A challenge that often comes up when I’m talking to writers who have started working on their books is that they’ve getting stuck because some kind of fear, doubt or repetitive thought is coming up for them.
This could be something like:
Who am I to do this?
Who would want to read what I have to share anyway?
Is my writing good enough?
Is what I’m writing too much?
Is it not enough?
Is this completely self-indulgent?
All of these are fears and doubts that can come up when we give ourselves permission to write a book. And this is completely normal and natural. (So that’s the first thing to know – this kind of stuff comes up for EVERYBODY, so please don’t let this make you think you’re not meant to be writing a book. You are.)
But I know that these kind of thoughts can stop you in your tracks if you don’t have a way of moving beyond them. (But, unbound one, you’re in luck because I have a super-potent way to do just that!)
What I encourage you to try out is rather than just trying deal with this Doubting Dora in your mind, bring it to the page. Whether you’re writing your book in a notebook or on your laptop, bring whatever is coming up for you there. Write it down and acknowledge it:
‘Right now, as I sit down to write, I’m really feeling like I’m a fraud to even think about writing a book’
Notice how it feels to acknowledge this on the page. (You’re likely to experience a sense of spaciousness and liberation simply by doing this).
Then take it a step further by reflecting on these questions. (There are quite a few, so choose those that call to you most):
‘What’s underneath this doubt/fear?’
‘Where in my body am I aware of this doubt/fear?’
‘What is this fear/doubt wanting to tell me?’
‘When have I felt like this before?’
‘When did I first experience this doubt/fear?’
‘Whose voice is speaking to me when I hear that doubt/fear in my mind?’
‘What is this fear/doubt REALLY about?’
‘How would my Unbound Self respond to this fear/doubt?’
‘How am I choosing to respond to this fear/doubt?’
Notice how you feel different after doing this. Freer and more expansive, right?
And the magical thing is that if this stuff is coming up for you, it’s very likely it will be coming up for your reader in some way. So everything you’ve just allowed through by bringing this to the page and diving into those self-reflective questions will be really great material for your book. Win-win!
Our fears and doubts thrive in the shadows. When you bring them to the page and acknowledge what’s coming up, you allow them to be released. I promise, as soon as you start to do this, it will create a shift.
You start to see your stuff from a different perspective.
You see how these fears and doubts can actually bring something really powerful to your book, adding another layer to your writing, whilst helping you to move beyond what’s coming up. It’s like magic!
So give it a go, unbound one. The next time you’re writing or thinking about writing for your book and some kind of fear or doubt is coming up, bring it to the page. I guarantee it will bring a new energy to your writing.
Let me know how you get on….
And if you want to know how to write the book that has the most powerful impact and changes your life? Access my free Unbound Writing Masterclass at: https://bit.ly/2Krmwja
