Are you in a middle of a book project and need a little motivation? Today, I want to encourage you to continue to write because there are people out there who need what you have to share and will be blessed by it. It is so rewarding for authors to hear from readers how their writing is making an impact.
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Feedback from Readers
What is one of the most rewarding parts of being an author? It’s getting a letter like in the mail thanking you for writing your book.
I got a letter this week and it is so powerful. To have someone actually say, take the time out of their schedule and write me a letter, that’s a big deal. I just want to share with you the power of writing a book.
Here are some of the things that came to my mind as I read this letter and I want to share this to encourage other writers to finish your books.
Your Message CAN Impact Your Readers
I this letter postmarked August 5th, from Tampa Florida. It was sent by a 17 year-old Christian girl who found me through Google search.
She found me because she has a problem, she has an issue, and she has something she needs help with. This is a letter specifically for my book that I wrote for Christian women that struggle with pornography addiction. This is a really deep topic and it is not something that I even like to talk about.
But she found me and she wrote me because she found me on Google. Do you still think Author Platform isn’t worth while?
It is powerful!
It will bring people to you, it will help people you could never have reached otherwise.
Can I get you to say this right now? Say out loud, “Building an author platform is powerful.” Did you say it? Say it! “Building an author platform is powerful!”
So this girl found me and she said “I feel alone. I found out about you one day when I was looking up how to stop pornography and you were one of the only girls that I’d seen that was Christian and struggled with what I do. It was a big relief to know that I was not the only Christian girl to have this struggle.”
There are people just like her out there right now that need what you have to share. They need it, they’re desperate! There are people like this that need your message.
You know what? I needed this encouragement this week because I’m writing on a very difficult project; Broken Crayons Still Color.
In chapter one I share about my pornography addiction, in chapter two I share about how I was sexually abused and how God brought healing to my heart. These are deep topics, and I’m doing it in a way where I’m adding in the art (I have coloring pages for each chapter) journaling prompts, reflection questions, and I have a video for each chapter. I’m trying to address these deep, deep, important topics in a way that people will be open to, but it’s not been easy.
I needed to hear this. I needed this encouragement! I needed to know that what I’m doing matters. I needed to know that there are other people just like her that need these messages. This book that I’m writing, right now, there are people waiting that need it right now.
I’m working with a beta group right now and I have 127 people in my beta group walking through this with me. Every week I send them a new chapter, the viewers guide for the video, I create the PowerPoint, and I’m getting ready in about an hour to record the next live video for that group.
It is so much work, and this week, to be honest, I felt like giving up. I’m not going to, but there’s been so much spiritual attack, so much pressure, and so many things that have to get done. I was in decision fatigue, I had this foggy mind and I didn’t even have any energy to get up, get dressed, and put makeup on.
I was in my pajamas for most of last week, but then I get this letter and God reminds me, “Shelley, this is why you take the next step. This is why you get up and you write that next chapter. This is why you push through the hard days when you don’t want to do another thing.”
I want to just hide under the covers. I don’t want to be the person out there doing all this and I’d rather be doing something else right now, to be honest.
This is why.
God reminded me.
One person is impacted by your message, especially if you’re a Christian author and they’re impacted for eternity. If one person’s life is saved, if one person’s life is changed, it’s worth it. It is worth it!
Be Brave
One message that also really encouraged me today is when this girl told me, “I also want to thank you for being brave and talking about this in public.”
I’ve received other emails that say, “Thank you for sharing your story.” I’m not saying you have to talk about stuff like this because this is just what I feel like God has called me to talk about. But where do you need to be brave today?
Maybe it’s not in your story but what about technology? Or do you need to be brave in asking for reviews? Or do you need to be brave in writing the next chapter of your book? What is it that you need to do?
Be brave and do it. Someone out there needs it.
Never give up
Never, never, never give up on what God has called you to do. Don’t give up, keep pushing forward.
I got kind of emotional today so I just had to get on today and share this message with you. I had to share this with you to encourage you, and let you know that it’s worth it; keep pressing on.
Whatever it is, whatever obstacle it is you’re facing, whether it’s finances, technology, writer’s block, or depression, whatever it is, keep going! Keep taking that next step! I cannot emphasize it enough.
I never dreamed I would be an author.
I never thought I would be an online entrepreneur.
I never thought that there would ever be people finding me on Google and writing me letters like this.
I never, ever, dreamed that this was possible.
But God is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever think or imagine. It’s from Ephesians, “He’s able to do immeasurably more”.
- Are you thinking too small?
- Are you putting yourself in a box?
- Are you allowing the lies of the enemy to keep you back?
- Are you thinking “Who’s going to read this? This is just a me-too book. What do I have to share that’s any different? Who am I to write a book?”
Have you ever had those thoughts go through your mind? That’s what I call Stinkin’ Thinkin’.
I want to tell you right now, I am the least likely person that should be writing books, but I have over 40 books published. And I’m getting letters and emails like this all the time.
I’m the most unlikely person. English was my worst subject in school; albeit I still got a B. I’m a math/science girl and I was a physical therapist for 12 years so who am I to write a book? Who am I to be teaching authors to do this?
But God has given me this opportunity, and He’s given you an opportunity as well. There has never been a better time to self-publish and to publish your books.
I have an entire training on how to publish your books in my book Procrastination to Publication, you can find it on Amazon. You could also join my academy, AuthorAudienceAcademy.com, and I am there to personally help you through the process of publishing your book.
Keep Praying
I had two people in my Author Audience Academy that are facing major attacks of doubts, confusions, and other things these days. So I told them, “form your prayer group now.”
To one of them I said, “That’s your only assignment this week, get your prayer team established. Even if it’s just two or three.”
I have an entire training on that on my blog ShelleyHitz.com. Just go in and search Prayer Team and you’ll find exactly what to do and how to do it.
I have a prayer team and I email them every week during this project. I emailed them on Monday and yesterday I felt 100% different. I know for sure that they are praying, and that their prayers are making a difference. My husband is praying and I’m praying and this encourages me more to push forward.
Conclusion
What encourages you to keep going? What encourages you to write that next blog post or that next book?
If you have still not finished your book, or even started it, I would love for you to join me at my next webinar. It’s called “3 Proven Book Writing Formulas every Non-Fiction Author Needs to Know”. You can sign up for free at ShelleyHitz.com/Formulas.
That way you can choose your book topic, outline your book, and choose how you will write your book. I will walk you step by step through the entire process so that you can share your story with the world and impact lives that you never even thought was possible.
You can also join me in WritingWeek.com, my free seven day writing challenge. I will give you over seventy different writing affirmations to help overcome that stinkin’ thinkin’.
So just keep going. Never give up and know that I’m cheering you on!
Until next time!
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