It’s Go Time
How do you do something when you don’t know how to do it? Let’s say this together - Just do it!
If I had known the amount of work and learning I was going to have to do to write a book I may have never done it. The smart thing I did was - just do it. The work wasn’t really work because I was passionate about it. The process rewarded me more than it took from me. The learning came as rewards from the work. In other words, yes it was and endeavor, but it wasn’t a burden.
While I was writing I figured if I had enough material for three hundred pages, I may have a book. It wasn’t so much as a goal to reach, as much as it was a general target I set for myself. In reality, I reasoned if I had enough to say to fill that many pages, then I would have a scope of an idea.
““Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” —E.E. Cummings”
After my first draft, I thought I was done. I thought I had achieved my idea. I remember I put the manuscript down and proclaimed, “I’m done!” I told my close friends who had seen me work on the manuscript during my lunch hours, that my book was ready for print. I was gravely mistaken. In the end I wrote eight revised copies of the manuscript. I had told my mother years ago, I had written my book and every time, I told her I was ready to publish it. She has waited patiently.
A friend once remarked to me that she wanted to be a writer. I asked her if she was currently writing. She said no. I asked her if she was waiting for permission. If so, I granted her permission. Just do it!
““If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” —Vincent van Gogh”
Through my art education, I learned it’s not always what you are taught but what it is that you teach yourself. It’s trail and error. It’s self-discovery. It’s failure and persistence. It’s about putting yourself in the mix and letting the universe guide you. Letting it bring the answers to the questions you need to resolve and if all else fails, there’s always YouTube!
When I had finally finished my book, I thought I would upload my manuscript to Amazon and let it work it’s magic. Again, I was mistaken. I had to learn about formatting a paperback book and ebook. I had to learn the ins-and-outs of self-publishing and I learned a great deal by watching hours of YouTube videos. I’m posting two sources that taught me enough to help me through the final process of self-publishing.
““To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson”
In conjunction with my previous blog post “Follow the Signs”, this post is about trusting yourself. Find a target and go. Believe in yourself to do new things. If you’re on the right path, the universe will guide you - just do it!
As a shout out to the two ladies that I learned from, here are two videos by self-publishing authors that may help you if you want to learn how to be a writer: But really - Just do it!
