Leap and the net will appear. – American naturalist John Burroughs
In the movie Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, after the villain (Julian Glover) shoots Indy’s father (Sean Connery) to “encourage” Indy (Harrison Ford) to find the Holy Grail, he says to him: It’s time to ask yourself. What do you believe?
To save his father, Indy needs to make his way through the maze of clues to obtain the Holy Grail and save his father’s life. To do this, Indy realizes that he’ll need to believe in himself, his father’s notebook and the Universe (Source, whatever word you like), to take a leap of faith to solve the clues and find it. In fact, the second clue in his father’s diary leads him to the edge of a cliff. There, he takes a literal leap of faith into seeming nothingness when he steps out and lands on a path that leads him to the Holy Grail.
Good Questions to Ask Yourself
When you start writing a book, it can feel like this too. It’s a leap of faith to start and finish the book you’ve been dreaming of writing. When you get to the tough spots (as Indy did in the movie and you will as all authors do) it’s important to ask yourself this question: What do you believe?
Do you believe that your book is worth writing? That you have something that needs to be said? That your idea, approach, method, plan or program can take readers on a transformational journey and change their lives for the better? That this book will help to grow your message and business? Maybe, even change your life?
How to Keep Believing
Belief in yourself and the book you want to write is essential to get you from start (or maybe stuck to start) to finish. Think of it like your North Star. But this can be a difficult mindset to sustain over the long haul of settling on a book idea, defining your approach, program, method or plan, a Table of Contents, not to mention crafting a book proposal (if you want to go the traditional publishing route) and writing the book.
It's at this point that a book coach can be invaluable. A book coach acts as an editorial guide and project manager yes, but she or he is also there for support, to gently guide you back to your vision, help you reaffirm and act on it and help you achieve it.
Asking the Right Questions
One way, a book coach does this is by asking the right questions – think Tim "Make it Work" Gunn in Project Runway – and helping you find the answers. I’m reading The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier and he presents 7 key questions to ask in coaching. The first one is: What’s on your mind?
A good book coach makes a safe space so that you can find solutions and put them on the page. Of course, a book coach also offers observations, support and guidance but questions are key. When you answer these questions over and over and act it creates a virtuous loop that builds and reinforces your self-confidence and your belief in yourself as a writer. It’s a leap of faith to want to and start writing a book. Asking and answering the right questions can help you land on solid ground, move forward and finish.
Contact me when you’re ready if you need:
1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, cheerleader and support as you write or re-write your book proposal and book.
2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview.
3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly.
4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com.
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