The Surest Guide

I was talking to my agent the other day about what I hope will be my next book, and she asked me the two questions her publishing mentor had taught her to ask about every new project: “Why this book?” And, “Why now?” I do not normally ask myself these kinds of questions, and so I didn’t have a reply at the ready; and because I didn’t have a reply at the ready, I grumbled a bit and thought how stupid these questions were and how I wished I was still a fiction writer where the answer to both would have been, “Because I wrote it.”

That, I knew, was not much of a sales pitch, and selling was the topic of our conversation. My problem was that I was uncertain where to go to find the answer. I was thinking how I’m not the kind of guy who answers these questions. That kind of guy stood in conference rooms with a power point and three-tiered marketing plan. He owned four suits and just made his last payment on his BMW. I didn’t even want to hang around those kinds of guys.

Then, somewhere in the fog of my irritation and self-doubt, I heard one of the questions again, “Why now?” Mine is a book about creativity, and I thought of all the people creating things now, all the podcasters and YouTubers and bloggers, and the next thing I knew, an answer was spilling out of me. “Write that down,” said my agent when I was done. “Write down what you just said to me.”

I did just that the next day, as well as answering her first question. I knew where to go now – or, I should say, I remembered where to go. It’s the same place I went to write the book, and that place follows me everywhere I wander. As soon as I start thinking I have to be someone other than who I am to do anything, I’m lost. There is no road map but my own desire to lead me home, a guide that will never abandon me, though I will periodically abandon it as I chase what I think I am supposed to be.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com