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Article: Ten Reasons Why
You Haven't
Written That
Book Yet
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Copyright © 2009
By Alice Anderson
All rights reserved.
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Ten Reasons Why You Haven't Written
That Book Yet
Many people dream of writing a book, but they never put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Why is that? It's too easy to blame it all on
procrastination but there is still a reason somewhere behind the procrastination. So why do people give up on the dream of being a published
author before they even begin? Or worse yet, why do they start but quit before they finish? Here are ten major reasons why people don't
write that book they've been dreaming of holding in their hands someday.
Reason #10: Self-doubt
Trying something new can be both
exciting and scary. This is where your
support system can make a big difference. Do you have someone who
believes in you and can encourage you?
Tell him or her how you're feeling about
beginning to write your book. If you
don't have someone you can turn to for
encouragement, hire a life coach. That
is exactly what coaching is all about:
encouragement. You need someone to
cheer you on from the sidelines, to keep
you on task, and to help you visualize
yourself holding that book in your hand
with a big smile on your face. All of us
experience self-doubt at least once in
our lives. I've written 41 books and I
still have moments of feeling inadequate
when I start a new project. But once I
start, it takes on a life of its own. It's a
passing thing. It's not forever. You will
get past it! So what if you think what
you've written isn't worthy of a Pulitzer?
Not everyone is going to agree with you.
Some will love it! And you'll be able to
tweak it and polish it before it goes to
print. The key is to simply keep putting
your thoughts on paper and see where
they lead.
Reason # 9: Discouragement
From Other People (Especially
Spouses)
It's strange how the people you are
closest to sometimes become the most
negative toward your goals. Sometimes they
feel threatened because if you achieve your
goal you may move on without that person and
that worries them. The thing to do in this case
is not talk about your dream with that person.
This is especially hard when it's a spouse who
is the discourager. One way around this is to
find a writers' blog where you can give and
receive support, or a local writers' group where
you can share your ups and downs over coffee
on a regular basis. You'll encourage each
other and everyone will benefit.
Reason #8: Lack of Discipline
There's no easy way to say this: Just Do It!
Set the alarm clock one hour early and pick up
your pen and put some words down on paper
or start the computer and start typing. Or
spend your lunch hour writing. It won't take
you more than a few days to establish a new
routine and you'll actually look forward to
writing. Write something every day. Just do it.
If you don't believe in your dream enough to
discipline yourself, no one else will do it for
you. No one can give you the gift of self-discipline. But it is readily available to you.
You just have to set a goal and stick to it.
Reason #7: Once It's Written, Then What?
Strange as it may seem, it's easier to have a
dream than to have a dream come true. Every
time a certain author I know finishes a book, a
wave of disappointment and emptiness hits
him broadside. Just when he should feel
proud and euphoric about completing the
manuscript! Perverse, isn't it? As he gets
closer to the end of the book, I can visibly see
him pulling inside himself, preparing for the
letdown. That's not the time to say Now What? The answer, of course, is to take a
week off to congratulate himself, and then
begin writing again. If you have a burning
desire to write, then you should always be
writing something. Your next book could
become a best-seller!
Reason #6: Lack of Time
This is one of the most common reasons
people give for not writing and it really
doesn't fly. There are several solutions to
the lack of time dilemma. One is exercising
discipline, which we've already discussed.
Another is removing some other activity
from your life that is time-consuming and
using the time to write instead.
Reason #5: Not Knowing the Process
Occasionally someone will approach me
with an idea for a book and that's all. Just
the germ of an idea. My first ghostwritten
novel was a prime example. I had a few
conversations with my client. She sent me
two pages of notes. We exchanged a few e-mails, and somehow the book took shape.
Of course I was a nervous wreck until she
sent me an e-mail saying she absolutely
loved it. (I had been steeling myself to
rewrite the entire thing from scratch!) We
went back and forth for awhile, tweaking it
here and there to make sure it represented
her voice, not mine.
Lack of knowledge of the book business
should not keep you from writing your book.
There's no shame in hiring a professional
author to help you through the process. It
was to my client's advantage that she be minimally
involved due to family commitments. The
end product was worth it all—to both of us.
Reason #4: Cost
Pursuing your dream of becoming a
published author is going to cost you. It will
cost you time, effort, and money. But it is
worth it all. Counting the cost before you
begin to write is wise, but the cost should
not keep you from writing. If you have a
passion for writing your own book, it's not
possible to set a price on the satisfaction of
accomplishing your dream. There are many
of us out here who can help you through
every step in the process. The real cost to
evaluate is letting the cost kill your dream.
Reason #3: Fear of Success
What if the manuscript is accepted by a
publisher and you have to quit your day job
and hit the road for television appearances
and book signings? What would that do to
your home life? What would that mean to
your family? Could you handle that? If
that's what you're worried about, don't let it
keep you from writing! Most royalty publishers (the ones who pay you something regardless of
how many copies sell or don't sell), would
tell you to hang onto your day job and ask
for a short leave of absence. If you are
fortunate enough to have this happen with
your manuscript, you'll have to decide how
to handle it. I'd also suggest you read
Richard Paul Evans' classic book A Perfect
Day. It's all about this very scenario.
Reason #2: Fear of Failure
What if you do your very best work, you
stay disciplined, you tweak, edit, proofread,
correct, rewrite and all the other things to
make your manuscript the best it can possibly be—and no one wants it? Hear me well: That does NOT mean it's no good! It just
means the publishers you approached may be full-up for this year. They all have x-number of dollars and can't exceed the budget, even though they might want to squeeze
your book into their production schedule. That happened to me twice. So I did what any
self-rsepecting author would do. I self-published. It's easy, it's fulfilling, and you can
order as few copies as you want. You can hold your own book in your two hands and
feel gratified that your dream has come to fruition. This is not failure! It's success! My
first book was with a royalty publisher. I worked an entire year. The publisher was new
and didn't know how to promote books. I made 88 cents per sold copy My final income
from that book was just over $300. For a whole year 's work! Since then I have self-
published every one of my books and have helped many of my clients do the same. It's
just as much a thrill to hold a self-published book in your hands as one that a royalty
publisher's poor marketing skills produced over $300 for the author.
Reason #1: Writer's Block
You're not going to believe this, but I have never experienced writer's block! (Sorry. I
can't help it!) I have coached several authors through the experience, however, and I
know how frustrated they were. I came up with a way to unblock the mind when it gets
stuck. (I even tried to market it to a game company, but apparently that wasn't where my
talents were!) Here it is, with my blessing.
Make a list of six adjectives, another list of six nouns, another of six verbs, and another
of six adverbs. Write each of the 24 words on a 3x5 card and put them in piles by verbs,
nouns and so on. The next time you have writer's block, pull one card from each pile.
You'll have a bare-bones sentence. For example: stooped (adjective), gentleman (noun),
approached (verb), apprehensively (adverb). Ask yourself these questions: Why was he
stooped? Whom or what was he approaching? Why was he apprehensive? Jot
your answers down. There you have it: The beginnings of an interesting short story!
You can then describe how he looked, what he was wearing, where he was at the time,
and on it goes. Hmmm. Maybe I'll write that one myself! You'd better make up your own
pile of 3x5 cards and start writing!
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