Did you know that in almost every area, only two percent of the people who say they want to do something actually do it? It doesn’t matter whether it’s writing a book, scuba diving, losing weight, mountain climbing, or parachuting, the statistics are about the same. Take writing a book: 81 percent of the American public says they want to write one. Two percent ever actually does so.
If you are one of those wanna be authors who does a lot of talking about the book you want to write but doesn’t get around to writing it, now is the time to move into the two percent who do what they say they want to do. It’s time to actually move toward writing that book. How do you do that? One step at a time.
Many people don’t write a book because the task feels overwhelming. So, approach it like a baby starting to walk. First he learn to roll over, then to sit up, then to get up on his knees. Then he figures out how to crawl, to pull up, to take a step while holding on to things, then finally…finally, a step unassisted. After many tries and much time, the process results in a few steps across the floor. He is up and walking. Next, he begins taking bigger walks, longer strides, and before long he is running. He has accomplished the task. By chunking the goal of walking down into smaller pieces–making it a process–walking becomes less overwhelming. It’s just one small “step” at a time.
It’s the same with writing a book. You must take baby steps. Chunk it down.
What baby steps should you take? Here are a few:
- Plan out the content of your book. What will be in it? Try doing a mind map.
- Break your content down into small chunks. Try blogging your book or writing in small increments, like a page or two a day.
- Set a writing schedule. Decide when you will write each day and for how long. Keep the writing periods short–an hour a day or shorter so it feels manageable.
- Hire a book coach to help you. This will keep you accountable an give you support if you need it. You can get professional feedback on your writing and the content of your book, etc. A coach can help keep you on track, determine if your book is marketable, and encourage you when you feel discouraged.
- Join a critique group or find a writing buddy. This will help you feel less lonely in your process and give you some support and feedback.
As you take small steps and chunk the writing process down, you will gain confidence. You’ll start having fun and get excited. This will drive you forward, and like a small child, you’ll begin to run before you know it. You’ll start writing more often and producing more pages at each sitting. Before you know it, you’ll be in the two-percent club. Your book will be written.
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