I’ve never written a book before

I’ve never written a book before, until now. I’ve been writing one, for ten years. And each time I thought I was ready, I’d experience a major shift and realise the story wasn’t done yet.

The story is never done. We’re always growing. The truth is always being revealed.

But sometimes, you can truly feel one phase end and another begin.

This week I sent the First Shit Version of a 40,000 word completed manuscript to my editor Lucy at Rethink Press.

I’m going down the hybrid publishing route meaning I pay for their help and I get an experienced and professional editing team who help me edit the book, create the cover and get it on the shelves.

As I pressed send, my eyes burned with tears. This is my gift to myself: making myself ‘someone who can write a book start to finish’; making myself an author.

As the WiFi whirred and the email was processed through my outbox and then into ‘sents’, I thought of YOU. I thought of the times you read my post, the comment you made last week, the event you came to, that time you recommended me to a friend, that month you joined my programme.

And I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for daring to come on this ridiculous journey with me. For daring to grow. For daring to change the frickin’ world.

This one is for you. This one is to say I dare you. I dare you to let go of what’s holding you back and think of why it’s important. I dare you to focus on what’s to come and not what’s lost. I dare you to knuckle down and put out your First Shit Version out into the world.

And I will too.

Lisa