It’s hard to believe when I reflect sometimes, but I've written three books:
CITIZEN OF HEAVEN: No Waiting Period Required
BEGIN FROM WHERE YOU ARE: Enough With The Excuses
END GAME: As Real As It Gets
It was the love for my kids that inspired me to begin writing. I recall a conversation with my son about how the Creator of the universe had designed everything that exists with inexplicable precision. It was at that point he brought up the word “agnostic,” which I had never heard before.
Because I had been recently divorced, I felt a sense of responsibility toward my kids to address what I still consider to be the most important foundational topic for anyone to consider: How did life begin? Is God real? These personal events set into motion the thoughts and ideas for writing my first book.
For each of the three books, I began by organizing a rough skeleton of chapter headings. When encountering slow periods, I recall reminding myself numerous times that what I was writing about really mattered. I needed to ignore the inner voices trying to distract me, take me off track, and even trying to get me to quit well before the manuscript was completed. I found myself having to make deliberate decisions to jot down thought-starters that I would later expand upon.
I needed to ignore the inner voices trying to distract me, take me off track, and even trying to get me to quit well before the manuscript was completed.
I stayed inspired by keeping the end in mind constantly. I looked in the mirror many times when I didn’t feel like writing and reminded myself of the “why.” As it turned out, every completed paragraph provided momentum to continue moving forward toward the finish line.
Every completed paragraph provided momentum to continue moving forward toward the finish line.
If there's one thing I could share with other authors, it's that it’s all worth it. Writing my three books was one of the most humbling and rewarding projects I have ever undertaken. There is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve done your very best to get your points across in writing. Most importantly, it is difficult to describe the joy of knowing that someone else has benefited from your work.
Writing a book begins by choosing to write the first word, then building one sentence at a time.
Like most things in life, daring to begin anything worthwhile is the most challenging part. It’s cliché, but any long or short journey begins by choosing to take the first step. Any painting begins by choosing to place the first line on a blank canvas. Writing a book begins by choosing to write the first word, then building one sentence at a time. Make the decision not to quit.
As for the publishing process, working with Beth Lottig at Inspire Books was an absolute pleasure. Her experience, ideas, and suggestions are more valuable than I can express in a few words here. Her calm demeanor has provided exceptional guidance, and she was engaged along the journey for each of my three books. Thank you, Beth! 😊
If you want to learn more about Cornel Rizea's work, visit https://www.rizea-books.com/.
(Thank you for the kind words, Cornel! You have always been a joy to work with.)
If you are inspired to begin your own author journey, take a step of faith by scheduling a connection call here.
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