Persistence is Paramount to Success
I’m in my late 60s and published my first book when I was 58.
In grade school, I loved to write poems and at camp and college penned long letters to friends. I enjoyed writing and hoped to some day write something worthwhile that would be published.
I’m a psychotherapist (I graduated from social work school at 41) an eating coach and educator. I have written seven books, and among three of them, there are 10 foreign-language translations. My next book is due out in January 2017.
I’ve been interviewed on Fox News, scores of radio shows, have written numerous articles for publications such as Social Work Today, and have been quoted in or interviewed for Shape, Self, Women’s Health, Ladies Home Journal, The Wall Street Journal, and Berner Zeitung.
What made you decide to finally realize your lifelong dream?
I quit my full-time job in the mid-1990s as a clinical supervisor in a methadone clinic to open a private therapy practice in Boston and have more time to write. I began working with clients who had eating disorders and that suited me fine, as I had recovered from my own. I happened to take a screen-writing class and the woman teaching it suggested that I write about what I know (not that she didn’t like my screenplays; she did). So I started writing about how to have a healthy relationship with food and one’s body at about the same time my screenplay teacher decided to become a book/script agent. That collaboration produced my first book.
What were the specific obstacles that you faced?
The major obstacle was being an unknown writer with no track record (other than two unpublished novels and five unproduced screenplays).
What helped you get through them?
My agent was very supportive and had great faith in my message and my “writing voice.”
Were there people that tried to discourage you? Who were they and what did they say to you?
I don’t recall anyone trying to discourage me. My husband was 100 percent behind my efforts and continues to be my best cheerleader. I wouldn’t have listened to anyone who tried to discourage me, anyway. I would think it was their problem that they thought I wouldn’t make it as a writer, not mine. When I get my teeth into something, I generally don’t let go until I’ve succeeded or decide on my own that things won’t work out.
How did you feel when you finally accomplished your lifelong dream?
After I received a verbal acceptance of my first book, The Rules of “Normal” Eating, I was driving to a meeting and closed the windows and whooped and hollered with joy the whole way there. I was thrilled to see my book on Amazon and emailed all my friends. Of course, I was ecstatic opening the carton that contained the first batch of my books.
What advice would you give to others that are contemplating finally living their dream?
I suggest not to listen to anyone who wants to discourage you. I graduated from social work school in my forties and had my first book published when I was near sixty. Do something not because you want to prove something to anyone or even yourself, but because you find joy in doing it. Approaching 70, the highlights of my day are still writing and seeing therapy clients. It doesn’t get better than doing what you love.
I feel fortunate to have lived out a childhood dream.
To learn more about Karen and her book, visit her here.
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