I’d like you to meet Bob.
I’d like you all to meet (or re-meet if you have followed me for some time) my friend Bob. Bob is a two inch tall “so ugly he’s cute” troll with frizzy blue hair.
I bought Bob a few years ago at the encouragement of my writing coach, AJ Harper, who warned me that in the journey of writing and publishing a book, I would most certainly encounter some inner “trolls.”
Even though he is cute, Bob often says things to me like…
- There are a bajillion books out there written for women who are stuck and want to move forward. Do you really think another is needed?
- You know nothing about the publishing world.
- This book better be perfect.
- What if you do all this work and then you publish it and then…no one reads it?
- What if they read it and think it stinks?
Bob is loud.
Bob is annoying.
Bob is incessant.
And Bob is an inevitable part of any creative process.
For the last three years, Bob has chattered away as I wrote, edited and published I See You. Sometimes, Bob whispered and sometimes he yelled. Sometimes, I thanked Bob for his unsolicited feedback and then told him to shut up. Other days, I simply shook my head and said, “Not today, Bob. I’ve got a book to write.”
On the day my book arrived and I held her in my hands for the first time, I sat Bob down next to her and took this picture. I wanted to remember the resistance, the fear, the doubt, the noise in my head he represents. I wanted a reminder that the presence of Bob is not a sign that I should retreat and stop creating; rather, it is confirmation that I am making forward progress.
(If you want to watch that actual moment when I first saw my book, here it is.)
When I held the actual book in my hands, I was overwhelmed with emotion, and mostly, I was so relieved that Bob’s voice didn’t stop me at any point along the way. He was just along for the ride.
There is less than one month until the book will be in your hands if you preordered it already! If you haven’t yet, here is the link: