150. It can't be that hard; I'll figure it out - Linda Sivertsen
As a young girl writing love letters, my 150th podcast guest always had an inkling she'd be a writer.
It's funny though, that although Linda Sivertsen was always obsessed with books, she didn't think she was smart enough to write her own.
As she grew her dog walking business, she contemplated something more. Then she had a series of dreams and felt like she'd been tapped on the shoulder to write books.
But how? She didn't know anything about it! (I can totally relate. But anything is possible.)
She didn't stop there. She learned the rules. (Sounds like curiosity to me.)
Hmm, she thought, "It can't be that hard - I'll figure it out."
Turns out that she became really good at writing for others, and at book proposals because she kept getting rejected. (Resilience.)
And then she kept being asked to help others write their proposals (through connections).
She learned, and researched, then she shared with those inquiring, and eventually found herself with a thriving book writing business.
How'd she do it? Through dogged effort. And with these thoughts in mind.
- Each little successful moment builds momentum, which creates excitement.
- If you stick with it long enough, you'll have more wins.
- Because it's not always a clear path, you need to know what you love and follow what you love (joy). Without that fuel you won't continue.
- You can't escape it, if you're meant to do it.
Thankfully Linda learned all she did. Because now there are many more people being shown the beauty of writing a book, and on their way to changing the world with their hearts and their art.
As Linda told me during our conversation, "I don't do it half ass."
Thank goodness for that!
And so many of the themes in our conversation are related to my book chapters. Imagine that?
More about Linda:
Linda Sivertsen, “Book Mama,” is in LOVE with books—reading, writing, and selling them. Her titles have won awards and hit all the lists as an author, co-author, and former magazine editor and ghostwriter. But her driving force has been to publish sustainably. Naïve and optimistic enough to believe in magic, she’s on a mission to save forests via her role as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Ambassador. When she’s not fostering literary love matches on her Beautiful Writers Podcast (a favorite stop for writers on tour), writing, and promoting Beautiful Writers, or midwifing books at her Carmel or virtual writing retreats, Linda can be found on the back of a horse or running with her dogs. She and her husband live on their ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.
And check out my bestselling book:
Peace, Possibilities, and Perspective:
8 Secrets to Serenity and Satisfaction in Your Life and Career