Your life requires *you*...

I have a confession. I did it again! I awoke wishing that overnight somebody had waved a magic wand, cast their magic spell and that everything I hope to achieve with my work is done. I am become! I am completed by this stranger’s ‘magic’. I am an ‘overnight success’.

I have more to confess; I continued this dream onwards into my day. Over breakfast, I imagined how a benevolent benefactor knocked, unsolicited, upon my door and enthusiastically offered to publish my work for no other reason than they love and admire it and wanted simply to help me.

Don’t we all have such daydreams from time to time? Don’t we all wish that somebody else could make things just happen for us? Isn’t that why those TV talent shows are so popular? Sometimes I can feel quite overcome by my soul’s longing for the final ‘result’, sometimes the temptation of a short cut to ‘success’ seems oh so irresistible. In these moments, I am a child, greedily eyeing up the jewel-like confectionary in the sweet shop jars.

They are harmless musings and very common, but they are foolish and I am a fool if I choose to dwell too long.

Oh yes, the hard work, the anxiety, the strain and the worry would just disappear overnight and suddenly the things I desire would be getting handed to me on a plate. I would have fast forwarded through all the dislikeable aspects of working for what I want. I would have at it all. Hurray!

Now what? I’ve achieved my goal. What is to come next? Where will I point my attention, my effort? How will I improve on what went before? What learning did I garner from getting all I wanted handed to me on a plate? Am I even in charge of it anymore? Perhaps I should ask that generous wand bearer – it was their spell that created my success after all…

What have I missed out on by taking such a short-cut? What opportunities for attaining even greater successes did I sacrifice by wishing my work away onto somebody else? How richer could I be in the understanding of my craft, my topic. How many interesting people have I missed out on meeting as I leap-frogged straight to the end? Some of the biggest lessons, the most valuable learning of my life has risen from the furnace of my mistakes. If not in the outright errors, certainly in the experience of my tears, toil and effort. This is surely true for each and every one of us?

Here’s what I believe - true, actual magic is woven into creations only by, and because of, the creator’s unique presence during the act of creation. It is their metaphysical magical finger print worked into the creation that gives it life, makes it breathe and allows it to ‘speak’ to others. This is what gives the work authenticity and newness (even though there is nothing new under the sun). This is where the magic is to be found.

I will no doubt find myself indulging in further moments of foolish daydreaming - but I hope I will not remain there too long.

It may be harder work. It may be a tougher life; having to create my own success. But it is a simpler, and truer life too. To lean into the graft, to keep turning up and enjoy the seconds, minutes and hours that stretch out to the months needed to complete a story and publish it as a book – this has its own beauty and sense of grand achievement.

The more I put myself into my work, the more it is my own, the more the work allows me to become me. That’s the magic in every act of creation I do.

It is true of yours too – don’t you think?

P.S.  There is something that you can 'create' that is like a 'magic wand' for my writing success - you can consider writing a review for my second book, The Truth of Her, Beyond Veils, Book 2. It needs to catch up with it's 'big brother', my first book, in the 'number of review posted' stakes!

If you have finished reading The Truth of Her - or are getting close to - maybe you would consider letting me, and other potential readers, know what you thought of it by writing up a quick Amazon review (this is the third most helpful thing you can do for my writing career, just behind buying the book and reading the book!). Click here to be taken straight to the Amazon page.

P.P.S Talking of helpful things you can do for me - which we were just above, keep up - should you feel like letting your friends and family know about your enjoyment of The Truth of Her, and encourage them to consider purchasing a copy for themselves, well I've taken some of the hassle out of it for you by doing a pre-prepared Facebook and Twitter post! Just click on those links and post away. You will have my lasting gratitude and earn a 'super-fan' star for yourself.

(all book/audiobook links in this email are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on them and then go on to buy, I will get a few more pennies to add to my sales royalties. The price to you remains the same though).

P.P.P.S If you would like to receive notification of these monthly blogs straight to your inbox then you can sign-up to be on my mailing list HERE.