To the would-be authors I know…

“I’m so impressed with what you did.  I could never do that.”

Or words to that effect.  Since friends and colleagues learned of my efforts to write, publish, and market my first novel, at least five of them have said this to me.

What’s interesting, however, is that all five of those folks are naturally great storytellers.  At least two of them have started writing –or actively write down—their stories.  The other three have texted me some very entertaining anecdotes, have contributed to others’ written work, or have entertained myself and others between meetings with their tales. 

I know how you feel because I’ve been there.  The self-doubt, the mistaken belief that no one would like what I wrote, and the deeply-seeded fears that my writing wasn’t good enough and, by extension, that I wasn’t good enough kept me from putting myself—and my stories—through a rigorous revisions and publication process. 

  As it turns out, none of those self-deprecating narratives was true.  People did (and do) like what I’ve written.  Yes, it’s imperfect.  Yes, I have a lot of work to do to become the writer and storyteller I want to be.  Yes, I need (and still need) structure (via the Creator Institute) and substantial assistance from editors and my publisher to get my work out there.  But I was able to move forward and am now building momentum to fulfill ambitions that would otherwise have been silenced by my insecurities.

So, to J.J.G., D.A., M.S., K.H, and P.B. (and anyone else I’ve spoken to about my writing endeavors) – I’m here to tell you that I know of at least one person that would read your stories if you chose to share them with a greater audience, and I’m 99% confident I would not be alone.