing from Source, a writing process that uses your responses to three statements to gain insights, guidance and answers from inside yourself about a key issue in your life.

Now that I recognize that the Writing from Source process is the "gift" I’m charged with sharing, I’ve started heeding the intuitive nudges that have been poking me the past many months. Those nudges tell me to share Writing from Source in a bigger way—and that the next step is to write a book about it.