So You Want to Write a Book?
There is something dreamy about the idea of writing a book. Seeing all of your thoughts and ideas come together in one neatly written book, with the soft feel of a cover carefully crafted and sending just the right vibes, to just the right person. Who wouldn’t want that? A chance to finally unleash all of those thoughts in your head that keep you awake at night. A chance to finally share (uninterrupted) some story that will captivate readers, or some knowledge that some are desperately waiting to learn about. Or maybe it’s just the mere thought of seeing your name in print on the front cover of a book. Maybe you just think the whole writing process is dreamy to begin with. Picturing yourself at a counter or desk, letting your words run amok until there are no words left. Yet no matter how you slice it, you have had more than one conversation with yourself that lead with, maybe we should write a book.
The best way to start, is to begin!
Is that you?
If so, and you are still reading/listening, then it might help to know that you’re not alone. And also that the majority of wanna-bees who often think and dream about this, also have trouble starting, frequently stop and start, and worry that they may never be able to write a book from start to finish. Who has that kind of time anyway? That must be what people do if this is their only job. No kids to care for, no spouse, no food shopping or dishes to do. Just write all day long. Let me guess, that isn’t exactly how your life looks, right?
Mine doesn’t either. As a matter of fact, the first book I wrote was when my boys were about 5 & 8 years old, often started each day at 6:30AM. No alarm needed for these two. I was also teaching at the time, so once they woke up, it was game on for all of us to get out the door on time. I thought it would be too overwhelming to wake up that early, since I am not an early bird, but I found that the early morning quiet, and a really nice way to start my day. It was my time, which I rarely got, and it helped me get excited about getting up to the alarm, rather than dreading the early hour.
That might not work for you, or your schedule, but it’s a good time to think out of the box a bit, since what you have tried so far has not been working.
What does work?
Whether you are the person that has had it on your mind for months or years or are the person that keeps going back to writing but can’t seem to get closer to the end, there are some simple tricks to keep you on track. First, acknowledge what keeps getting in your way.
There are some common obstacles that keep people from completing a book from start to finish:
1. I can’t find the time.
2. I don’t know if I’m a good enough writer.
3. I don’t know how the book will end.
With some simple perspective shifts, we can take each one of these challenges head on. Let’s look at each one in order.
1. You will never find the time. Instead, you will have to create the time. If your true intention is to begin writing until you get to the end of your next book, then sit down with your calendar and map it out. Based on your current life (not one that you dream about) decide how many days per week you are able to sit and write. You will need a minimum of one hour at a time. Anything less than committing to an hour simply won’t work and you will be disappointed over and over that nothing is getting written. Even if only once per week works, that’s okay. Choose the day and time each week that you can make sure you will have one hour of quiet. Then, WRITE! Even if you feel like that head is empty, sit down, place your hands on the keys and begin to journal about all the things on your mind. Eventually you will see all of your writing thought bubbles pop up and will be writing without much energy at all!
2. Do you find yourself constantly questioning if you are a good enough writer? If anyone will even read this? Do you spend more time rereading what you have already written, rather than adding more to your book? Let’s put an end to that now. No more rereading. No more editing. The most important thing you can do in this process, is to get your fingers moving. Reread the last page you have written, then, no matter how you feel, keep writing. You will have plenty of time to edit and rewrite later. But for now, in the matter of constantly feeling stuck, you simply need to train your brain that your only goal is to write. And so that is what you will do. Just write!
3. How will it end? In my experience, the best way to get unstuck in this process is to fully have faith in the process of writing. That means, you literally have to just keep writing. How will it end? If you don’t know when you begin, you can still start writing. Often once you are into the thick of your story, the middle and end become much clearer. And if not, keep writing. Sometimes I am overwhelmed and surprised by how the ending arrives almost by accident. So rather than overthinking the ending of the story not yet written, just keep writing. The process of constantly moving your fingers will keep you in the process of being able to start and complete this book. Are you seeing a pattern here?
Yes, you simply need to begin. You won’t know for sure what your mind has in store for you until you begin writing. Even when it feels like you are out of thoughts, something will come to you. But only if you can focus on writing, not the fears around not writing. Don’t worry about perfect grammar, or spelling. Just write.
The hardest part is silencing the negative self talk so that you are freed up enough to hear the thoughts you have tucked away. The thoughts that made you think you wanted to write a book in the first place! They are still there. And you know what? I bet they are pretty good! As a matter of fact, often they are even better on paper than you even imagined. But here’s the thing, even if they aren’t as good as you had hoped, keep writing! Because that is the secret sauce. It’s not magic. It’s just a commitment to see if you can start and finish the process of writing a book. Maybe it becomes a best seller. Maybe only your family sees it. Either way, it will be just the beginning in understanding that writing a book is something you are capable of doing. It will lead you to the next right thing. Maybe it means you are ready to go back and begin editing from start to finish, or maybe you have set yourself on a path that leads to writing your second book!
Keep writing, my friends. Something will stick if you stick to your plan. Trust me on this.