Heal Your Self with Writing wins Nautilus Book Award

A few days ago, I learned from my publisher that Heal Your Self with Writing had been awarded a Nautilus Book Award for 2014. So often the best news arrives unasked and unexpected. It’s as if when you least expect it, the gods smile, confirming you are doing exactly what  you were meant to do in this life.

When I emailed a good friend about the award, this was the response:

“I just had a chance to look at emails and found the WONDERFUL news about your book! To win that particular award is really huge. I consulted Wikipedia for more details. Here is their first paragraph:

Nautilus Book Awards is an annual accolade of books in the genre of social and environmental justice. Established in the U.S. in 1998, it is considered a “major” book award and has been conferred to prominent authors including The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Barbara Kingsolver, Thich Nhat Hanh, Amy Goodman, Charles, Prince of Wales and Desmund Tutu.

You are in mighty good company, Dear Soul!”

I am reminded that there is little sense in receiving awards or other good news until it is shared with a dear friend. Then somehow in the process of sharing – not bragging! -, a warm feeling arises telling you it is all right to open and receive the blessings coming at this time.

Two days after hearing about the award, I was teaching a Way of Story workshop at the lovely & spectacular Rancho del Malibu with a wonderful group of women. When the host mentioned  the award, the class was so excited, as if it were happening to them, they cheered, and the host brought out champagne. It seemed to enhance the weekend workshop and inspired the writers to put in an extra effort in their own writings.

Writers usually work alone and in silence and are never entirely certain that what they have to say will be well received. That is the risk we take as writers. Following the beat of our individual drum, being true to our innermost self, and daring to explore the unknown and the blank page. Awards carry the power of confirming that in following our inner calling, it speaks to others.

In New York City, after writing my first play about the final years of Virginia Woolf, Virginia (later titled On the Edge), I had just stopped acting and turned my focus to writing plays, so was not sure how good they would be. When On the Edge was awarded the N.E.A (National Endowment for the Arts) award, it gave me the confirmation to keep on writing. (It also provided funding for one year!) Thank you N.E.A!

Several awards followed but none had the power of that first writing award.

There are other forms of confirmation for a writer: being published or produced. Becoming a finalist for competitions, and so on. I urge all to take the plunge and submit their plays, screenplays, and books for contests.

It takes a little courage to send our ‘children’ out into the world, but it is an integral part of the process of being a writer.

Firstly, a writer is one who writes. Secondly, a professional writer is one who honors what they write by sharing it with the outer world.

Dare to write! Dare to share it with the world!