124 | My Story That May Inspire You to Write a Book
Do you have a book in your heart that you want to write? Is it something you’ve always dreamed about doing? Tune in and hear about my journey as an author… If I can do it, you can too!!! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
As we are going through the preorder season for my newest book, Make Room, I’ve been thinking a lot about my journey as an author. When I started, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. No one taught me how to do this. I’m really hoping that my story will encourage you, inspire you, and teach you to keep on going. NEVER GIVE UP!
On July 5th my SIXTH book will be coming out into the world. I can’t believe it. I am so excited! If someone had told me 15 years ago that this would be happening, I would never have believed them. I didn’t even know then that this was going to be part of my journey, but it is happening.
Something else I didn’t know then, that I do know now, is that preorders are HUGE in this industry! I would be very grateful if you would please check out my newest baby here: Make Room: Take Control of Your Space, Time, Energy, and Money to Live on Purpose: Berry, Jennifer Ford: 9781540902153: Amazon.com: Books. This book will teach you how to create more time, space, energy, and money in your life so you can go after your true purpose and stay more focused on what really matters to you.
When I wrote my first book my daughter was in kindergarten and my son was only two. I was running a children’s consignment shop and my husband was working out of town most days. I would write when my son was napping or when there weren’t any customers in the store. It wasn’t easy, but I got it done.
If you are feeling like you want to write a book but don’t have time, or you are trying to talk yourself out of it because you think you can never pull this off… YOU CAN! It does not have to be perfect; you just need to focus on getting all your thoughts and ideas down. You can go back and fine-tune it later.
I know you hear about authors renting a cabin in the woods or living on an island and writing for days and days, but that is not most people’s reality. There were many times I only had 20 minutes to write. But those small increments added up to an entire book. You have to kind of look at it like a marathon that you are training for every day and when you cross that finish line, that will be your reward. Even when you do cross the finish line, it might not seem like it is real at first.
When you get that new book in your hands for the first time, it’s like holding a new baby. All those hopes and dreams and prayers you put into the book, to see it in your hands, is just the most amazing feeling. Not only are you excited for other people to see it and read it because you wouldn’t write it if you didn’t know you had poured your heart and soul into it and you know it is going to change lives, but you are also so excited that you followed through with what you started and you DID NOT GIVE UP.
There are many days as an author that your family is having fun, or your best friends are going out and you have to say no because you are up against a deadline. Deadlines are very serious as an author, and you cannot mess around with them. You must train just like you would for a marathon. You have to say no to some things and have really strong boundaries and good time management.
My advice to all of you that want to write a book but don’t know where to begin: START WRITING! Write every day, write while you are waiting to pick your kids up when the kids are napping or in bed, write in your journal, and write blog posts. It doesn’t matter how, when, or where you write, JUST DO IT.
God gave you these thoughts for a reason. He put this nudge inside your spirit to get a message out into the world. There are other people out there that need to hear your message. The experiences you’ve gone through need to be put on paper. Your expertise needs to be put on paper. Your coaching, and the lessons you’ve learned as a mom, all need to be put on paper. You have a story to tell, write it down!
You don’t write a book for the money, you write it because there is a message in your soul that needs to come out into the world because it will benefit others, entertain, encourage, and inspire others. That’s why you write a book.
This dream has been put in your heart for a reason. I’m hoping my story will help you realize you have what it takes. If I can do it, you can too!!!
