First Time Author

The feeling is overwhelming. The sense of accomplishment is awesome. And the reality of holding the book in your hand is tremendous.

Many dream of writing a book, but for many, it remains a dream. To make the dream a reality takes determination and a driving force within to reach the goal line.

My dream of writing My Sister My Hero Cathy Porter Ms. Wheelchair Maryland 2007 began in 2007. For two years I spoke of, dreamed of, but never wrote the book. Oh yes, I attempted the daunting task many times, even to the point of creating a fancy Excel spreadsheet with many tabs, each representative of a chapter. I thought I was on my way, but God had a different plan. When it came to actually taking the “bullet points” from the fancy Excel spreadsheet and turn them into a story, the well of words dried up. I couldn’t type two words that made sense. And believe me; I tried, time and time again.

Writers Block is a difficult thing to accept. It is very frustrating, and for me, it actually made me angry at myself. I wanted, desperately, to write Cathy’s story. But the more I tried to write it, the harder it got to write it. Finally, I heard God’s still small voice say, “It’s not time!” And it wasn’t – there was too much left to experience, too many incredible memories that had to be told. So with that realization, I stopped trying to write it and started to experience the incredible chapters of the future book.

When the time was God’s time, the words flowed like living stories. I couldn’t type fast enough to record them all. And from first word to finished book – a total of four months – my dream became a reality.

What did I learn through this experience – listen to that still small voice. God knows the perfect time for everything. He knows what needs to be shared and what the title should be. Oh yeah – there was another realization. From my first thought of writing the memoir, the title changed many, many, many times. Each idea lasted a brief time, then as quickly as it entered my mind, it disappeared. Then the reference I used for years came to mind, My Sister My Hero Cathy – God added Porter, Ms. Wheelchair Maryland 2007. No, actually, God created the entire title. He knew long before my thought of writing the memoir what the title would be, how many pages it would be, and who would read it.

Joy is a beautiful word. It describes a mixture of exhilaration and happiness blended with a bit of humble pie. As a mother of two handsome sons, precious gifts from God, I know the feeling of joy!

As a new author, in many ways, I feel like I gave birth to God’s incredible gift of words.

Never give up on your dream of being an author. For one day, it WILL become a reality and your life will never be the same.

http://www.nancycarey.com/
(c) Nancy Carey