Imagine Your Book on the Shelf
So, we’ve discussed mindfulness, manifestation, inspired action, and vision boards and boxes in other Wordy posts. Today I want to get aspiring authors on board and help them put all of it into practice. This is an intentional approach I have benefitted from in many areas of my life, and one I do my best to live by. My hope is that by sharing it with you, you can be on the road to making your imagined book a reality.
According to Wikipedia, The Law of Attraction is the New Thought spiritual belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life. Simply stated, positive thoughts and actions reap positive rewards. Conversely, negative thoughts and actions attract negative results. I won’t get into all of the laws here but three things within this philosophy stand out:
1. Ask for what you want
2. Believe it’s possible
3. Allow it
Dream big! Imagine your book is already written. See it on the shelf next to books of other famous authors. Conjure the front cover in your mind, the title, the graphic, the colors, the font, and your name as the author in bold letters. Envision the blurb on the back cover. Picture the positive reviews and accolades. As you go through your day, see it, own it, ask for it. Send a clear message to the universe and be specific about what you want.
Examples:
I want to write a children's book about my Dalmatian. The title is Lucky the Fire Dog.
I want to become a published author of YA fantasy fiction.
I want to find traditional representation for my romance novel.
I want to self-publish my self-help book about conquering stress.
Think about your life as if you’ve realized your dream.
What would your day be like, my darlings? Would you be in a bookstore autographing copies of your best-selling novel? Absotively, posilutely amazing! Are family and friends congratulating you on your new book? Are they a bit jelly? Oh well, haters gonna hate! Is your book being turned into a movie or Netflix series? Fanfiggentastic!
Thank whatever higher power you believe in for helping you as you draft your story, then for assisting you in finding representation, or affording you the know-how and courage to self-publish. In the words of my MIL, may she rest is peace, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Your mind will begin to attract experiences and solutions to get you where you wish to go.
Believe you are good enough to receive all you desire. Believe it is possible. Thinking about what you request has to be as strong as the yearning in your heart and soul and stronger than the doubts that plague your mind. Say nay-nay to lingering doubts so your request to the universe is not misleading. If you send mixed messages, you may get mixed outcomes. Many limit their beliefs unwittingly, that’s why it’s so important to know and believe what you want. Having doubts is natural. Learning to eliminate these reservations takes practice. We must change the negative dialogue in our heads and replace it with certainty and confidence. Buh-bye doom and gloom!
We have to learn to trust our abilities and convince ourselves that we are worthy and deserve the best outcome.
Positive thoughts are one thing, but you must then make a concerted effort to take things to the next level. Think it! Do it! Go-go! This is where inspired action comes in. When consistent actions align with thoughts, the right vibrational path will present itself and lead you where you want to go.
By allowing the feelings in that you would experience if your dreams came true, you take one step closer to achieving what you desire.
Practical Steps to Manifest Your Dream of Becoming a Published Author
Understand Who You Are - Hey, who am I? You must truly understand yourself in order to set appropriate goals. Check yourself out in the mirror. Stare yourself down. What comes to mind? Thumb through your old diary or journal. What were the dreams you once had? Reincarnate those bad-boys! If you fantasized about becoming a published author, reflect on that. Highlight it in red marker. Is that still your dream? Is writing in your blood? Is it your passion? Does it sizzle like a steak on the grill? Then you must go for it! Take time to recognize who you are and what you’re capable of, then set your writing goals accordingly.
You are gifted with more than you know my darlings!
Believe In Yourself - Believe in YOU even when no one else does. You are freaking awesome! Believe you can write. You can do it if you set your mind to it! Believe in your story. Believe only you can tell the story that’s in your soul. Do whatever it takes to get it out there! Believe you can learn what you don’t know. Believe your writing can improve. Believe you are on the path to publication.
After a while, you will begin to believe in yourself!
Shut Down Limiting Thoughts like:
I’m not a good enough writer
I can’t do this
I’m giving up on my dream of becoming a published author - it’s too hard
No one will like my story
I’ll never get published
I’ll never finish writing this book
Speak Positive Thoughts To Yourself:
I am good enough
I can do this
I will persevere
Others will like my story
I’ll work hard to find representation, or I’ll self-publish
I will finish writing this book
Tell those negative beasts to shut up and keep shutting up! After a while, you will begin to believe what you tell yourself, and speaking positive affirmations will become second nature!
Know Exactly What You Want - Before you can successfully ask for what you want, you have to be crystal clear about what you want. Are you in love with the idea of being a published author? You can't just throw a penny in the wishing well and magically conjure a best-selling book. Get specific! You gotta work it. Think about the story, the characters, the plot, the title, the chapters, the scenes, the dialogue. This is a more concrete picture than just imagining and wishing to be a best-selling author. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t own that goal, but it has to be a part of other tangible goals.
You will get better at recognizing the things you truly want!
Ask For What You Want - Now it’s time to let it out. Tell the universe what you want. Scream it from the hilltops. Not literally, well I guess you can if you're hiking. Here's an easy-peasy way to transmit your message - create that vision board or box we have talked about. Add photos and words about the published author you wish to become. Add an image or positive affirmation to your laptop’s home screen or your cell phone’s wallpaper. Maybe you have a book title in mind, use that to your advantage. Create a mock book cover to help make it real. Put yourself out there on social media with a page to help other writers. Create a website or blog that focuses on writing. The point is to bring awareness to yourself and the ether on a daily basis. This will help you shift from aspiring author to published author. Look at it, keep it in mind as you go about your day. Let it help you to remember to work toward your goals every day.
Asking for what you want and keeping the idea front and center is a great way to remind yourself of that dream you want to provoke!
Set Attainable Concrete Goals - Begin with a few easy, doable goals. A good place to start is by listing three goals each day then building on those or setting more difficult goals as you develop as a writer or make progress with your book.
Example: Easy Goals
Monday
1. Figure out my genre and the essentials that go along with it
2. Create a rough outline of my story
3. Build my protagonist
Tuesday
1. Draft a few sentences
2. Finish a paragraph
3. Add sensory details to a scene
You get the picture!
Example: Medium Goals
Monday
1. Draft a chapter or two or more
2. Brainstorm a killer opening line
3. Check that your story’s pace is adequate
Tuesday
1. Plow through the middle of your story and make it count
2. Fix dialogue and tags
3. Clear up head-hopping confusion
You see where I’m going!
Examples: Difficult Goals
Monday
1. Self-edit your manuscript
2. Find alpha and beta readers
Tuesday
1. Research agents in your genre
2. Draft a query letter
3. Draft a synopsis
Get it? Got it? Good!
Take Inspired Action - Do something every day that leads you toward your dream of becoming published. Learn about the publishing world. Understand the genre you choose to write in. Know the appropriate word count for that genre. Draft your query letter and synopsis. Brainstorm title ideas. Build new characters. Narrow down agents who are accepting unsolicited queries. Research for scenes you intend to draft so your story has a ring of authenticity.
Get the job done!
Celebrate Your Accomplishments, Big & Small - Reward yourself when you finish a scene or chapter. Acknowledge a win if you squeezed in fifteen minutes to devote to you book. Pay yourself a compliment when you trim a sentence or transform several overlong sentences into one. Have a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate to compensate yourself for sending out a query.
You get the idea!
Be Patient - Your time will come. Drafting a novel or nonfiction book takes time and dedication. It doesn't happen overnight. You must get your writing ducks in a row and that's not only okay, it's a must. Don't fret, my darlings, you are where you’re supposed to be.
So, it is and so it shall be.
Practice Gratitude - Thank your higher power or the universe for giving you what you desire. Be grateful and appreciative and speak those words into being. Part of practicing gratitude is being willing to mentor other aspiring authors and share your knowledge and expertise.
Use the above tips to help set your dreams in motion. Anyone can do this. Act today and always dream big!
