Writing a book is hard work

January 22, 1.

21 Dumb Mistakes That Doom Your New E-book from Day One

All you have to do is cross out the wrong words. In this article, I offer 10 steps for writing a book along with 10 bonus steps. Click here to download a free guide with all 20 steps.

For years, I dreamed of being a professional writer.

How to write a book – the short honest truth | Scott Berkun

I believed I had important things to say that the world needed to hear. But as I look back on what it really takes to become an author, I realize how different the process was from my expectations. Writing happens in fits and starts, in bits and pieces.

You take one step at a time, then another and another. And just a heads up: What does it take to write a book? It happens in three phases: You have to start writing. This sounds obvious, but it may be the most overlooked step in the process.

Once you start writing, you will face self-doubt and overwhelm and a hundred other adversaries. Nobody cares about the book that you almost wrote. We want to read the one you actually finished, which means no matter what, the thing that makes you a writer is your ability not to start a project, but to complete one.

Below are 10 ridiculously simple tips that fall under each of these three major phases plus an additional 10 bonus tips. I hope they help you tackle and finish the book you dream of writing.

Click here to download all 20 steps in a complete guide for writing a book. Getting started We all have to start somewhere. With writing a book, the first phase is made up of four parts: Decide what the book is about Good writing is always about something. Write the argument of your book in a sentence, then stretch that out to a paragraph, and then to a one-page outline.

Think of your book in terms of beginning, middle, and end. Anything more complicated will get you lost. Set a daily word count goal John Grisham began his writing career as a lawyer and new dad — in other words, he was really busy. Nonetheless, he got up an hour or two early every morning and wrote a page a day.

After a couple of years, he had a novel.

A page a day is only about words. You just need to write often. Setting a daily goal will give you something to aim for.

Make it small and attainable so that you can hit your goal each day and start building momentum. Set a time to work on your book every day Consistency makes creativity easier.

Feel free to take a day off, if you want, but schedule that ahead of time. It just needs to be different from where you do other activities. It should remind you of your commitment to finish this book. Again, the goal here is to not think and just start writing.No writing a book (in my case a novel and an academic one) is not ‘hard’.

But as a writer I wish to change a word. Writing does take a lot of EFFORT and time. Why work so hard at this ineffable thing called writing? There is never a guarantee of publication.

And if you do publish a novel, there are so many other things to start worrying about. Last, when you get frustrated and hear yourself saying, “Writing a pitch is hard,” remember, no one every said it would be easy.

If you want to be a successful writer, if you want to be a published author, it take more than just a good idea, more than just good writing, more than just being a writer, and it takes hard work. 1, Responses to “How to write a book – the short honest truth” SARA K December 16, at am.

Permalink. Great and Motivating article!! I am writing a book for the first time and I really want to feature you!! Reply. Abdullah June 21, at am. Permalink. We get it, writing a book is HARD work.

Good thing bestselling author Jerry Jenkins has a step plan to help you finish your book. Here are the first “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” And finally, George Orwell, author of literary classics and Animal Farm: “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness.