Where is your courage? The truth about writing.

Are you hiding your writing or reveling in your passion?

I believe anything worth doing takes guts.

It takes guts to do something you know everyone won’t love.

It takes guts to keep going when people around you don’t or can’t understand.

It takes guts to look them in the eye and say what you think.

The good news is you’re not alone. If you’ve subscribed to this site or hung out on my Facebook page, you already know this.

See, I was an editor before I started coaching. The entire reason I expanded my services was because I saw first-hand how many people quietly held incredible and deeply personal stories inside – and they needed help to get them out. They knew they needed to write, but they didn’t know where or how to begin, who to ask or what to say.

I also believe if your gut tells you to do something, you DO IT.

That goes for coaching, writing or anything else.

The only thing scarier than telling your story is NOT telling it. (Click to tweet.)

Ask around. The pain of holding it in is far worst than the fear of writing. But you won’t know that until you give it a shot.

Here’s the truth:

Not writing hurts you and everyone else.

You help no one by hiding.

Make no mistake, your words absolutely can change someone’s life. (Yes, even yours.)

It’s none of your business what other people think of you. Ergo, if someone doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to read it or he can write his own.

Your comfort zone is begging you to leave.

The universe has your back.

If this resonates with you, take a look at my calendar.

I’ve carved out a few more slots for complementary strategy sessions over the next two weeks. (I was booked through October.) If you’re serious about getting your story out there, ready to create something you’re proud of, find your voice and use it to help yourself and others, click here to schedule 30 minutes with me.

AND on Thursday, August 21, 2014, I’m hosting FREE training on why writers get blocked, stuck, scared, think they suck AND what to do about it. Click for details. It’s free, and if you can’t make it live, we’ll automatically send you the recording. Your excuse is invalid.

Confessions of a dirty blonde :: Sometimes I’m a hypocrite

Ghostwriting books is easy. I can channel authors’ voices, mimic their style and churn out a polished manuscript in weeks. It’s like my own fucked up Sudoku game, like S&M without restraints.

My goal every day used to be 5,000 polished and page-ready words. That meant first and second draft done-zo. Most days, I hit my mark. It was challenging, don’t get it twisted, but all I had to do was write the damn manuscript and send it off to a client who had to do the rest of the work.

When I was scared, as a little girl, my dad used to tell me to, “Strap on a set.” Being the woman I am, I hate that. I don’t need a sack to conjure bravery. My ovaries will work just fine. Still, something kept me from writing my own story for a long, long time. It took four years before I could channel my courage and get out of my own way, his voice haunting me every time I thought to try again.

Now? I’m finally ready to release my freshman piece next month.

Fear is the only thing that held me back. I had the words, I had the experience, but I didn’t have the balls ovaries. Writing for yourself takes more bravery than writing for others. It’s not about mimicking or concocting or channeling. It’s about baring yourself for the entire world to see.

And that’s fucking scary.

While the grammar rules and lit. devices helped, they weren’t the key factor in completion. So here I’ve been, dishing out advice on how to write and get things done, when I haven’t been honest with you about the one thing that actually got me through my manuscript. The only thing that pushed me further into my first draft than I’d ever thought to get?

Coaching. 

Because when Beck looked at me and said, “It’s time to get up or shut up. Let’s finish this thing in ninety days.” Nothing held me back but myself. It was something I’d imagined for four years. That’s one thousand four hundred and sixty days of dreaming. And Beck said I could get it done in ninety?

I’d have a completed project. But I had to be ready: no more excuses or dragging feet. We would take the idea out of my head, vomit it onto a page (and then revise), and bundle it into a final project. A book I could hold in my own hands.

My book.

Weeks away from this reality, it’s so much better than writing for someone else (although I absolutely love ghostwriting).

You’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you haven’t done this for yourself yet. Some people label their dreams and, in turn, never create them.

“I’ll do it when I make X amount of money.”

“I’m writing my book after the kids go to college.”

“I’m too young to write anything worthwhile now.”

My excuse?

“What if I’m better at ghostwriting than I am at authorship?”

Now it’s gone. See you later, brain trash. And I owe my success, in part, to my coach. But mostly to me for getting out of my own damn way.

Want to finish your book? Do it.  Then email me and tell me how awesome it feels.

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Got writing questions for Capo? Email capo@rebeccatdickson.com. Confessions of a Dirty Blonde goes out every Thursday.