50,000 words and counting on my first ever memoir. 10 days to go to meet my goal of 60,000 words. I started 50 days ago. Hmmmmm. Think I will make it? Only if I stick with it.
I’ve written several books in my time, but never a memoir. Doing so has been a very different process to writing a business book… very different.
I feel like finishing the first draft is like crossing a finish line.
Here’s the weird thing about crossing the finish line with anything. You have to keep going until you cross the line. Period. End of story.
Yet, many people give up even when crossing the line is within site. They get busy with other things. Fear sets in. They get caught up with distractions. They get …
Life is Full Of Finish Lines
This is only one of many finish lines with the book. After this is the editing, then the rewrite, then another edit. Then the actual publishing. Then the marketing. Then…
There’s still a lot of work to do.
I’ve had people ask me how I stayed committed to writing day in and day out.
Easy. It’s that important to me. Much of my writing has taken place in the middle of the night. It’s one of my most productive writing times. No one is around, the critters are asleep, the words seem to flow.
Often, before I do any serious memoir writing, I check emails. This middle of the night was no exception.
One of the first ones I opened had the pic of the 15 days to go until the 2017 Eugene Marathon in it.
Wow! The marathon seems to have come out of nowhere. And yet, I have been training for it daily. Yes, training for a marathon and writing a book at the same time. No compulsiveness on this end. LOL
I’m so excited (and a bit nervous) about the big day of the race. I know I will leave it all on the track.
Just like I will leave it all on the pages of the book with my memoir.
What Are You Made Of?
That’s how we find out what we are made of. We leave it all on the field.
We risk failing. We risk looking like a fool. We risk being judged. We risk not being liked.
On the flip side, we risk winning. We risk looking flipping amazing to ourselves and those who love us. We risk people saying, “you inspire me.” We risk being respected for our courage.
This is how I feel about my amazing friend, Joan Lubar. Joan wrote her first book at the age of 74 and is rocking it in the process. Not a day goes by that people don’t tell Joan what an inspiration she is. Why? Because she is doing things her way.
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
There will be things in life that are downright scary. Things that push us to see what we are made of. Things that once we do it, there is no going back.
We can play it safe and try not to make waves, thus making the waves of mediocrity. Or we can live in the space of playing full out.
Do you play full out? Are you willing to push your own limits? Isn’t life way too short not to?
Today… give it your all. Today… stay the course… Today… make the commitment to live fully.
Do so in order that you have no regrets tomorrow.
