Defeating your own book writing objections can be quite a challenge! I mean you know you want to write a book, it’s been hiding deep within and you keep putting it off for one day or for when your English has improved (true story). You’ve had it on your to-do list for years. You’ve even told other people that you will be writing a book.
And yet…nothing.
It’s not that you don’t recognize the benefits, or that you don’t want to have a published book on your resume. You just struggle with it, and probably for the same reasons may other people resist publication.
My own book writing objections included that I was too unorganized, English is my second language and no one is going to read what I write. But I was wrong on so many levels. I can be organized and write a book, there are tools available to help with my grammar and people read my books!
Let’s look at some of the book writing objections you have, shall we!
You don’t have time.
Here’s a biggie. Everyone is busy. We all get that. But that’s not a good excuse when it comes to sharing your stories, your message and/or build your business.
Rather than lamenting your lack of time, you could be prioritizing your day to accommodate the important things, like writing your book. Maybe that means getting up 30 minutes earlier for a focused (if short) writing stint every morning, or turning off the television after dinner so you can write, or even setting aside several hours each Sunday morning until your book is done.
And seriously, we all have the same amount of time every single day. Writing 200 words a day is better than not writing at all.
The point is, you must make this a priority. Block out the time on your calendar, and treat that time as sacred. Pretend it’s an appointment with your most important client, and do not allow anything to get in the way of keeping it.
You can’t write.
There are so many people that claim they cannot write; yet when you look at their blogs, there are hundreds of posts. What it really means when someone says they can’t write is that they don’t like to or they just don’t want it bad enough. The word can’t truly is just saying you won’t.
You could compile blog posts within the same category and voila a book has been born. I did something quite similar in 2015 with Dream, Believe, Take Action – and let me tell it – from the time I had the idea until it was on Amazon – it took about 2 weeks.
Don’t have a blog to fall back on, that’s okay. You could in fact record yourself, using software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, or simply record using your favorite MP3 app and then have it transcribed. I keep a small recording device in my car or I use my phone to record any thoughts I may have while traveling because I never know when a storyline hits me or a new inspirational thought.
You can’t organize a long project like a book.
Ok, so you’re great with blog posts, and you don’t mind writing them, but the thought of writing an entire book makes you stare at your blank screen like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
First, if you can write a blog post, you can write an entire series of books. The process is all the same, after all. It’s just putting words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and so on.
But if you really feel you can’t manage a long project, then an outline is going to be your best friend, especially if you’re more of a fiction writer. Start with a broad overview of your project, and then break it down by sections, then chapters. Make notes about what you’ll cover in each, and then it’s just a matter of filling in the blanks.
One of my favorite ways to map out a book is to use index cards and lay them out in a way that makes sense. I also use Scrivener to help me layout my chapters. It’s an amazing tool to start writing and get that book published.
There are dozens of reasons to write a book. It’s important for establishing your expertise, for growing your audience, and for solidifying your message. But none of that will happen if you don’t actually write it. So it’s time to get beyond your book writing objections and get it out into the world.
