. . . in a candy store.

Whoever said life gets boring as you get older never wrote a book. The writing process is not just about the effort it takes to produce words and make sure they all come together—it’s also about anticipation, waiting, wondering, and learning. I asked my editor, Rachel, if every author gets this excited every time he or she publishes a book or if the excitement wanes after a while. She said “I’m not sure, but I certainly hope so because there is so much joy to be found in the process.” Personally, I have been just as excited working on volume II as I was while working on volume I, and I don’t see any difference in the anticipation factor either.

I am growing each day, learning new things, experiencing the reality of what living a dream feels like. I am thinking thoughts that take me five years down the road, where my dream of publishing a series of ten volumes of my little book is becoming a reality; the books are sitting on my shelf in the box I designed for them, the colors of the dust jackets shifting gradually with each volume, at least, that’s the plan 🙂

The excitement I’m feeling comes from the fact that I created a goal and put a plan together to achieve it after looking at every angle and path available. My marketing expert, Beth, from Author Connections, said, “If I could tell people one thing about writing a book, it would be that they need to plan.” This statement really hit home when I received the Marketing plan she put together for me, it is full of doors to open and paths to follow, talk about planning at it’s best.

I have learned that it is good to dream, but to make things happen, you do need to plan. I have learned that writing the words is the easy part—just don’t quit. But then comes the planning: who is going to read your book? Where can they buy it? How are you going to distribute it? Plan, plan, plan. First, plan on finding an editor to work with, explain  your dream, and show  your excitement; an editor might help guide you with your plans. Be prepared to learn. If you are not learning, you are not asking the right questions.

Apply this concept of planning to your life in general. Plan your future, plan your holidays, plan your next meeting, or just plan to go for ice cream. Don’t be afraid to dream, and don’t ever second-guess yourself. You are the only one who can make your life happen. Make your dreams come true—start with the little ones, then dream big.

Walk with pride down your life’s path, enjoy how simply being feels

Dream of doing what you want to do, then plan to make it real.

🙂

BawB