I Finished My Book

“Tell everyone you finished your book,” Willa said.

“But I finished it December 31, 2012. This isn’t really new. It’s been going on for SEVEN years.”

“I don’t care. It’s important to tell people you finished it. Dwell in the accomplishment. You really did just finish it. It’s a different book now.”

I guess. It’s hard. I want to just fluff it off by saying well, I finished it before and I’ve just been rewriting it. What’s the big deal?

But Willa was adamant. (I hope she doesn’t mind me using her real name.)

I had been looking for someone to read through my book for a long time. I had others help me with it. I took writing classes, hired editors, and had Maryann, who worked with me for over a year get to a certain point.

Maryann was the one who asked me: “Why didn’t you speak up?” in my marriage which has jettisoned me into a fascinating inquiry about why people don’t speak up. I appreciate all she did for me.

But I still wasn’t satisfied. When I read through it after Maryann’s final edit, there were parts that I was unsure of. I really wanted someone to go through it with me word for word. I asked a bunch of people and Willa was the one who said yes for the right price and the right intention.

We just finished going through it today. Willa blew belief in me through out the process and told me it was good. “Really good.”

It was hard to read through it. I cried when I needed to cry. Had my tissues with me and a garbage can. There were parts I could barely read without sobbing. But I got through it. And I liked it.

“And it’s not a memoir. It’s something else. It’s inspiring. It’s motivating. It’s real,” Willa kept saying.

And it is. And I can actually say that. And I’m proud and tickled and excited.

I don’t know the next steps yet. But I am in the inquiry. I am leaning into the unknown.

I just wanted you all to know. Even though I’m not even sure of the final title.

I’ll keep you posted. If you know any literary agents or publishers looking for inspiring stories, please let me know.

More to come………..

PS For anyone looking for someone to help you with your writing, please let me know. I will pass on Willa’s information to you. She is awesome.