I love speaking to women about their book projects. I love listening to their dreams & what they are creating. There's something magical in these conversations; the aspiration & the dedication.

It takes a certain feisty & stubborn quality to get to this point & I love a feisty stubborn woman, probably because I am one too.

I've had several such conversations this week with women in the early stages of writing their manuscripts. We talk about the writing process; we talk about managing our inner critic & the perpetual editor to allow for the initial raw story to emerge. We talk about the living that was required to get to this point, to have a story worth telling & to have the courage to tell it. And occasionally, as is the practice, we speak about publishing.

We talk about what's next; what comes after this first & incredible stage in the book process the writing. On some level, it's never too early to explore publishing options.

After writing my first complete manuscript I was surprised to find out that most traditional publishers want a book proposal -- which is a very detailed, specific market-research-heavy, boring as s*** document, roughly 80 pages long, before you even write the book.

Little did I know!

In that regard, it's never too early to be exploring publishing.

The questions I always ask in these initial conversations are as follows: & I share them here with the hope that they will help you understand & make some critical decisions early on.

Number One what do you want from your book process you personally the author the Creator what are you hoping to gain and accomplish as a result of this enormous effort?

Number Two what are your hopes and intentions for this book itself who do you want it to reach who do you want to read it what impact do you want it to have on those individuals and what do you want how do you want the book to factor into your life your career your income these are all really important questions.

And based on your answers to these questions even before you begin writing you can be clear on where you're headed this will not guarantee that you will arrive at that destination or certainly not at that destination on your own timeline but it certainly sets you up to succeed.

The first few books that I sat down to write, I skipped over this part & I think that's partially why those books remain unfinished, in the graveyard of my hard drive -- which, if you ask me, is the worst place for a book to reside. It's an emaciated dream, just ones and zeros.

Don't get me wrong; not all stories need to be shared with the world. If your answer to the first question is deeply personal, as they always are & you actually don't give two f**** about the second question-- The process of writing a book in & of itself is invariably one of deep emotional & spiritual growth. It's an accelerated life journey like no other.

But those early books that I wrote, they can't even quite be called books because they're just files on a drive, are unfinished trips within my soul Asking these questions early & giving them the attention they deserve will not only help you clarify what you're writing, why you're writing, who you're writing for & the best method to share your voice with the world. But as I found, this early clarity becomes fuel when shit gets tough, because my darling it is going to get tough & that's part of the joy of it.

Do you have a story in you? Have you always wanted to write a book? You have read this far so I am going to leap and guess yes. What's the story burning on your heart? What does it feel like to play with the questions that I've asked?

If you're still tentative & asking questions like, "who am I to write a book? What do I have to share?" I encourage you to ask a new question & set that one aside. Ask yourself, "Who needs to hear what I have to share?" Begin to think about your story & who's waiting to hear it/read it, to learn what you have to share. 

If you have questions & want support navigating your publishing options  or any other writing or publishing questions, book a call. I, or one of my team, will take the time to help you as best we can. 

Connect with your host, Sierra Melcher, here or on https://linktr.ee/integralwomen & learn more about redthreadbooks.com

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