Doing What you LOVE to do

Recently I had watched the ‘unauthorized’ biography of JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books.  What I found of interest was the similarities that she showed and that I see on a regular basis with the authors that I work with, and including what I had gone through getting my first book published.

The major key aspect that Rowling shares with other authors is fear.  The fear of rejection by the publisher and those who would read their book can be overwhelming.  That type of fear kept me from finishing my first novel; it took me four years to overcome that obstacle.  There is the fear of being able to do what they love; writing, while being able to pay the bills.  Rowling was receiving government assistance when she finally sat down and finished writing the first book.

Then there was the joy of getting the first book published, receiving the first copy of the book in the mail, and then seeing it on book store shelves.  At each of those moments, a sense of inspiration, and confirmation that it was all worth it floods the mind and heart.

For myself, as a publisher, there is one thing I enjoy the most during this process.  When I hand the first copy of the book to the author and see their face light up with joy, their eyes glistening up from tears.  Tears of happiness and contentment seeing their manuscript, their baby actually in book form.  That is the moment that I love the most, and at that moment I am reminded that everything I go through to get to that moment is also worth it.

For Rowlings and for many, many authors, it is an inner driving force that keeps encouraging them to write.  If you feel that calling, and are willing to work hard at it, then you should write.  Deal with the fear of rejection, and write.  What helped me overcome that fear issue was the realization that if one person got the message I was providing, sharing with the world, then it was worth it.  One person’s life would be changed, and hopefully for the better.  This makes the joy of success even sweeter.  But, if you give in to fear, you will always have that feeling of disappointment, the ‘what if’ thought that will linger in your mind.

If that inner voice keeps telling you to write, to draw, to sing, then do it!  You may not be as rich and famous as Rowling, but you will be happy and full of inner peace doing what you love to do.

Cheers,

Alan