What to Consider When Starting a New Manuscript

Any beginning requires focus, consideration, and a certain kind of openness to the possibilities lying in wait. Starting a new project is no different. Here are ten things to consider when beginning to work on your next manuscript:

1. Authorship is a creative form, and relies on the artist (the author) to be in a specific alignment for each project. When you are in alignment with the project, the words will flow, and the ideas will flood your mind; when you’re not in alignment, consider the tough questions. Is this the right project for you? Is this the right project right now? Are you approaching it from the right direction, or does your POV need to change?

2. Patience. It’s not a waiting game, but sometimes giving yourself some patience is crucial. All things happen in their own time, when they are in alignment. Are you in alignment with your own process?

3. Timing is everything, and if the project needs to be pushed out or even put on hold that’s important. There might be additional information or learning waiting for you, waiting to be experienced by you, before you write this book.

4. Knowing when to push and when to relax is vital; there’s moments when pushing yourself is needed, and moments when you need to learn to step back for a second. Study yourself, and listen to your intuition on which action is aligned with you at that moment in time. Finding your pattern is almost like a cheat code! Just make sure to tune in and continue to assess, because that pattern will change with you through your different life chapters.

5. Building a conducive environment for your creativity is so important, but keep in mind that not everyone needs an indoor office they spend every moment in. Experiment, and try working in different settings to find what works best for you. You might find that the midst of a chaotic cafe is where you are most inspired, or when you’re traveling; maybe even just during the commute from one place to another. Sometimes, the best thing can be to switch the environment up consistently to keep a steady stream of new input for inspiration!

6. Listen to the signs. If the project feels difficult, there might be a hidden reason why. Ask yourself the hard questions, the scary questions: Are you supposed to be doing this, at this moment? Is there some aspect of the project that has you dragging your mental feet? What needs to change? Are you ignoring a gut feeling, or a personal change you need to make before embarking on this new creative journey?

7. Build your personal and professional boundaries, and learn to respect them. When you have a hard opinion, and respect yourself for it, you say yes to you. This leads to a level of confidence - whether it’s quiet confidence, or loud - in the way you present and carry yourself, which is also alignment. And in alignment, you can move forth with your project.

8. While this one is a little bit of a no-brainer, and quite simple, taking proper care of yourself is the first thing to get dropped in the midst of creative flow. I do it myself all the time! But however tempting it is, only acquiesce to that urge if it’s truly fitting. Don’t want to stop to eat? Okay, but then should you grab a protein shake or bar to give yourself some fuel at least? Or, maybe the self care skin routine got pushed out a few hours; no worries, but don’t let yourself off the hook either!

9. Establish your priorities, and treat them as your very own manifesto. It’s okay if your project is your second priority - because you should be your first priority - or even if you only have three, just make sure to treat them with respect. It’s important to make goals and priorities, but it’s even more important to accomplish said goals and elevate said priorities. There’s nothing quite like achieving something, and being able to say you respected your priorities at the end of each day—regardless of whether you made big or small steps that day.

10. Schedule as an entrepreneur is almost like a rainbow, extending far across the sky only to disappear into the distance. There’s endless tasks and things to do, and it can become overwhelming at times. The best way to work with this, is to embrace it in a positive way. Create a daily schedule (it does not need to be needlessly strict; if you function better with deadlines, great; if you function best with a to-do list, then great!) that works with your business’s reasonable needs, follow it for a week, and make the necessary tweaks as you go along. Have a weekly check-in with yourself, ensuring you are feeling good about the schedule. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with the daily or weekly tasks, because this will help bolster your confidence and sense of self worth too.

To sum it all up, give your intuition a chance; take amazing care of yourself because you are not a robot, the computer is; and remember to be kind and patient with yourself. While you are using the written language, and tools to write, you yourself are the actual channel or conduit for your books; which makes all of these even more important! You come first—the writing comes after you prioritize you.

This is why bringing me on your team as editor benefits you. Working with me lets you focus and prioritize writing, channeling, and putting your voice to paper; leaving your work in hands that will protect your voice and message, work for you, with you, and help you reach your publishing goals. Your work is sacred, and together we can accomplish bringing your teachings to the readers in the most profound, professional way with clarity and care—the way you set out to do.

Your friendly editor,

Zoe P.