“To be a writer is to sit down at one’s desk in the chill portion of every day, and to write; not waiting for the little jet of the blue flame of genius to start from the breastbone – just plain going at it, in pain and delight. To be a writer is to throw away a great deal, not to be satisfied, to type again, and then again, and once more, and over and over….” ~John Hersey

I want to be an author?  Really?

I remember clearly the day that I decided that I was going to write a book.  I had just finished presenting one of my business seminars at the Boulder Colorado Chamber of Commerce and I was standing in the front of the room meeting some of attendees.  The seminar had gone well; perhaps 80 people had shown up for the ninety minutes of my presentation.

This was in the early fall of 2005 and I had at this point been writing and presenting business seminars for nearly 10 years.  The seminars were fun for me and they made me some money – sometimes a little…sometimes a nice amount.  I mostly gave these smaller seminars at various Chambers of Commerce around the country as a part of my marketing for my coaching practice and they worked well then and work still marvelously.  I never tried to sell anyone on coaching.  I just gave my best, did my absolute best for my audience, and if it was the right time in their lives – we ended up working together.

I had been asked many times if I had a book or audio program and I always responded with something similar to: “I’m a great coach and a speaker, but not an author.”  That was my standard response but on this day I startled myself by responding:  “I don’t have a book yet or an audio program, but I’m going to.”  Wow!  Really?  What was different about that day?  I don’t know, but I know now that it was the true response.

Fast Forward Five Years

It has been nearly five years since that time and although my book is not yet done, I can now see the actual end of the marvelous, frustrating, incredible, time consuming, best ever, worst ever process.  My book will be out in 2011 – almost exactly 6 years since that seminar.  What took me so long?  What did I learn along the way?  What can you learn from my experience?  Excellent questions and I will answer them soon.

Till next time faithful reader…Jack

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“It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer.” ~Gerald Brenan