One morning, I awoke with a sense of urgency. It was almost like being awakened by an alarm. I felt like I should rush to my desk and write.

I had a really strange dream that was like a movie. And not like the normal dream that’s like a movie. I saw the title come up on the screen. I saw the camera angles change. I met the characters. I followed them. I was even one of the characters, not actually myself in the dream.

It was a rom com where I met some of my ex-boyfriends and found out that they were successful. The exes were played by my actual exes, but they had different names too. One of my exes was the owner of the beergarden that my friends and I were meeting at, and he was moving boxes in a corner. I had to walk past him on my way to the bathroom.

There was an entire plot from start to finish, as well as a title for it. I thought I had dreamed a book I needed to write that I could eventually pitch as a movie.

Once I came back down to reality, I looked at the plot and wondered if I was the right person to write that. I’ve never written a romance novel, only vaguely relationship-oriented chick lit. I’m pretty good with humor, but I don’t know how funny I could make the story. I already have five novels that are fiction that I was planning on rewriting so they were up to my current standards. AND I primarily work with nonfiction writers.

I didn’t see an opening for this type of book in my repertoire. It just didn’t make sense to add on another genre and work on that. Why?

The book wasn’t aligned with my business.

Should I write it? Probably not right now. I didn’t say “never,” though, because I believe that anything could be useful in the future. I took notes and put them in my story vault.

Has this happened to you? Do you feel like writing about a struggle or something you’ve overcome that has nothing to do with your current business? As much as we may like to just sit down and write on that book because the urge has seized us, we need to slow it down and answer a few questions first.

1. Can this book somehow work with my business? There is always a chance it will. If you want to speak to a certain segment of your audience, then it might work. Maybe you are focusing on teens or on the advanced crowd members. If you’re excited about a topic, think about how you can spin it so you can absolutely address the same audience (or part of that audience) that you’ve worked so hard to build!
2. If this book doesn’t work for my current business, should I start another business with it? This is a question that you will likely have to sit with for a while. Starting a new business can be hard work, but if you are passionate about a topic, then maybe you’ve got it in you to have two businesses. 
3. Is this the start of a nonprofit? Sometimes that passion to help people who have a certain challenge should be channeled into a nonprofit. If this feels like the better way to go, then look at the nonprofit as a potential arm of your business or a nice way for you to give back. That book could be a way to help generate money for a cause you want to help with.

Do you have questions about that book that’s been on your mind? Send me a message to see if we should set up a chat!