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| Patrick Van Eybergen The Royal National Park, NSW |
What a fabulous way
to start 2017 – as a new, fully-fledged Genre-ista!
Thank you everyone
– Genre-istas and readers – for making me feel so welcome. I look
forward to interacting and getting to know you all over the coming months.
Well, we’re already
five days into 2017 and from what I’ve seen so far, the coming year holds a wealth
of promise – opportunities galore just waiting to be snapped up.
So many
possibilities...
So, saying that,
where should I start with my debut appearance in Romancing the Genres?
When I sat down to
compose this, my first blog as a very new, very green, Genre-ista, I stared at
the blank flickering screen wondering what I could possibly write that would be
of interest. Christmas is over, the New Year has just begun…
Then it hit.
Would there ever be
a better time to talk of new beginnings, of fresh starts? Of setting goals and aspiring
dreams?
Great, but that it’s
been done to death. And what could I say that you haven’t heard before?
So, I scratched that
and moved on. Considered telling you more about myself, about my writing, about
why I write the stories I write. Then I scratched that, too.
I do want to share
all of this with you, and more. But this moment, this first week of January
2017 – at the head of a year when my career is about to take all kinds of turns
I only dreamed but never imagined it would take – I want to touch on something
very close to my heart.
In the words of
Susan Jeffers…
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
This is the
lynchpin of my entire journey to authordom – from the moment I decided to write a book,
to the moment I put myself out there and agreed to become a part of this
wonderful group of blogging authors. So what better idea for my first Romancing the Genres blog, than to share
my story in the hopes of inspiring others out there to do the same. To ‘feel
the fear and do it anyway’.
I’m an inveterate introvert.
One of those people
who attends parties only to lurk in the shadows, hoping someone else will make
the first move, that they’ll approach and say ‘hi’ and start conversation,
rather than me having to step outside my comfort zone and into the Formula 1
lane of extrovertism.
Of course, after
they do, I spend the rest of the evening trying not to say something
embarrassing or silly. Then do it anyway.
It’s that old idiom
of what we focus on coming to fruition, whether the good, the bad or the ugly. And
isn’t it so much easier to focus on the negative?
So, writing
stories, stepping out of the shadows into the public domain, was a big step for
me. Huge, even. And, of course, being an author these days isn’t just about
writing books. It’s about being a personality that readers can connect with.
That means connecting back. Posting on facebook. Tweeting on Twitter. Snapping on
Instagram. Skipping through the tulips of social media, leaving your mark of
footprints along the way.
Well, you get my
drift. All actions that are unnatural to an introvert like me.
Yet, step by baby
step, six years ago I slipped out of my shell. I put myself out there, and in the
process I made contacts, colleagues, friends. And slowly, those baby steps
grew, until I found myself attending conferences, approaching people before
they approached me, and even – yikes! – pitching my book to editors and agents.
Every one of those
steps made my pulse race and my palm sweat. I took deep breaths, told myself
that I could do it. I can’t honestly say I believed it, but I said the words, felt
the fear and did it anyway. And after each of those steps, guess what. My pulse
still raced, my palms still sweated, but something inside me lifted. As if
whatever bindings had tied me to old habits were suddenly loosened. I felt
light. Free.
A-mazing.
And after a while, not
only did I say the words, but I began to believe them.
I can do it…
Since those
moments, I’ve pitched and published a book. Written and self-published a short story.
Started a newsletter. Given television, radio and newspaper interviews. And
each of those times, when my heart pounded and the sweat ran riot, I felt the
fear and did it anyway. Because each of those steps brought me one step closer
to my goal and a dream I’ve had for as long as I’ve been able to read and write
– the dream of becoming a published author and connecting with and inspiring readers.
So, what if any
message would I like you to take away from this meander down memory lane?
Don’t let your
fears become the sum of your actions.
Consider what you’d
like to do with your life. Dig deep, to the person beneath the armor. Rediscover
those childhood dreams you nurtured before your adult self took them to task
and buried them deep beneath a wall of insecurities and uncertainties.
If there’s
something you desire, some deep-seated want or need that you’ve long ignored –
because you never thought you could do it if it ever came about – don’t let
those fears stop you from reaching out now and grasping them in the palm of
your hand.
Picture that dream
in your head, tell yourself you can do it, that you are amazing and able and
deserving, and that anything is possible if you believe. Then feel the fear and
do it anyway.
Live your dream.
Your life can be
amazing. A wonder filled with so many incredible possibilities, if only you
take the steps and make all that wonderfulness happen.
Don’t doubt
yourself, or tell yourself you’re not ready, that the time’s not right.
It will never be
right, until you make it so.
Feel the fear and
do it anyway.
And see the fruits
of your endeavors prosper.
So, what steps will
you take to make 2017 a stand-out year? What will you do that you’ve never
done? What will you try that you’ve always wanted to try? Where will you go
that you’ve always wanted to go?
Do something
different. Brave. Spectacular.
Step out of your
comfort zone, feel the fear and do it anyway.
Who knows what heights you’ll
achieve?
Why not start right now? Comment below and tell me
what you’ve always wanted to do or be or attain. I’d love to be part of your
journey. To see your beginning then hear about how went.
Or to hear about your accomplishments – those times
you’ve ‘felt the fear and done it anyway’. Why not share your stories to inspire
others to do the same?
Start 2017 in the way you mean to continue. Step
outside the boundaries of your fears and do something fabulous.
Feel the fear and do it anyway…
If
you’d like to find out more about the introvert behind the writer, follow me on
facebook, twitter or instagram, or sign up to my newsletter.
Michelle
Somers is a bookworm from way back. An ex-Kiwi who now calls Australia home,
she's a professional killer and matchmaker, a storyteller and a romantic. Words
are her power and her passion. Her heroes and heroines always get their happy
ever after, but she'll put them through one hell of a journey to get there.
Michelle
lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her real life hero and three little heroes
in the making.
Her debut novel, Lethal in Love won the Romance Writers
of Australia's 2016 Romantic Book of the Year (RuBY) and the 2013 Valerie Parv
Award.
If you’ve not yet read Lethal in Love, here’s what you’ve been missing:
Homicide detective
Jayda Thomasz never lets her emotions get in the way of a case. So when a
serial killer re-emerges after 25 years, the last thing she expects is to catch herself fantasising over the hot,
smooth-talking stranger who crosses the path of her investigation.
Reporter Seth Friedin is chasing the story that’ll
make his career. When he enters the world of swinging for research, he never
imagines he’ll be distracted by a hard-talking female detective whose kiss
plagues his mind long after she’s gone.
Past experience has shown Jayda that reporters are
ruthless and unscrupulous. But when the murders get personal and danger closes
in, will she make a deal with the devil to catch the killer? How far will she
and Seth have to go? And do you ever really know who you can trust?
10 comments:
Welcome to Romancing the Genres! I loved this blog post. Your passion for writing (and life in general) is inspiring and you always encourage me to face my fears and believe in myself. This advice can be applied to so many facets of our lives.
The biggest fear I've ever faced was going on live television. I was 22 at the time and didn't even like my photo being taken. A friend asked me to present a 5 minute live segment on community television once a week for 3 months. I thought I'd throw up or pass out before my first show, but I pushed myself to do it and even enjoyed it by the end.
Great post Michelle! I love that quote, and think it is so relevant for those among us who are aspiring authors, although from what I hear, we continue to need it along the journey! My big thing for the year is to finish my book and face the fear of putting it out there for others to see. Wish me luck!
Again, Welcome aboard, Michelle. I'm going to be taking a on-line class on using Canva to create simple book covers. I've several short stories I'd like to publish and they all need covers. I do not see myself as a visually creative person so I'm already taking deep breaths and doing positive self-talk and reminding myself that I do have experience in creating advertising copy - of course that was in the 1950's when I was in high school!
You have tackled feat like a master! Thanks for dragging me onto the extrovert's racetrack every no and then!
Thanks for the lovely welcome Lauren!
And thank you for sharing a moment you faced your fear and did it anyway. Fabulous that you not only went on Community TV, but that you also began enjoying the experience the more you did it.
That's a great lesson for us all 😊
Michelle xx
I'm so glad you enjoyed the post, Jess.
Good on you for being willing to push the boundaries and put yourself and your book out there. I'd love to hear how you go.
Best of luck!!
Michelle xx
Hi Judith
Thanks for all your help and for making me feel so welcome as part of Romancing the Genres.
Good on you for having a goal and going out to get the skills to achieve it. It takes a lot of coursge to put ourselves out there, and you're doing it. Make sure you take the time to pat yourself on the back and acknowlege your efforts.
All the best with your cover designing endeavors and your short stories 😊
Michelle xx
Lol, thanks Mandy. After all, what are friends for?
Glad to have you as company along my journey. I'm loving watching yours unfold.
Michelle xx
Feel the fear and do it anyway is how I have survived especially the last year when I took the risk and self-published a romance. I love the fact that Susan Jeffers can bring so many people together and give them the confidence to live the quote so many years down the track.
Loved your post and will enjoy following it.
Great post Michelle! I have a book that basically says that fear is part of us. We basically can't get rid of it, we just have to learn to tame it and learn to live with it. A friend gave me this book when I traveled permanently to Australia. I still refer to it often.
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