Michelle Barker's Blog: Hearing Voices - Posts Tagged "surrender"

Publishing a book has been a learning experience for me in many ways, from bending to the editing process to figuring out how to run a book launch. But perhaps the most important thing I've learned from this experience is the art of letting go.

There is a lot of grasping to writing a book. I find myself becoming attached to my own words, to the product of 'my book' and how many stars it gets from strangers. But the truth is, as soon as a writer's words are published, the writer must release his or her grip on them and let them fend for themselves. This is easier said than done.

It's a lot like watching your children grow up. At a certain point they do leave home and the experience is out of your hands. The harder you try to hold on, the more you suffer. The voice I listen to these days is the one that whispers, "Let go." And another one, the one with a sense of humour that tells me, "This isn't really such serious business, you know."

It isn't. My devotion is not, after all, to the end-product, but to the process of showing up to the page every morning. That's what needs to be taken seriously. If I'm going to listen to any voice, it should be the one that says, "Write!" Today, right now, put pen to paper and see what magic you can create.