We have stories to tell. Stories that come from the heart. From the part of our lives that make us feel big and small, tight and loose, warm and cold. The emotional drain can be leave us exhausted, on a daily basis. The recognition that we've come so far and still have so far to go, leaves us overwhelmed. The desire, the passion, the need to finish this, to tell the story, share it with the world, becomes food and air and lifeblood. It's part of the desire to be introduced as, “The author of…” but it's so much more than that!

This year is a year of big words. Not long, confusing, erudite words. But big words that make people sit up and take notice. Words like electrifying. Stunning. Phenomenal. Determined. Capricious. Successful. Deliberate. Strong. And yes, pretty.

That said, phenomenal authors are made, not born!

Easy to type those big words here. Easy to say each one out loud. Words make the woman, I say. smart women choose their words wisely. In a story, where the only person who knows the truth of what you write, is you, the right words are paramount. One of my favorite authors, Mark Twain tells us,

The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. - Notebook, 1898

I am on the side of not squandering it. Of telling the story, out loud, in a book, to the whole world.

Yes, it's true, we don’t pop out of Mom’s womb (what an image that is!) ready to write that phenomenal story, all about us! Learning to write that story, whether it’s just in our diary, or in an eBook, an audio book, in a full-length published print book, or all of the above is a task best done in collaboration – with professionals whose only duty is to serve you - you, the author of...the story.

I wrote my first book when I was in seventh grade. It was a ghost story. A ghostly love story. I wrote it sitting at the dining room table, pencil by pencil, page by page. The words flowed like rain… a big drop here, little drops there, a torrent of wetness on weekends. I had full concentration on this ghost story – likely based on a movie (one wonders where I got the idea – but know that ideas are just the beginning and your idea may be similar to mine, but similar is  not the same  – because we are not the same!). 

Don't just trust me on that not the same thing. Martha Graham says,

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”

After more than 200 or so pages, fingers cramped and sore, I sat back with a sigh of self-satisfaction, and smiled. Done. Who would ever read it? I don't think I considered that thought once, during the writing. Now that it was done, I still didn't consider it. I was 12 years old. 

Since my goal in life has always been to take my wayward self forward and become an author, the sense of accomplishment was fulfilling in ways I hadn’t imagined! I’d completed a book! A story of more than 200 pages! Complete with ghostly events, love in all of its wonder (what did I know about love in the 7th grade, you ask? Nothing. I made it all up. With a little help from books…yep, other people’s books). It was my book, written in my scribbly handwriting. Locked in a three-ring binder … where it would stay for eternity.

I did share it with a few people. But, even I knew there was little chance of it being published. At the time I had no way of typing it up into a proper manuscript. So, into a desk drawer it went. And, life went on.

That Burning Desire

Looking back now, as an adult with two decades of professional experience both writing and coaching, I have to admit that phenomenal authors are made, not born. It’s in the training and the mentoring that I learned to become phenomenal. I learned to value words and their placement in a sentence or paragraph. I devoured books on writing and struggled with “show, don’t tell” and slowly but surely began to be published and have my writing recognized. My phenomenal self was born, and she wanted to keep learning. She wanted the world to recognize her as an author, and a writing professional.

She was born a communicator, a storyteller, but she had to learn to be an author.

Are you still with me? Is this a burning desire you have? Is writing that business book or story of you or phenomenal portrait of you, burning in your heart? It can happen without help, I encourage you to write it no matter what, but guidance and mentoring with a developmental coach brings might be the nudge to move it along, and to make it the highest quality product you've ever produced. 

I can’t stress strongly enough – phenomenal authors are made, not born! Phenomenal selves are somewhat the same. You are born phenomenal, I will give you that. But in order to share your phenomenal self with the world, especially in a book (we call them “book as business card” here), professional help is never a bad idea.

Gentle help or aggressive help – at your request.

(yes, I know how to get bossy – if you make me the boss of you in a writing project!)

At Nurturing Big Ideas it’s not only me, Yvonne DiVita. It’s Tom Collins, and a group of professionals in the writing business, ready to be tapped into for all of your writing needs. We’re here to help you demonstrate your phenomenal self. 

Making phenomenal authors is our business. We love book as business card because it shares a long lasting story – it offers clients and would-be clients a more fully developed narrative that proves how you are the answer to their problems.

Isn’t that what it’s about? It’s about all of us helping each other solve problems and make the world a better place.

Ready to share your phenomenal story with the world? Bring it out into the light of day?

We’re here to help make that happen. We have a three step process that works for book development and business development. After all, writing a book is like starting another small business. Isn't that another reason to partner with us? 

Or, just contact me, Yvonne DiVita, and we can set up a short, get acquainted Zoom call. yvonne (at) yvonnedivita (d0t) com