Ask the Author: Ann C. Barham
Answered Questions (6)
Ann C. Barham
My agent and publisher are both encouraging me to work on a sequel to The Past Life Perspective. However, currently I'm thoroughly engaged in making sure the current book gets its best chance to get out to a wide audience. So I'm stretching myself to embrace social media, do radio and TV events, guest blogs, and whatever else comes my way. I think the idea for the next book is fermenting in the back of my mind and it's not clear yet what direction it will take, although certainly along the same lines.
Ann C. Barham
As a psychotherapist, I'm basically an introvert - I love one on one connections and small groups. Writing is a way for me to have a one on one connection to my reader, while at the same time reaching a large number of people. It also is such a flexible endeavor - I can write around my client schedule, I can write if I can't sleep in the middle of the night, I can write instead of making dinner! It's all good.
Ann C. Barham
My idea for this book came from my client files. I have accumulated so many fascinating past life client stories over the years, I really felt it would be a shame not to share them with a wider audience. I must have had the idea early on, as my standard paperwork with clients is to ask them if they are ok with my using their past life story in publications as long as I keep their identities confidential. Is is extremely rare for a client not to want his or her story shared. In addition, I feel that the time is ripe for a 'new wave' of consciousness and awareness about the nature of our eternal existence and how our prior lifetimes are impacting us now. So it was a book that wanted to be written.
Ann C. Barham
I talked about writing this book for YEARS but would only work on it in fits and starts until I hired a professional coach who set deadlines for me. All of a sudden I was exceeding the number of chapters he wanted me to finish in a week. So for me, it really helps to be accountable to someone other than myself for my writing, because it's way too easy for me to distract myself with other thing that just have to be done all of a sudden. The other thing that I believe really helps is to understand what your mission is behind the writing. Why are you doing this? Is there a greater purpose or message in your writing that needs to be shared? Make sure you're writing about something you have passion for.
Ann C. Barham
Just keep writing, but don't be too attached to your work. One of the reasons I was successful getting a publishing deal as a first time author, was I was very open to suggestions and working with both my agent and my publisher as far as what they thought needed to be done with the manuscript. Also, don't be afraid to spend money on a really good editor, but don't expect that person to catch everything. Proofread your work yourself about 50 times over, you keep catching little goofs that amazingly slipped by everyone else.
Ann C. Barham
I make sure I break up my writing time into a couple hour blocks, and alternate with physical activity or something entirely different from writing. For me, that's often playing tennis or - believe it or not - paying bills (I tend to find that relaxing; weird, huh?) Before I start my writing I often take a few moments for meditation to clear my mind, and turn the process over to spirit, asking it to flow through me in the writing. If I find I just can't get anywhere writing on any particular day, then I let it go. But I'm rarely blocked when I use this process.
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