Summary

The article encourages aspiring writers to overcome common excuses and start writing their book through efficient time management, personalized learning, and perseverance.

Abstract

The author of the article addresses the common desire to write a book and the various reasons why people don't follow through with this aspiration. They debunk the myth of a magical trait that makes one a writer, emphasizing that anyone can write a book with dedication and practice. The article suggests that time and energy should not be barriers, as one can find small pockets of time to write and prioritize this habit. It also advises against relying solely on writing resource books, advocating for learning through trial and error to discover one's personal writing style. The author acknowledges the temptation to give up when facing creative blocks or better ideas but encourages writers to push through these challenges, highlighting that persistence and unique storytelling are key to crafting a great story.

Opinions

The author believes that time and energy are often used as excuses rather than legitimate reasons for not writing.
They suggest that efficient time management and prioritizing writing can lead to the development of a consistent writing habit.
The article posits that while writing resource books are helpful, they cannot replace the personal experience gained from actual writing practice.
The author asserts that giving up on a book because it doesn't seem good enough or because a better idea comes along is quitting too soon.
They emphasize that all story ideas are essentially taken, and what makes a story unique is the writer's individual voice and style.
The author encourages writers to avoid the scarcity trap and to focus on their personal storytelling abilities to create something original and worthwhile.
The overall opinion is that writing a book is achievable through hard work and persistence, and writers should take action to realize their dream of writing a book.

“I’ve Always Wanted to Write a Book.” Here’s How You Actually Can.

Whenever I call myself a writer to someone I just meet, I often get the response, “I always wanted to write a book!” Occasionally, the person will even go to great lengths to pitch their story to me.

My thought is always the same. Why don’t you write a book?

When I was younger, I assumed there was a magical trait that turned people into writers. Possibly it was a spell cast by a witch.

Now that I’m older and have made it through the process of writing and publishing a book, I know that this magical trait does not exist.

The truth is that anyone can write a book. There are people who are better at it and people who are not as great. There are people who knock it out of the park with their first book and people who take a few tries to improve. But the truth is that anyone can actually write.

So, if you are the kind of person who has always wanted a book, why haven’t you?

Here are a few possible reasons.

You don’t have enough time and/or energy.

I beg of you to be better than this excuse.

As a person who loves to use this one, I know that most of the time it means two things:

I am not using my time efficiently. Maybe I have my laptop open to write, but I keep switching from browser to browser. Maybe I told myself that I would write today, but I decided to watch three hours of TV instead.
I am not prioritizing writing into my day. I know that I can write 1,000 words in 30 minutes if I truly focus. Even if I don’t have thirty minutes to spare, I can find 15. I can find pockets of writing time through the day, but for whatever reason, I am deciding not to do that.

You may have the most hectic life in the world.

Even still, you can carve out these small pockets of time to create a writing habit.

What if you kept a notebook in your car and you wrote for a few minutes before you walked into your house after work?

What if you wrote in the notes app on your phone while you were in the waiting room of your doctor’s office?

Find the moments of downtime and snag them for your brand new writing habit. You’ll be shocked how much you can accomplish.

You don’t know how to write a book.

I get it. You want a roadmap. You need a step-by-step proven model to write your book.

There are countless of writing resource books out there. You can spend all of your extra time reading them and learning the craft. These books, however, are not tailored to you specifically.

The best way to write is by trial-and-error. By actually writing, I learned that I work better when I write scenes out of order rather than chronologically. I also learned my personal writing style rather than trying to imitate someone else’s strategies.

Yes, I love writing resource books. I collect them like crazy. The point here is that you can’t rely on them solely to teach you how to write a book. You also need to learn through practice.

You tried before but it wasn’t good enough.

Maybe you have actually given it a real shot before. You got excited, you did the work, and then… you got stuck.

You blamed it on the idea not being good enough or you had a better idea pop up or someone else had the same idea but did it better.

Here’s the truth: you quit too soon. I know this because I have lived this.

For the idea that was “not good enough…”

I dare you to explore the idea that the idea was perfectly fine. You simply started seeing it in a different light. Maybe you reached a creative block. Maybe you just got tired of the writing process in general.

It could be that the idea was a dud, but did you find and work your way through a new one? Are you stopping consistently in the same place? Take some time to reflect on your writing habits and see where it takes you.

For the idea that was better…

Oh, I am quite familiar with this issue. I see myself as an idea-hopper. I get distracted by the shiny new idea that I completely abandon the old one.

New ideas are tempting, especially when you are stuck in the weeds with a current story. It seems like a great plan, but it’s just delaying you from getting anything done.

Take it from me. Write down your new shiny idea and then tuck it away. Then get back to work.

For the idea that was already taken…

Let’s be honest. All of the ideas are taken. Story structure is no big mystery anymore.

What makes for a great story is your personal storytelling style. The words you choose. The characters you craft. The style that only you can add.

If you get caught up in the scarcity trap, you will never create anything worth creating. The sooner you realize this, the better and more effective you will be.

In Conclusion, Write Your D*mn Book.

It’s time to get out of your head and write your book.

Don’t be the person who always wished they wrote a book. Be the person who wrote one.

There is no magical trait. No spell. Just hard work and the willingness to keep going when it sucks.

You’ve got this.

Helping each other write better. **Join Us**.