I received an e-mail today from someone who was looking for an editor–sort of.

In her e-mail she complained that she’d already spent thousands of dollars on a book proposal that agents told her was terrific but that there was no market for–unless she was someone famous. [Note: I had not helped her with the book proposal–someone else had done that–she came to me looking for an editor so she could self publish].

She also wondered whether she was smart to even be looking for an editor. Was the book really as good as people said it was? Was she wasting her time and money?

I gave her the name of a terrific editor who was within her budget. But I also offered a bit of unsolicited advice, which I then decided to share with my writing blog readers. This author was wise to get writing feedback from experts and her audience. It’s important to see where you’re on track with the writing and where it doesn’t work for readers. Yet, it’s equally important not to look for validation from others for what you know in your heart.

Yes, get an editor or expert to provide detailed feedback, but don’t allow criticism to penetrate so deeply that you lose faith in your project.

In my experience, writing a book brings up a person’s past issues. Writing a book is about fully expressing yourself, being big in the world, being seen, being in your power. If you sometimes got stuck in victim mode in the past, or your parents or teachers gave you the message to suppress your brilliance, writing a book is going to bring up those old tapes.

Time to release those old messages around self-esteem, personal power and self expression.  Step into your power. The faster you release the past, the faster and easier will be your rise to success.

Enjoy your brilliance. Write. Publish. And have a great day.

Please share your experiences as a comment to the blog!