Sometimes you just need a hug

The process of going from writer to author can be a very stressful thing.  You are constantly second guessing yourself.  Sometimes it's done from fear, other times we do it to intentionally stall the publishing process.

As the publication of my very first book nears, I am constantly second guessing myself with these questions:  "Is it good enough?"  "What if no one likes it?"  "Do I have more than just this book in me?"

So I decided to sit down and write out the answers, even if, perhaps, I didn't completely believe them.  Consider it an accountability task.

Question:  "Is it good enough?"
Answer:  It was good enough to sit down and write. It was good enough to get people to ask you when the second book was coming out. So yes, it is good enough.

Question: "What if no one likes it?"
Answer: The first question answered this already. You have sent the book out to several people and every one of them is asking when they can expect book two.  You will not make everyone happy, and that was never your goal.  You said if your book touched even one life, you would be happy. So be happy, because you have touched so many already with this book.

Question: "Do I have more than just this book in me?"
Answer: Yes.  They are swimming around in your head, but you have been too scared to write them down because you feel they not be good enough (refer to question one for answer).

So, was that me having a conversation with myself?  Yep. But it also a way of being accountable to myself and to all of you.

At the end of it all, sometimes the best thing you can do to shut these horrible thoughts out of your head is to get a big hug from someone you love and then get back to writing.  So here is my hug to all of you (writers and readers both).

I'm going to go back to writing now :)