As writers, we all know how important it is to hone the skills of our craft. However sharply we pitch our work to magazine editors, agents or publishers, the words on the page are ultimately where the rubber meets the road.

Yet as Conscious Writers, we also discover the unquantifiable value of cultivating a creative mindset.

This includes both the thoughts and feelings we have about ourselves as writers and the value of our writing.

Both have a significant impact on the success we experience, however we choose to define that. In fact, unless we have our creative mindset fully charged, our words may never reach the page at all!

The bottom line is that our thoughts and feelings need to be in alignment to free up the deepest levels of creative expression. When we think about writing but doubt the worth of our ability or the validity of our contribution, it doesn’t take long for our creative impulse to dry up.

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Completing the final draft of a manuscript is a major threshold for any writer to cross, and is certainly worth celebrating as a significant achievement in its own right.

Once we have surfaced from whatever degree of conscious and creative recharge we require, a whole new level of our progress towards successful published authorship begins.

Naturally, we need to plan ahead to ensure that we stay on track with our intentions to reach our readers with our message and stories.

Yet as Conscious Writers, we are mindful of remaining present in the moment with all aspects of ourselves in alignment despite the future focus. This is how we retain congruence between our head and our heart to guide us as we make important decisions along the way.

Whether we are working with a traditional publisher or choosing the indie self-publishing route, planning for success as a published author means that in addition to our writing, our attention is required for many other activities.

So what are the main areas we need to focus on to give our book the best possible chance of success in the world?

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I’ve just finished writing a big section of my book, and it feels exciting to have reached this point! There is a sense of joy and satisfaction in this kind of completion which echoes wholeness for me in a heart-warming way.

There are many more sections still to write, but I’m happy to have crossed this particular threshold of completion. In fact, I feel even more enthusiastic about continuing my Conscious Writing process now that this section is “in the bag”.

With a big project like writing a book, it’s important to celebrate the minor completions along the way. This helps to keep our momentum going until we reach the major completions such as finishing the first draft of our manuscript or completing our whole submission package ready to send to agents or publishers.

Is it Creative Resistance or a Stepping Stone?

Some people shy away from any kind of completion and begin multiple creative writing projects which all lie half finished in drawers and cupboards. Do you recognize that at all?

Sometimes unfinished work-in-progress acts like a stepping stone to ideas which are seen through to completion, and this is a valid way to develop new possibilities. However, if not finishing projects is a recurring pattern, it usually indicates some form of creative resistance at work.

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