Book Lessons 1: Why Dreams Come True, Not Free
Today I begin a short series on my blog, on the story, experiences and lessons I’m learning from the process of writing and publishing my first trade book, ‘Mosaic Of Grace’, which releases Feb 13. Today I begin with the core, basic lesson I learned – about the reality of dreams come true.
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Not all of us may have had our wildest dreams come true, but many of us will have experienced something we desired for a long time becoming a reality.
A job. A relationship. Becoming a parent.
Or, for me, having a book published.
Right now, I’m building a team to launch my first trade book, (you can join the team yourself here) I’m working with marketing people and my publisher. I’m having to promote the book and it’s message.
It’s a dream come true, but it’s not like how I imagined. What I’ve found, is that the actual process of promoting and launching the book and its message is not just a process to help the book. In fact, it’s not even about the book at all.
No, this process is about my own growth.
The book might be a total flop, it might be a huge success, but that’s not the point. The point is what it’s exposing and confronting in me. This process is shining a light on my own insecurities, fears, and doubts – about myself. It’s challenging me to reflect on how valuable I believe I am, how much I believe in my own work, how much I believe I deserve success, and above all, what I believe others truly think about me.
It’s not pretty.
Promoting my book, recruiting people for my launch team, has been challenging so far. I’ve found the idea of messaging friends, asking them to support me in a new season of his life, quite uncomfortable so far.
Because, as it turns out, I’m insecure about whether many of my friends will actually believe in my work. I’ve realised that, deep down, I’ve doubted that people I know, the people I see regularly, will actually believe in my work and support me. Although I have no doubt of my friends genuine love for me, I now see I have had less confidence in how much they respect me, and what I have to say.
The Lesson & The Cost
Of course, these insecurities had been there all along. But having to promote my book and its message, and ask others to join me, to support me, has compelled me to confront this issue.
I found it easier to invite writers I’ve never met to join my launch team than friends I see regularly. Because, as crazy as it sounds, I simply found it impossible to believe any of them would, having met me, want to support my work.
And this was down to my own lack of confidence – not in my ability to write, nor in the message itself – but in my own value as a human being.
This is what the process of writing and publishing a book will do to you. In fact, if you ever get to the point of having your dreams come true, these issues will be confronted. Having to put your message out there in the world, in art of any kind, having your deepest desires become reality, will expose insecurities, fears, doubts inside of you. Feelings you’d either buried or just ignored.
You see dreams do come true. But they don’t come free. (you can tweet that)
There’s always a cost. And one of the biggest costs, is to confront who you really are, the truth about yourself…and do some inner work.
I have some more inner work to go through before this book launch. I’m hoping, and guessing, that the inner work I’m doing will be worked through before the launch day. Because not only does the work need to be ready to be released…I need to be ready for it to be released.
But this is why we make art. We don’t make art to please others, to impress, to promote ourselves or make money. We make art because it’s in us. It’s part of us. Something is birthed deep inside our soul and we have to share it….and because it’s come from us, the process of sharing it with others will confront what’s inside us.
In many ways, we create our art, but in the process of launching it, it recreates us, it shapes us. It’s a mirror to our soul, and once we’ve seen what’s inside, we have no choice but to confront it.
And this process might be challenging, it might even be painful…but it’s the only way to growth and healing.
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Join my Book Launch Team here.
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Picture Source: Morguefile
I so appreciate your transparency, James. I believe you’ve touched on what so many of us experience when we publish. After all, birthing a book is very much like birthing a baby. You’ve given life to something new and so very much a part of you. What if someone says your baby is ugly? But I know you are a man who has put his trust in the Author and Perfecter of us all. I look forward to the book release and to those reviews…the oooh’s and ahh’s over your baby.
Thanks so much for this kind comment Rebecca – so glad the post resonated with you, and was encouraging to you. I totally agree on the birthing metaphor, it’s so so true. Thanks so much for your support.
This resonates with me, putting your work out for others to read is an act of courage and vulnerability. Blessings over the work of your hands.
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement Tara, that means a lot.
Boy oh boy, do I understand the insecurity you speak of! Since joining Tribe Writers last October I have learned how backward I have done things. Sadly, I wrote and self-published my book without the help of a community. (I did enlist the help of a skilled counselor for my process). I did not do a launch. I didn’t know such a thing existed. When I first released my book, my greatest fear was that someone might actually read it. So insecurity? I understand. Since then I have grown and overcome so much. Tribe Writers and all the wonderful communities I have become a part of have given me courage. I am honored to be a part of your process, to watch and learn. I have been getting my book ready for kindle and considering a launch – there is that insecurity again saying, would anyone join the group?… You are an encouragement to me.
I am so happy to see the words “We make art because it’s in us.” To me that says it all about the sincerity of a writer and whether I want to read her/his work. The market is flooded with formulaic junk ( which still makes money and even best seller lists). But as I used to tell my literature students when I was a lit Professor, “Literature is writing raised to an art form, just as ballet is dancing raised to an art form, and opera is singing raised to an art form.”
The sincerity of the writer is the natural effect of the artistic urge to write, plus the years of education and honing one’s God-given ability. There is no room for pride or competition among true writers because they realize the necessity of baring their souls, just as James has pointed out. They are a self-supporting team.
I greatly look forward to reading James’ work, just knowing from this blog that he is pretention-free.
To be a writer, or an artist of any kind, you need a thick skin. But while that skin may cover the insecurities you feel, it doesn’t solve them. Kudos for working through them and sharing them with us.
We are all a work in progress, working though our insecurities, whether it is by launching a book or getting up the nerve to speak to a stranger. Your words will encourage others to work through their insecurities.
Waouh ! Your post is full of life, full of truth and full of hope. It’s about the process and the challenge we all face as people confronted with our work, our art and our environnment.
It gave me the idea to share about my own expericne.
You know that I launched my first novel in october (ebook) on amazon and this launching had been a very challenging process due to some health issues. And you know what ?
One month after the launching, I opened the first chapters published on amazon to realize, my Godddddddddddddddddddd! It was full of mistakes. A nightmare; It was like if I was coming out of a long sleep… I was furious, enraged, crushed and discouraged and I treated myself… very very bad.
And after three days, where I was completely paralysed by shame, I decided to cancel the book and edit.
It took me one week for 200 pages night and day but I did it !
And you know what happened ? I started to have new contacts, people who wanted to read it and make some feedback.
I will never forget this humiliating time. But in fact, just my ego was bruised. I knox that most of my first readers are either friends or people who do’nt care much about orthograph. But for a writer, it’s such a strange exprience.
My health is better now. We moved in my native town just before Chrismas and I’m full of hope and gratitude for my book, the launching (second !) and the support of my friends.
i know that you will not confront such issue but you have other challenges. I knox that you can make it. With courage and support.
Go ! Have a blessed and fruitfull year 2017, you and your team ! I’m happy to be part of your supporters !
See you soon…
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