Writing a book? Wanting to write a book?

Naomi Rose’s Writing from the Deeper Self blog on:

Calling Forth the Growing Tip of Your Innate Creative Nature

Naomi Rose, Book Coach/Book Developer & Creative Midwife

Encouraging your creative flowering

Whether writing a book or birthing any creative form, your soul wants to be heard.

The movement towards the unknown is the nature of our soul’s emerging becoming, much like a plant seedling indicating what its true nature will look like after the first, generic leaves have come.

Can we trust that the falling away of what we have known opens the opportunity for something more true to arise?

Ah, procrastination! Who is not familiar with it at some time, in some context? And writing a book is one frequent context.

I’m going to go ahead and make the assumption that what I’ve found out about my own procrastination might be of use to you in terms of your own writing (and perhaps other things, as well).

Uncovering What’s Under Procrastination

Underneath procrastination is often something that’s felt to be difficult — whether in terms of carrying it out, or the feelings and beliefs it stirs up. On a rational level, the thing to do would be to look under the procrastination and see what the obstacle is, then address the obstacle, wouldn’t it? But it’s rarely the reasonable mind that’s at work, in such cases.

So it was in the course of a deep meditation that I realized what was behind my own procrastination about writing what turned out to be this blog. And when it showed itself, it made sense that I would have turned away from seeing it. Because the prospect of addressing what I saw seemed overwhelming.

An Outworn Vision

The vision that I originally had for Writing from the Deeper Self — really, a vision that gave itself to me long before I understood what it was or that visions can really be given from a higher realm—was to help people bring what was most real and true and beautiful in them into a form that could be shared with other people, and that could make a genuine positive difference in those people and, in a rippling way, the world. Since I had worked with books for many decades in my years as an editor working with publishers and authors, this intention centered on writing books, specifically.

And indeed, over the years I have been privileged to work with all sorts of wonderful human beings who wanted to, and did, write books, with my support. Many of them had always wanted to write the book but hadn’t known how, or hadn’t had a way to trust whether they were capable of doing it. Almost all of my clients were first-time authors (though some then went on to write additional books).

I loved my clients. I learned from them, as well as their learning from me. I championed their books, edited some of them when they were complete as manuscripts, and even helped a fair number get into self-published print (and ebook, and even audiobook) formats.

But somehow, in the last year or so—a historically unique year or so, as we all know—my original vision got somewhat eclipsed by the details of the work. The original call to be with the authors so that they could listen to what from within them was telling itself to them became eclipsed by the work of editing and self-publication coordinating. Not that there was or is anything wrong about this work; it’s just that it’s a matter of experience and skill on my part, rather than a soul-infused relationship. The growing tip is less in evidence. The form takes over the living, breathing, exciting unknown of what it is to create from within. The product usurps the process.

The Soul’s Longing to Become Known

 Maybe you’ve found something you’re good at, and you keep doing it and so keep getting even better at it — but it doesn’t call upon your soul. You don’t feel entirely enlivened by what you’re doing. You’re grateful, but not exactly full of new, moment-to-moment, enlivened breath.

So this may be a time for me of going back to the original vision and seeing which aspects want to be kept, and which need to be let go of to make room for something not yet known. This movement towards the unknown is the nature of our soul’s emerging becoming, much like a plant seedling indicating what its true nature will look like after the first, generic leaves have come. I actually have written about the “value of not knowing” in my book, Starting Your Book.

But to champion not knowing and to face not knowing are two different things. Can we trust that the falling away of what we have known opens the opportunity for something more true to arise? Or do we cling to the known because it is known, even though we feel a lack of aliveness as we slide our feet into the well-worn steps we’ve already made?

One thing I do know, which is part of my original vision (and actually is more clearly delineated because I’ve had the privilege of living it out at times), is that this “growing tip” of the creative process that lives within each of us needs to be seen and drawn forth in order to emerge. It needs our seeing. And when I have had the opportunity to do this with clients, it has been a sacred joy on both ends. 

This “growing tip” of the creative process that lives within each of us needs to be seen and drawn forth in order to emerge. It needs our seeing.

Creative Midwifery — The Growing Tip

So this kind of collaboration—the listening for what wants to be known — still fires my heart and calls on my deeper skills. I’m up for this. And it does not, I am (again) realizing, have to be about writing a book. It doesn’t even (gasp!) have to be about writing. It’s “just” being present together to what’s wanting to emerge from within you — be it a book, a song, an invention, a realization, a product, a vision, a recognition of something inside you that enlarges you, etc.

I write a lot about listening — in these blogs, on my website, and in my books on the creative process. Listening to yourself is what enables what wants to be known to be known. The notion that you don’t have to force anything out – that you don’t even have to try – but instead can make room inside yourself to hear, to notice, to love out what wants to be known into some tangible form frees you from so many of the painful constraints that you may have experienced when seeking to create something from within yourself. Just being graded in school can halt our trust in a natural inner emergence. 

Your soul wants to tell you something. Why not through writing a book?

INSPIRED TO WRITE A BOOK?
BUT DON’T WANT TO DO IT ALL ALONE?

I help people who value the inner life write the book of their heart.

Together, we listen out what's there wanting to be written. And we discover your natural ways of creating, so you can be even more of yourself) in the process.

Because you are essential to the writing of your book.

And only you can do it.

As the creator of the "Writing from the Deeper Self" process, with over 30 years in the publications field, I have worked with many wonderful authors (often, first-time authors) whose books are now in print. I also provide help with self-publishing.

If you’ve been considering writing the book of your heart and would love some support from me, I’d be happy to gift you a session to explore.

Simply book the session using the button below:

Naomi Rose

Book Developer & Creative Midwife
(510) 465-3935 Pacific Time
naomirosedeepwrite@yahoo.com
www.naomirose.net

The book of your heart awaits you

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