Believing You Can Write a Book

Believing you can write a book is a bit like believing in fairies. You have no evidence they exist, but somehow you *want* to believe that they might. Even when you stay up all night on a stakeout to watch the toadstool circle on midsummer’s eve – you might see a glimpse of twinkling glitter, a shaft of moonlight illuminating a flap of a wing, but you can’t be sure that what you’ve seen is actually a real fairy.

You want to believe you can write a book, but you have no idea HOW it will happen. You make a start – sit at the laptop, type some words, keep adding to it until you’re not sure what happens next. Then, you re-read what you’ve written and wonder how you ever thought it was a good idea. 

Consequently, while the desire to do it is still there, the belief dwindles. 

This is the point at which we say we want to write a book; but our actions (or lack thereof) betray the fact that we don’t believe we can. 

It works during other parts of the process too.
> Editing: trying to create the perfect story in your mind and being incapable of translating it to the page.
> Sharing: wanting to show other people your creation, but being afraid they might think you’re deluded. 
> Submitting: announcing that you’d love an agent to help get you published, but being rejected and losing hope. 

I’m currently in this last one. Querying agents – or rather looking for agents to query without ever quite managing to email them. Why aren’t I sending my novel off to them? Because I’m not quite sure I believe in it.

I want to believe it can happen. Other people have told me it has happened to them. But, somehow I have doubts that it could happen for me. 

And so, I’m procrastinating on sending out my manuscript.

As children, when we hear adults dismiss ideas of magic and the existence of fairies, we think it’s just because grown-ups don’t have time; that they’re too busy and distracted to really believe. And if you don’t believe it, you can’t possibly see it. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But as kids, we are absolutely certain that magic and fairies can exist, even if we don’t see them for ourselves. 

We have the proof right in front of us: shelves upon shelves of books, magazines full of stories, a whole library of digital novels. People have written books. We hold this evidence in our hands and yet still doubt we are capable of it. 

I’m not sure I do. 

Somehow, despite going through the motions to try and attract an agent for my book, I’m not convinced it will happen. I don’t believe it enough to really attempt it – hence my extended stop at procrastination-station. Yet, if I could guarantee with 100% certainty that the next agent I submitted to would be *my* new agent – wouldn’t I send that query right this second, now?

The problem is, as grown ups, we aren’t certain. We don’t believe in the same way as we did when we were kids. And that’s such a shame, because it prevents us from trying so many things. 

Like anything, the way to change this is to practice, because believing is a skill we can master. I encourage my coaching clients to do this all the time: practice believing that you can write a book, because you can. If you believe you can. 

Just like that Henry Ford quote: Whether you believe you can, or believe you can’t, you’re right. 

And who would want to choose to believe that they can’t when to believe you CAN is so much more uplifting?

So, I’m going to practice believing that my book will attract an agent. 

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