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3 Steps To Overcoming Your Fear Of Being Seen

What happens to an aspiring author who desperately wants to become a published author but can’t follow through on their dream because they have a very real fear of being visible?

More often than not, they give up on their dream. How sad is that?

They might want to pour their heart and soul into creating something they can proudly say is theirs but instead of putting their time and energy into writing their book, they put it aside for tomorrow and we all know tomorrow never comes.

They fill up their time up with ‘more important‘ things, take on other responsibilities, put others first, and they seem to find a whole lot of excuses as to why they can’t possibly find the time to write a book.

Then, as the saying goes, they go to the grave with their book still inside.

But what if there was a way to work through those fears so that you could realise your dream and allow yourself to have the experience of a lifetime?

Today I want to talk about that.

3 Reasons Why You Need to Take Your Writing Seriously

Many authors – especially first-time authors – worry themselves sick about who will read their book and what are they going to think about them. It’s actually debilitating for some authors.

Non-fiction authors in particular worry about offending anyone who has played a part in their story, and they even worry about potentially being sued by anyone who doesn’t like the way they are portrayed in their book.

The fact is, though, that there’s so much more to consider when you are writing – whether you are writing a book, a blog, a social media post or a text message – and it’s all about impact and influence.

Today I want to explore the reasons why, as authors, we all need to take our writing seriously, and how we can, and should, make the most of any influence we might have.

A Powerful 3-Step Formula For Writing A Book

So often I hear aspiring authors say to me that they really, really want to write a book, but they don’t know what to write about, or where to start.

I remember feeling that pain. I felt that way for years. Decades in fact.

The inability to answer that question is a silent frustration for many writers who long to become published authors but they just don’t know what sort of book they should be writing.

If they knew what their book was about, they could get on with writing it and get it done, and they could realise their dreams of becoming published.

But they can’t get started because they can’t even answer that first and most important question: what is my book going to be about?

Today I am going to help you with one way to answer that question for yourself, so you can get on with what you came here to do: become a published author.

5 Ways to Pace Yourself Through the Publishing Journey

Publishing a book is one of the most exciting things a writer can do in their lifetime.

It is the realisation of a long-held dream for most who have carried a vision in their hearts of the day they can finally say: I am a published author.

Every single one of them will have had to overcome barriers of both personal and professional nature to become published.

Self-doubt, self-sabotage, lack of time, lack of support, lack of knowledge and lack of clear direction are just some of the things an author might have had to overcome.

Ultimately though, their resolve to realise their dream would have helped them to push through and do what needed to be done, which is wonderful.

Something I have noticed about most authors, however, is that once they have finished writing their first drafts, they develop a sense of urgency around their book that goes further than simply being excited about getting it published. And this causes unnecessary pain.

3 Steps to Creating a New Writing Habit and Making It Stick

Let’s talk about forming new writing habits. We all have times in our lives where we intentionally want to change a behaviour for the better and create a new habit for ourselves.

This could be getting into the habit of eating healthier and drinking more water. Or it could be moving more and taking the dog for a daily walk. Or it could be work related, or spiritual, or…let’s face it. There are so many areas in our lives that could be improved and made easier if only we created new, and better, habits.

Getting into the habit of doing something is often easier said than done and we seem to acquire bad habits without any effort but getting into a “good” habit can be a little more challenging. Why is that I wonder?

Anyway…let’s break this down into a three-step process that makes it easy to follow until we’ve internalised the new behaviour and made it a true habit – something we do automatically without having to think about it.

Six Reasons Why Authors Should Embrace Minimalism In Their Lives

In today’s culture, we’re constantly fed the message that we need to do more, be more and have more in order to live a good life. More electronics, bigger homes, newer cars, more clothes, more books, more recognition, more money, a bigger following —the list goes on. We’re led to believe that doing more, being more and having more will lead to happier and more fulfilled lives. If you make a conscious decision to go against that norm, some people may even look at you strangely, or wonder if there’s something wrong with you.

But the truth is, those who have embraced minimalism and learned to live and work with less, say they’re happier, more content, and living more meaningful lives. But that’s just the beginning.

The idea of embracing minimalism is really attractive to me and I know a lot of writers crave minimalism so I thought I would explore the concept today and see whether it was something that would work for our Authorpreneur community.

Is It Your Mindset? How Is Your Thinking Affecting Your Success?

Do you ever look around and wonder how other people succeed in life and you just feel like a failure? You don’t understand why you can’t sell more books, get more clients, make more money, be happier, more confident and have better relationships.

I know so many people who’ve had a rough life and they are well within their rights to feel let down, at the very least. But one of the things I have noticed about many of the authors I work with is that they genuinely want to take what’s been dealt to them and turn it into something that will help someone else, instead of wasting their lives stuck in blame, and feeling helpless.

This really gets me thinking.

Our mindset is the sum of every thought, belief and opinion that has been passed down to us or learned through our own experience. It’s the driving force behind our action or inaction and the mindset that we choose to adopt determines the path we take in life.

One path will have you Living in abundance and the other struggling in scarcity. The important thing is that YOU get to decide which path you choose.

Today I wanted to explore the key differences between abundance and scarcity and see how they both impact success and I thought you might get something out of the experience too.

Do You Know That You Matter?

Today I want to talk to you about the power of validation and how writing a book is a great way for us to validate our experiences and our worth.

I speak to a lot of people every day, and I’m aware that many people have doubts about their worth. They’re not entirely sure about the value they bring to their world, and I not only feel their pain, I know it personally.

For some, their self-doubt is so debilitating and all they can do is focus their energy on managing their anxiety and depression on a daily basis.

For others, the self-doubt is like a nagging voice in the back of their mind whispering to them ‘You’re not good enough’ over and over, and it is exhausting for them.

And then there are those who have fleeting moments of self-doubt and after a quick check in and a little positive self-talk, they are able to find their confidence and happily get back to doing what they were doing. Now that sounds super healthy in terms of mental health, but most of us aren’t there.

If you are someone who struggles with self-doubt, read on, and let’s explore how writing can be a great tool for validation and building self-esteem, whether you see yourself as a writer or not.

Basic Marketing For Authorpreneurs: What’s Your Plan?

Building an Author Platform is something I talk about often and I have delved into various aspects of that through my blog, but today I thought I would give you an overview of marketing for authorpreneurs to help you either create a plan and put it into place or tweak the plan you already have.

So many authors are disappointed when their books don’t jump off the shelves all by themselves. They might have been dreaming about earning a living from writing most of their lives and their experience – the experience of most authors – is vastly different to the dream.

In fact, most authors in Australia earn an average of $10K per annum or less and that leaves a huge gap that has to be filled in order to make the comfortable living they want and deserve.

So, what can an author do to change that? Let’s look at this strategically.

The Art Of Storytelling

Whether you want to inspire someone, reach a new audience, boost your coaching business or boost your book sales, storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can use to attract attention and engage an audience.

We all want to be moved. We love a good story, and when it resonates with us or when we are moved by it, it can drive us to take action like nothing else can.

Think about it like this: would you rather read an interesting story, or a sales letter?

A week from now, are you more likely to remember a compelling story or a features and benefits comparison?

And are you more likely to buy a story you can see yourself in or a product that does x, y, and z?

If you think back on some of your more recent purchases, what triggered you to go and make that purchase?