Remembering to Trust Yourself

Live Large – The Achiever’s Guide to What’s Next, is the title of my book that will be published by Greenleaf Book Group next spring.  (And you will have a chance to pre-order soon!)

If you’ve ever written a book or even if you haven’t, it’s not the writing that’s hard, it’s the re-writing, the polishing.  Just when you think you have it, you aren’t so sure.

I’ve had the great good fortune to work with an amazing development editor and book shaman, Suzanne Kingsbury.  She is a gifted writer in her own right.  Working with her has helped me be a better writer than I ever imagined I could be.

So here we are at the end of the process.  After multiple edits and re-edits, the publisher suggested yet one more round of changes to the first section of the book, and Suzanne said, “I’m happy to take a look at it.”  Relieved because I was busy getting ready for an out of town trip, I said, “Great.”

What she sent back was crisper and did indeed address the publisher’s concerns.  Yet when I read it for what seemed like the umpteenth time, there was something I just couldn’t put my finger on that didn’t seem to quite work.  I did my best to describe what I saw, sending the questions and concerns to Suzanne.  You can fix this! I thought. I don’t know how.

Nevertheless, I decided to go back one more time.  I saw words I wanted to trim, a reference that seemed redundant, a small but important section that I wanted to relocate.  As I finished my final review, I realized that this time Ihad fixed what needed fixing.

When we work with an expert, and Suzanne is one, it’s easy to forget that we always bring our own talents and discernment to the table.   Suzanne has only encouraged me at every step. I was the one who had gotten lazy, a little too comfortable relying on her.

This is not about not using experts – I am one in my field too (and we can be invaluable).  It’s about never losing sight that you too have a vision and a unique point-of-view.  A real expert will applaud when you use them.

So this week remember: Don’t lose sight of what you do know, even as you listen to those who know more!

Until next Tuesday,

Elizabeth