 I woke exceptionally early one morning this week and looked out the window of our 10th floor apartment in Brooklyn to see a soft pink dawn. Spring, finally, is here on the east coast of the U.S. and it's such a relief after months of bone-chilling weather.
Pleased with myself for immediately getting out of bed, I marched directly to my meditation cushion for a 10-minute guided session, via my iPhone, with Andy. Andy Puddicombe is a former Buddhist monk turned entrepreneur and co-founder of the Headspace app. His distinctive British accent is the only thing that seduces me into meditating.
Seated and legs crossed I looked over at the table next to the couch and spotted an empty beer bottle, my husband's, from the previous night. This interrupted the meditative flow. My brain jumped to a rapid fire series of thoughts: the reminder that he drinks too much beer, that he didn't put away the bottle, and that both of us are getting fat and old and regular consumption of alcohol isn't helping.
This is called globalizing.
It comes in many forms. I do it too often and maybe you do too.
There's a particularly virulent form of globalizing related to writing. Your thoughts might go something like this:
I'm having trouble completing the proverbial shitty first draft of my book; therefore I'm a failure.
I'm not a professional writer (writer by trade), so I can't write a book, article, blog, insert here...
I'm not the world's foremost expert on X, so I can't write about that topic.
You get the point. Globalizing means jumping to enormous, negative conclusions based on skimpy, incomplete evidence. It's not logical. But it is, or can be, incapacitating when it come to writing.
Back to the beer bottle
Naturally, my thoughts sparked a conversation with my husband that quickly erupted into an early morning squabble. Sam pointed out that perhaps I was jumping to the wrong conclusions based on the sight of one bottle. We are not that fat, he said, speaking from the perspective of a retired physician. And yes we are aging and getting older but that's part of life. And wasn't I supposed to be in a zen state when I was meditating??
We resolved the argument and a lovely spring day ensued.
If you have a book idea taking up space in your head...
This summer, while I work on my own book proposal about "A Gap Year For Grownups" (more here), I am only able to take on one or two new book writing clients.
But I do have time for a limited number of 20-minute Knock Down sessions, via phone, where you tell me about your book idea and what's holding you back.
During these mini coaching sessions I give you one piece of actionable feedback to knock down your obstacles to making progress on your book. And if we think there's a fit, we can talk about working together. Hit Reply and tell me if you want a Knock Down session.
As a book writing coach, I offer these services:
- Half or full-day intensives in NYC or Maine where we meet face-to-face to brainstorm and organize your book idea. You leave with a clear action plan for writing. These are hugely productive and can put you months ahead on a book project.
- Ongoing coaching for six months or longer, via Zoom, to give you accountability and a professional editor (moi) at your side to keep you on track to completing a first draft.
More here about working with me as a book coach.
Yours in possibilities,
Debbie
P.S. My husband Sam Harrington's new book is now available on Amazon (and also Amazon UK). If you have an elderly friend or relative whose health is declining and who is beginning to wrestle with end-of-life decision-making, I highly recommend AT PEACE: Choosing a Good Death After a Long Life.
I help writers get unstuck.
New website! http://debbieweil.com
mobile: 202.255.1467
private email: wordbiz@gmail.com
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