What do Ghostbusters have to do with writing your book?

Your ideas are crammed into your head like commuters on a rush hour metro train out of Manhattan. And when the doors open, they spill out onto the platform and scatter in every direction. And like those commuters, some of those ideas show up again the next morning. But many don’t come back again. Some of those ideas are gone for good. And you never had the chance to capture them.

Or, maybe you did. Maybe you’ve been capturing them for months or even years. Good for you. But now those ideas are needling you. Pushing you to give them a voice and put them to work in the world.

You simply can’t shake the vision of that book you want to write. It floats like an apparition above your head at night while you toss and turn. It appears out of nowhere whenever your mind has a free moment to wander or the instant someone mentions anything about books. If you find yourself haunted by the vision of your book you are likely nodding your head right now. Know that you are not alone. You can feel welcome in the company of multitudes of women around the world just like you.

In the 2016 remake of the film Ghostbusters, the four female main characters realize that people need their help. (yes!) They believe that their knowledge will make a difference and they are driven to take action. (yes!) I love that belief and couldn’t agree more with the taking action part. Check out the official movie trailer here.

What I’ve seen is that women carry a lifetime of wisdom within them regardless of their age. Many of us have lived through several lifetimes. But I’ll write about that topic another day, so check back soon.

I hope you can see where I’m heading with this ghostbusting thing. Your book begins as a vision. Maybe you have multiple visions for multiple books. But they are elusive little buggers. And I hope they aren’t spewing nasty green slime on you like the ones in the movie. But just like the movie ghosts, they are being amplified somehow. The vision is getting bigger and more powerful over time. It could be the passing of time, your changing circumstances, your evolving world view or some other need to just get your story written.

Ha! And there’s the answer, my friend. How do you ghostbust that vision? Write. Your. Story.

Because it will haunt you relentlessly until you do. That vision won’t stop until it’s busted. One of my clients recently explained how incredible she felt to finally be writing her story. She ghostbusted her vision by just getting started and putting pen to paper. She is pulling that wispy elusive vision from another world into the here and now. No proton pack or tricked out Cadillac hearse required.

I can see you now, strapping on your jet-pack fueled pen or laptop and jumping in. Just don’t get all tangled up in perfection. The perfect starting point, the perfect word, the perfect length, the perfect message. Or sidelined by self-doubt, overwhelm, or any of the other common afflictions that keep authors from taking action. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that the characters just jumped in and figured it out as they went along. Welcome to the world of ghostbusting your book. It's messy, exhilarating, and exasperating at times. People will call you crazy. But that won't be the first time, will it?

So just jump in already, will you?

On a side note, the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters did not reach the realm of mega box office hit. But it is a fun, sassy, girls rock film that will make you laugh. And hopefully, it will make you realize that your knowledge, wisdom, and experience are powerful. But not until you get them out into the world.