Is Your Author Rhythm Ready to Burst Forward? 

George Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm” was a celebration of the Roaring Twenties pulsating energy, capturing the frenetic and irresistible beat was enthusiastically embraced by millions. “I’ve got rhythm, I’ve got music …” is the perfect element to begin your authoring quest with.

Your book must have rhythm to be successful. Your writing has to have rhythm to be successful. You have to have rhythm to bring it all together. Rhythm connects you to your passion, your heart and your vision. Everything has rhythm to it—the way you live, talk, walk, work, love, eat and play.

In my publishing workbook, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms, I shared:

One of the biggest mistakes authors consistently make is their drive to rush to publish. Rushing without knowing what their flow is really about … they just know they have a book in them. Slow down. Breathe a bit. Listen to your rhythm—does it resemble the “Flight of the Bumble Bee,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” or something along the lines of “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Bolero,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” or Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”?

Rhythm has flow—everything is connected … you can feel it, you can hear it, and you experience it. Beginner dancers think a lot; when they know the steps, they dance, they instinctively move into and with it.

The art of Authoring and Publishing is no different.

Rhythm has spontaneity to it, usually mixed with a creative flow. For books, rhythm has a synching that occurs between the author and reader. The author starts the lead, the reader follows, trusting the author to take him or her on a journey that offers pleasure, entertainment or a life-enhancing venture.

Sometimes authors and writers lose their rhythm. John Grisham connected with the reader in his early books. A Time to Kill, The Firm and The Pelican Brief drew the reader in quickly, opening the door to things unimaginable or unbelievable … the reader was grabbed. Grisham had rhythm with the flow of his form of storytelling. He fell into a routine with his ongoing books that used the law as a backdrop. His fans and readers expected it. When rhythm is broken, potholes and ruts surface.

Rhythm is what we are about as authors and writers. Your awareness of it will propel you toward your success.

Understanding how to tap into it and how to use it will bring you squarely in front of the mirror: what your book is about; what your writing is about.

It is your rhythm— its look, feel and content—it’s the song you hear … one your imagination and writing will reveal.

Are you ready?

PS I’ve always felt that one of the BIG gulps for authors is taping the first leap … and saying to self and saying internally and out loud: listen to me … I have something to say.

Dr. Judith Briles is the award-winning and bestselling author of 48 books and calls Colorado home. When she’s not in the kitchen or in the garden, she’s working with clients as The Book Shepherd, a book and publishing consulting and project management firm that works with authors at all stages of their book to create and publish a book they never regret! She’s the founder of the first Authors’ Hall of Fame exclusively dedicated to ensuring the legacy of authors connected in some way with Colorado.

Judith’s books have been translated into 17 countries with over 1,000,000 copies sold! They have been featured in over 2,000 radio and TV shows including repeat appearances on CNN, CNBC, and Oprah. She has worked with over 1,500 authors and created 500 plus bestsellers. Print publications include Newsweek, People, Time, The Wall Street Journal and … The National Enquirer! Her popular podcast, AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing is dedicated to authors and writers and their success and is ranked in the top ten in four categories on GoodPods.

©2026 Judith Briles – The Book Shepherd™ All Rights Reserved.