Are you sitting comfortably? I want to tell you a story about Penny, who found a way to finally get the words flowing on her book. She learned that it doesn't matter how long you've been stuck—one lightbulb moment can get you moving. Here’s her story…
From super stuck to literal ah-ha
Penny had wanted to write a book since her mother passed away in 2010 after a long and rough last few years.
By the time Penny joined my Write Your Memoir course, she’d been thinking about her book for a decade. She imagined it would be a self-help or how-to guide for other children caring for their elderly parents.
Now, the Write Your Memoir course is, as you probably guessed, for people who want to write memoirs, not self-help books. Penny joined anyway because she wanted to teach other people through her mom's experiences, so she knew her book would include a lot of memoir elements.
In the second lesson, I walked Penny through an exercise to help her identify the theme of her book. And she had a lightbulb moment. She literally sat bolt upright and said, “Ah-ha!”
She later told me that in that single moment, she finally realized what her book was about—and it wasn’t what she’d thought.
At last, a breakthrough
She’d spent a decade thinking about her mom’s story and occasionally trying to write advice around it. But now, she realized this wasn’t about her mom; she really wanted to share her experiences caring for elderly parents.
The book was a memoir about her transformation from a resentful child who felt she had to care for her parents prematurely to a mature woman who was proud to shoulder the weight of caring for her mom.
She wanted others to learn from her experiences, but she didn’t want to instruct. She didn’t want to directly teach, for example, a seven-step program for caring for elderly parents. Instead, she wanted others to know her story and take what they needed from her experience as someone who’s walked the same steps.
After this lightbulb moment, Penny wrote the word “transformation” on a post-it note and stuck it to her laptop. And the words started flowing. She sent me a note saying, “Now, I work on this project every day, driven by your passion. I thank you for that!!!"
A moment that changes everything
I love how a decade of being stuck resolved in a single moment—because Penny was willing to try something new. She dove in, followed the instructions, and found her breakthrough.
Now, for the first time ever, she can see the finish line. She’s consistently getting words down and understands how they’ll come together. She’s actually enjoying the writing process. And she’s excited to finally finish her book.
Pretty awesome, right?
If Penny’s story speaks to you and you’d like to finally get your writing flowing, I'm working on something for you—an online version of the course that helped Penny find her flow.
I'm still putting the finishing touches on it, but you'll be the first to know when it's ready. If you have any questions about writing in the meantime, hit reply and ask away. I'd love to help you find your flow.
Because it doesn't matter how long you've been stuck. One lightbulb moment can get you moving.
Thanks,
Liz "I Love Lightbulbs" Green
Book Coach, Green Goose Writing
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