Limiting Beliefs About Making a Living With My Writing

For the longest time I’ve had a limiting belief that held me back from immersing myself fully into my greatest passion: my writing. Being creative – in all aspects of my life and my business – is as much a part of me as breathing. But, for some reason, I never believed I could make a full time living with my writing.

I think it stems back to my mother. She had a beautiful singing voice that would have given Nancy Wilson a run for her money, but she didn’t believe she could make a practical living out of her love of singing and performing. She passed those beliefs onto me – her first born child – by making it clear that I needed to become « a doctor or lawyer or Indian Chief. ».- in other words, a highly paid professional. Dancing and singing and writing were nice, but they were hobbies – not professions.

I became a lawyer. I don’t blame my mother one bit for having high ambitions for me. In fact, I will always be grateful for her guidance, love and support, and her unwavering belief that I could be anything I wanted to be.

But, later in life, after years of watching me work all the time in a large law firm, having very little personal life and stifling my creativity, even she hoped I would hit it big with one of my novels and get off that hamster wheel.

After I published my first book and realized that I needed to have at least five books in a series before I’d see any steady income from book sales, i got overwhelmed. I buried my head in the sand and turned away from seeing writing and self-publishing as a viable business plan. I published the first two books in a series and a stand-alone novel under one pen name, another book and a short story under another, and then I just stopped writing. I was frustrated from having done so much work, but not seeing much monetary benefit.  I didn’t realize I had shot myself in the foot by failing to complete enough books in either series.

It took becoming a coach, working with a coach, attending some writing conferences, and reading some great books by Joanna Penn, to make me realize the error of my ways.

Both the coach training I received and working with a coach helped me to discover that the limiting beliefs I held and how they held me back.

At the writing conferences, I learned great techniques for marketing my books, the best way to publish them, and what it takes to make a full time living as a writer.

Reading “How to Make a Living With Your Writing: Books, Blogging & More“* by Joanna Penn, made me think of multiple ways to bring in income as a writer and all the coinage I’ve been leaving on the table by my lack of focus and a strategic plan.

I became a writing coach because I love to help my clients focus and formulate the strategic plan they need to achieve their writing and publishing goals – whether that is making a full time living as a writer or writing books to establish their expertise.

Do you dream of making a full time living from your art?  Do you dream of writing a book? What limiting beliefs are holding you back?  We can explore that and your writing goals and begin to formulate a strategic plan to achieve them in a book clarity consultation. Sign up here.

Ciao for now,

Coach Candace

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