Chapter 10: Speaking Your Truth: Freedom and Authority in an Era of Independent Publishing

You do not need a Master’s degree or a literary agent or a New York publisher to give you the authority to write and publish today. With emerging self-publishing options, writers have more ways to reach audiences than ever. Going through traditional gatekeepers is no longer the only path to publishing work that comes from the heart.

But even as we enjoy greater freedom to publish, the inner gatekeepers of our own doubts and fears often stop us from creating the work we long to do. We hesitate to write, wondering if it is arrogant to imagine we have something worthwhile to share. Writers still need to give themselves permission to trust their deepest instincts and speak their inner truth, whether it is the story that has been set aside in a drawer or a message that emerges from their own life experiences.