That’s the entire point of a book—to help people find a new way to think about something or do something. Let me say it again: It’s impossible to write a good book without taking some kind of risk, and saying something that someone, somewhere, might disagree with. EXAMPLE OF AN AUTHOR WITH THIS FEAR Shannon Miles is a great example of this. Shannon wrote The Third Option, a book that explains how women do not have to choose between a career and a family, that they can actually create a life that gives them both. There are many women who will claim that a woman’s career should come first, and many others who will say family must come first. Shannon took the position that neither is true, that you can have both—which is upsetting to both sides. Because Shannon knew that she was going to be heavily criticized and attacked from both sides, she hesitated about whether to write her book at all. Once she made the decision to move forward, she still found herself censoring her views and holding back. Eventually Shannon got past this worry. She focused not on her- self, but on her reader, and realized that by withholding her views or stories, she was not serving them; she was failing them—and betraying herself. As a result, she wrote a book that has been extraordinarily well- received. She did get some negative feedback of course, but it was overwhelmed by all the positive response and thanks from women who felt like she understood and spoke to them in a way no one else had. It’s OK to admit you feel bad when people say bad things about ThE Six fEArS yOU (COUlD) fACE WriTiNg yOUr BOOk · 35