Be the Magic: Bite-Sized Nuggets of Wisdom to Feed your Joy, Nourish your Soul and Open your Heart, by Diane Pienta

 I’ve always loved to write.  Some of my first memories as a child are of writing letters to everyone — family members, TV hosts, virtual strangers.  Writing was and still is a grounding way for me to make sense of the world.

I always loved books. I’d often look at beautiful books as a young adult and think “I wish I could have done that.”  I had a real block back then, believing if someone had written a book about something I was interested in, then it was “already done.” Very limiting. I recently heard Marci Shimoff say, “It doesn’t matter if there are a thousand books out there on a topic you want to write about — no one else can do it like you can.”  Nothing could be truer!

As an adult, I pursued a career in business and slowly, my personal writing withered to some journaling and handwritten postcards and notes.  More than ten years ago, a friend invited me to join a twelve-week Artist’s Way workshop introducing me to “morning pages” – three handwritten pages each morning. I found myself writing dozens of pages at sunrise — it was like a creative faucet had been turned on, leading to, among other things, a weekly “free-writing” class with an incredible group of women. The group became sacred space, and we read our work aloud at the end. It was this last part — reading my work aloud, that I found my voice again, and my confidence.

Simultaneously, my parents were in what I call the Death, Dying and Dementia years, and for years I juggled between work in Boston and my parents in Pennsylvania. I hold my writing responsible for keeping my sanity intact.

After this phase, I was burnt out and gave myself permission to take time to explore spirituality, consciousness, art, creativity, the mystical and the world. I wanted to know what makes people thrive and be most alive. Having the great fortune of learning from extraordinary teachers in extraordinary places, I always seemed to hear the exact words I needed, exactly when I needed them, and I kept a journal of this wisdom.

My soul started nudging me to share this “wisdom journal” with others. But I resisted. I had a block about putting my creative work out in the world — of letting my voice be heard on a larger scale. It seems a lot of women have this cultural conditioning block.

I distracted myself instead of sitting down to write, while at the same time knowing this book was part of my purpose and service in the world. The delay was making me feel more and more uncomfortable. Saying to a friend, “I think I need to have my plane grounded so I can write my book” seemed to do the trick. Six minutes later, my ankle was broken, nearly every plan was canceled, and all I had time to do was write.

It was perfect, because Be the Magic is largely about how the universe is constantly sending us signals, guidance, and sometimes broken ankles to nudge us towards our soul path and our heart’s longing. It’s about how to open our hearts and minds to see the magic that is literally everywhere so that we, too, can be and share our own unique magic in the world. The book has been making me walk my talk every step of the way!

The ankle break happened just before the winter holidays and gave me the perfect opportunity to visit my sister at her mountain lake home for a week. I arrived with my feather pen and journal, propped my ankle up, ate her delicious cooking and let the words flow.

The book also talks about how we can ask the universe for help, and how it’s delivered when we get out of the way. Back in Boston, I set up my writing studio and asked for a support team. Almost immediately, I was connected with Marguerite Rigoglioso, who became my book shepherdess.  I liked being accountable to someone who primarily encouraged me to keep going. The pandemic was going on and this connection felt important.

The manuscript literally poured out in four months. I had a diligent schedule — an early morning walk, six a.m. yoga, breakfast, and then at my writing desk by nine without even thinking of looking at my phone or email.  I’d stop around noon or one for lunch, and then walk the city in the cold winter days, which seemed to feed inspiration.   I was lucky to have so much spaciousness.

Once I started writing, I felt an urgency to get the book published and out in the world, but the book clearly had another idea. I hired an excellent editor and then needed a book designer. Again, I asked …”Please bring me a wonderful book designer.”  Within seconds, my eye lit upon a book cover with Mary Ann Casler’s name, who I quickly learned is one of the best book designers in the business. I called her, we hit it off, and it just so happened she had time to take on Be the Magic.

The process was all very intuitive. I interviewed hybrid publishers because it seemed the process for traditional publishers and agents was longer than felt right. I chose Citrine Publishing because I liked Penelope Love’s eye for beauty and quality and her equally intuitive sense.

There were many unforeseen delays which frustrated me at the time, but in true keeping with synchronicity and divine timing, I now realize were delays so I could get my foundation set. I had to design and create a website and build a social media platform, so the delays were perfect!

Writing this book has given me some of the greatest growth challenges and opportunities perhaps in my life. It pushed so many of my “fear” buttons, and was a real courage-builder. And I’m continuing to exercise my courage muscle these days, speaking on podcasts and radio about the book, which is not something that comes naturally or easily.

The biggest lesson has been to keep my ego out of the process as much as I can and focus on how this book can be of service in the world. I’m learning how to relax and enjoy the process, to remember that putting a book out in the world is a marathon not a sprint, and to enjoy this new phase of taking Be the Magic to bookstores and workshops to see where her magic leads me!

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Diane Pienta is a writer, artist, forest therapy guide and creativity mentor. A former businesswoman, she was sparked by a cancer diagnosis to transform her own life with alternative healing, creativity, nature, yoga and meditation.  This led to a new career guiding others to be and share their magic in ways that delight them. She’s the author of Be the Magic: Bite-Sized Nuggets of Wisdom to Feed your Joy, Nourish your Soul and Open your Heart. Find her on Instagram at @dianepientamagic and Facebook at dianepienta. More information at DianePienta.com

BE THE MAGIC

This world is constantly nudging us―pulling, pushing, cajoling us―toward our heart’s longing and our true expression of joy. Yet our stubborn and conditioned mindsets can resist these signals, too often dismissing synchronicity and serendipity (magic’s very language) as little more than accident or annoyance.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing