Changing Directions: My Biggest Takeaway from Author/Reader Nation

I recently got back from Author/Reader Nation in Vegas, and I’m still replaying pieces of the experience in my mind. There were so many incredible moments, but one takeaway in particular has stayed with me—not just as a writer, but as a person trying to build a life I’m proud of.

James Patterson was supposed to be the keynote speaker, but he got sick at the last minute and couldn’t attend in person. Instead, he joined us on Zoom—and honestly, he was fantastic. He’s funny. Like, really funny. He has that effortless blend of sharp wit and grounded wisdom that makes you lean in.

What stuck with me most was a story he told about his years working at an ad agency. Every day, he took the train to work, and at some point he realized—both literally and metaphorically—that his life was heading in the wrong direction. He’d already been writing for years, publishing for 17-something of them, but he hadn’t yet taken the leap. Not really.

And then one day, he did. He quit his job. He changed directions. And everything changed with him.

Hearing him talk about that moment—when he trusted himself enough to pivot—was powerful. It’s something we all think about from time to time, but so few of us act on. Life piles up: bills, kids, work, responsibilities, fear. There’s always a reason to stay on the same track.

But eventually, Patterson reached a point where staying was the bigger risk.

On a recent episode of The Creative Penn podcast, Becca Syme said something that echoes this idea: we do whatever we can to write. If that means a second job or reshaping our lives in unconventional ways, we do it—because writing is the point. I want to dive deeper into that another day, but for now I keep circling back to the courage it takes to pivot.

Patterson didn’t leap blindly. He put in the work—17 years of it. But the transformation didn’t truly begin until he was brave enough to step off the train and choose a new direction. Today, he’s a powerhouse author whose influence will ripple long after we’re all gone.

It’s terrifying to be that brave.

And if you’re someone who believes in manifestation, there’s this idea that things often fall apart right before they fall into place. That the unraveling is part of the aligning. And before the realists jump in, yes—I know life is complicated. I’ve got bills and kids and pets and a day job and a side business and a million spinning plates. I’m not saying ignore your responsibilities.

I’m saying: believe in yourself anyway. Hold onto the outrageous idea that what you want is possible. Be a little unhinged about your dreams.

My favorite thing I heard all week came from Willow Winters, who said, “Be delusional. Dream so big it sounds unreasonable.”

So I’m sitting with that. With Patterson’s train story. With the reminder that we get to change our direction whenever we choose. Not just in the literal sense, but in the way we think, the way we talk to ourselves, and the way we talk about ourselves.

Some people will hear that Patterson published for 17 years before his big break and feel discouraged. They’ll hear proof that it takes too long or that success is for other people. But I want to challenge that reaction.

He didn’t give up. He stayed resilient. And when he saw his life veering toward something he didn’t want, he was brave enough to pivot.

That, to me, is the entire point.

If you keep going… if you keep putting in the work… the impossible becomes possible.

So ask yourself the question I’ve been asking myself ever since Vegas:

Why not me?
Why not you?