Enough Talking…

My dad used to say, “Quit talking about it and do it!”

Then, he’d offer a lopsided grin and a wink, reassuring me that accomplishing my goal would be as easy as chewing gum. He repeated those words when I considered trying out for my high school’s flag corp, asking a boy to the Sadie Hawkins Dance, and applying for college at the University of Georgia.

I’m glad I listened to him because I attained all those things. It’s such simple advice, but so true. As Henry Ford said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” He sure left an awesome legacy, didn’t he?

The same advice applies to writers. We can talk all we want about the book we’re writing, but until we actually write it and go through the publication process, we’re not authors.

When I tried out for the flag corp, I had to learn a routine and practice it. I couldn’t show up at the try-out and expect to wow the judges with an impromptu routine. When I asked a boy to the dance, you better believe I practiced my pitch many times. And when I applied to UGA, I did it with the faith that I’d done my level best in high school to achieve high grades to stand out against my competition.

You can’t be a slacker and expect to accomplish great things.

I’m now on the second edit of my novel (with the help of my Storyteller Squad brain trust), and should be finished by Christmas. After the first of the year, I’ll begin seeking an agent and querying publication houses. At the same time, I’m building a social media platform to help with marketing once the book is published. I’ve made up my mind not to merely talk about publishing a book, but to do everything possible to ensure it happens.

I’d love to hear your success story of when you stepped out in faith to “do,” instead of “talk.” As a reminder, each time you comment, you’re entered into a contest to receive a free book from one of the Squad’s published authors.