Sometimes we're so focused on finishing the book that we forget to ask why we're writing it in the first place. I wish I'd asked myself some of these questions more clearly before my first book. 😫 When other people's opinions started coming in, I didn't have a strong enough compass for deciding what belonged and what didn't. I felt like THEY knew better than I did with MY OWN story… 😔 So, this week, I don't want you worrying about word count. I want you to spend a little time with your why. ❤️ 💥 Your Story First™ Exercise 💥 Open a blank page and finish these sentences without trying to make your answers sound good: ✍️ I'm writing this book because... ✍️ The person I hope finds this book is... ✍️ When that person finishes my book, I hope they feel... ✍️ If this book could do one thing for that person, I would want it to... ✍️ The part of this story I don't want to lose is... Don't edit your answers and don't turn them into marketing copy. Nobody even has to see them. 👀 Just tell yourself the truth and then read them back. What did you discover about why this book matters to you? If you want, share one of your answers below. 👇

Hey everyone! I'm back from my trip with a cold! BUT! My website it up and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Check it out and let me know what you think! There are a few things that I'm working on fixing. But, I think it's coming together quite nicely! Do any of you have a website?! Storytellerspath.com

When I hired an editor for my first book, I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. She was the expert and I was the new author. ✍️ So, when I opened her feedback and saw all the things she thought needed to change, my heart dropped. 😔 I remember questioning myself. “Maybe I just don't take constructive criticism well.” And because she knew more about editing than I did, I started making changes. Some were helpful and others didn't feel right at all. 😞 There were a few I refused to make. 😠 And there were others I made even though something inside me was saying: “This doesn't feel like me.” That's one of the lessons I had to learn the hard way. 😮‍💨 Someone can know more than you about their area of expertise and still not know more than you about what your story means to you. Those are two different things. Your story is yours and an editor or an expert will not know how to share it as you want to. They don’t have the image that you have of your story. 🖼️ Today, I want writers to have support. 🫂 I believe in editors. I believe in coaching. ❤️ I believe in learning from people who know things we don't. But I also want you to know that as you work on your story strongly, hear advice and then ask: Does this serve my story? 🤔 You don't have to reject expertise to trust yourself. ❤️ You can have both.

There’s something really comfortable about saying: Someday I’m going to write a book. 📕 🤩 Someday doesn’t require much from us. It can let you stay imagining it, giving it life from talking about it. 💭 But the action taken to make it happen stays in the “someday”. We can imagine the book. 📖 Talk about the book. 🗣️ Think about what it might be like to finally finish it. 💭 And then put it right back on the sidelines. Many of those good ole excuses come out. 😅 I’ll do it when I have more time. ⏰ I’ll start next month. 📆 Maybe next year. 🗓️ I understand why we like to think of “someday”. The second “someday” becomes today, we have to do something with this story. We have to make decisions. 🤔 We have to write words that might not be perfect. We might have to look at parts of the story we haven't figured out yet. And this can be scary with all the unknowns and finally allowing yourself to share this story that’s so close to you. 🫣 And eventually, we might have to let someone else read it. 📚 That's a whole lot different than thinking about writing a book. 😬 So, when I hear someone say they've wanted to write a book for years, I don't immediately think they aren't serious. I get curious about why the story has stayed with them for so long. 👀 Because if you keep coming back to it, maybe there's a reason you haven't been able to let it go. The question is: How much longer do you want the story living in “someday”?

We have more people coming in and I can't wait to hear more about their stories and about them! Let's give them a warm welcome! Please share a bit about yourself and for the ones that have been in here, introduce yourself, have a little chat! This writing community is about supporting one another and letting a writer see that they're not alone!! WE ARE HERE! 😀 AND if you feel that you want to get more support, DM me or book a time so that we can see what your next step could be. WELCOME! @Tasha Green @Carolina Garcia Puche @Rodrigo Rios @Day Leitao @Shirley Francois @Carrie Crews @FrancE Desrosiers