So much has happened in our world in the past eight months. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, worrying about our loved ones and learning to balance so many new challenges like working from home full time while still managing a household and children. If that isn’t enough, we are immersed in politically turbulent times. For many of us, our lives have become more stressful than ever before.
So many things in our lives have changed—but some have been for the better. Many people have picked up new hobbies to keep their hands busy and their minds calm: gardening, baking, and knitting became the country’s top hobbies overnight. People are cooking more, eating healthier, and walking outside more, and most of us know how important it is to stay busy and connected with those things that give us a sense of purpose and some joy.
If you have always thought that you would write a book one day, now may be the perfect time to begin. COVID-19 has, in many ways, slowed life down (while at the same time making it more stressful,) which has caused some people to look inward and reflect on where they are in life and where they want to be.
In May of this year, it was COVID-19 that caused me to take stock of my life and my business. I realized that while I enjoyed my work of coaching and empowering women in business, I also desperately missed publishing. I realized if I didn’t take the leap and return to the business of publishing, I would always regret it.
Some thought me crazy, but in August of this year, in the middle of a global pandemic, I started a publishing platform for women authors called Bold Story Press. Every single day since then has been some combination of exciting, challenging, and terrifying, and I am loving every minute of it.
I am passionate about helping women write and publish their bold stories. There is so much for us to learn and be inspired by in the stories of women facing their challenges and overcoming them.
If you are a woman with experience and wisdom that will smooth the road for women following in your footsteps, I urge you to share your story. Start by sitting down each day and writing. Write something of your story every single day. When you have completed it, find a way to share it, whether you do so through a series of blog posts, by working with a publisher to publish your book, or by publishing it yourself.
As Jeanette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, says, “Memoir is about handing over your life to someone and saying, This is what I went through, this is who I am, and maybe you can learn something from it.” Your life experience is valuable, and your insights are equally so.
These are frightening and uncertain times. There’s never a perfect time to write a book, but great change also brings great opportunity. If you’ve been looking to connect with a new sense of purpose, share your experience, pick up a pen (or keyboard) and start writing.
Emily Barrosse is founder and CEO of Bold Story Press, a publishing house for women authors who want to share their stories with the world. She spent the first 32 years of her career in the publishing industry. As Vice President and Editor in Chief of a division of McGraw-Hill, she led the editorial strategy for a $500 million dollar business.
Emily believes that women are uniquely qualified to empower each other through sharing the stories of their experience. She knows the world will be a better place when we achieve better balance in our culture by increasing the numbers of women’s voices.