The 5 Miracles You’ll Experience When You Write a Book—Redux

When you write a book, it changes your life. It’s somewhat magical how it happens. Here are the 5 Miracles I witness time and again when my clients write their books and publish:

1. You’ll Change People’s Lives: If you’re writing a self-helf or how to book, you’re either writing to help people solve a problem or help them reach a certain goal or both. And when that happens, you are going to meet people who tell you what a difference your book made in their lives. And it will blow you away. I remember when Amy O’Brien published her first book, Stuck with Mr. Wrong. A woman came up to her at a book signing and said, “Your book helped my mom and sister finally understand me.” Wow. Changed that woman’s life. Her family members became her allies. What will people say to you about your book?
2. You’ll Discover Your Voice: Writing is partially an act of self-discovery. As you write your first draft, you may find that sections of your writing skim the surface, or come out a little generic. With a bit  of coaxing, you’ll find that deeper place where you write from your heart. It may come out poetic or practical, nurturing or a bit nutty, hilariously funny or right on the money, but you’ll feel it when you hit it right–your authentic voice. and finding your voice will empower you in new ways, as a writer and as a human being. Plus, it will enhance your writing and draw your audience to you. Many of my clients come from an academic background. It’s thrilling for them and for me when that light turns on and they rediscover a truer voice that speaks directly to their readers. Every time Dr. Pat Hoy sent a new chapter of Arts Awareness, I was excited to see the writing become more spontaneous, fresh and alive. Bruce Dow, MD, is another great example of an academically trained writer who became a storyteller, as he rediscovered his voice in writing Dream Therapy for PTSD. When I ran this post by Dr. Dow he told me he’s at work on another book. “I’m still telling stories, using the voice you helped me find.  The results are quite exciting.”
3. You’ll Show Up in a New Way: You can’t stay the same when you write a book. It forces you to grow. Writing a book helps you overcome areas where you may be playing small. It will help you release old paradigms like, “Who am I to write a book?” or “I’m not a great writer” or “I’m not an expert.”  You’ll step into a more expansive version of you and step into your power. And that feels great. Even if you’re already “playing big” you’ll probably uncover one or two areas of growth as you write, publish and promote your book. Marla O’Brien, author of Wine Within Your Comfort Zone, called it the best thing that ever happened to her next to “35 years of marriage, the birth of my children, and a successful teaching career.”
4. You’ll Get to Know Your Muse: As humans, we are naturally creative. As you write a book, you have the opportunity to deepen your connection to your creative source–what some people call “your muse.” That will help you with all kinds of things—from enjoying your life and relationships, to tapping into your creativity for business projects, to bringing more breadth to your writing and other activities. Kimber Simpkins strengthened that muscle in writing her Nautilus Award-Winning Memoir, Full: How I Learned to Satisfy My Insatiable Hunger and Feed My Soul. Her connection with her muse continues to deepen as she writes for the Huffington Post and completed a new book, 52 Ways to Love Your Body. Her first book trailer, which went viral and got picked up by Self, also offers an example of the creativity that comes out of her strong “muse-connection.”
5. You’ll Be Surprised: Perhaps this one is the most miraculous, because it’s also unpredictable. When you write a book, opportunities will enter your life that you could not have anticipated. Some may fulfill a dream. For example, Dr. Randy Kamen, author of Behind the Therapy Door, envisioned leading retreats and seminars and doing more public speaking, but her biggest opportunities came not out of searching them out. They came to her. One was in the form of a personal email from Arianna Huffington inviting Randy to serve on a panel  of thought leaders on gratitude that Ariana was leading. another was an invitation to train an elite group of CEOs. I’ve also witnessed opportunities that far surpassed the author’s own vision for his or her book. In my own case, I never could have predicted that writing and publishing my first book would have led to a whole new career as a book coach!

Write a Book!

Are you ready for your miracles? Aspiring authors: Share a miracle you envision for your published book.

Published authors, what are some of the miracles that happened to you when you published your book? Please share them below as a comment.