As an author, I’ve written over 18 books and even I have been struggling to write a new book. Sometimes I feel like I have long-term writer’s block like some people have long-term Covid. You would think that someone like me who loves to write would find it very easy to write a book, but it’s not.
Coming up with ideas is the easy part, but it’s trying to put those words down on paper so that it makes sense to your readers is the hard part. In today’s post, we will explore three reasons why authors procrastinate when writing a book and what you can do to overcome this bad habit.
1. Authors don’t know how to get started writing a book.
There have been many times when I have sat in front of a blank page on my laptop with my fingers positioned on top of the keyboard, ready to type, but I can’t think of how to start the first chapter. After about 10 or 15 minutes, I would get up, stretch, make a cup of tea, check my emails and watch a couple of short videos on YouTube. After those minutes stretched into hours, I would feel frustrated that I wasted so much time doing other things instead of working on my book.
To overcome the problem of getting started to write a book, you can do research by reading books by other authors. You can look at the different ways they started the first chapter of their books. This may inspire you to get to work on your book.
Secondly, you can create an outline of your book. This will help you to avoid writer’s block and it will also help you to write the book faster. It will make your writing a lot easier as you will have organized your thoughts on paper.
Once you have created your outline, the next step is to write your first draft. Don’t worry about writing the perfect story or nonfiction book. Just get your ideas down on paper first, You can think about editing your writing later.
You should also schedule a time to work on your book from start to finish. Writing a book takes time, dedication, and a lot of hard work. You can plan to write for 15 to 20 minutes a day to motivate you to work towards finishing your book.
Authors tend to make excuses.
Excuses tend to hold authors back from writing a book. Here are some common excuses that authors use to prevent them from writing:
Excuse #1: I don’t have enough time to write.
Excuse #2: I’m not an expert.
Excuse #3: I don’t know what to write about.
Not having enough time to write is a very common excuse that I tended to use that almost stopped me from writing my second novel. Having too much work to do, feeling too tired, and having chores to do around the house were other excuses I made for not completing my novel in 3 months as I had planned. Instead, it took me a whole year to complete it.
If you really want to write, then you need to make time for it. Instead of binge-watching Netflix for 3 hours every night, use the time to work on your book. If you catch the bus or ride the train to work, use the time to write notes or create an outline for a chapter in your book. Plan your writing schedule and stick to it.
I wrote a book called The Beginner’s Guide to WordPress. At the time I wrote that book, I did not feel much like an expert, but I knew enough to help people to create a website or blog using the WordPress blogging tool. I knew something that others did not know, and I was able to share my knowledge by writing this book.
You don’t need to know everything about a particular topic to be an expert. For example, if you know how to train a dog to do tricks like jumping through hoops, you can use this knowledge to teach your readers who have this knowledge gap. If you are knowledgeable and passionate about a particular topic, then you are expert enough to write a book about it.
Not knowing what to write about is one of the most common excuses authors make which prevents them from writing a book. There are plenty of resources you can use to find ideas for a book. For example, you can visit your local library, read a newspaper, do a search on Google, or read books by other authors to get ideas.
Think about things that you know how to do really well and that you’re passionate about. It could be a hobby, something that you do well at work, or maybe you have found easy ways to save time doing chores at home. When you first start writing, it is always good to write what you know.
Authors tend to feel uncertain of whether their book idea is any good.
This problem of procrastination can happen to both first-time authors as well as established authors. You may have an idea for a book that you think is a brilliant topic, but you’re not sure how your readers will react if you write and publish your book.
You may be having this feeling of self-doubt because you may lack confidence in your skills as a writer, you may feel you are not knowledgeable enough, or you read a book that was similar to what you wanted to write and you did not think that your book would come out any better.
There are several different ways to evaluate your book idea to know if it is an excellent topic to write about. You can check Amazon to see if there are other books similar to yours that were recently published. This will give you an idea of how popular your chosen topic is among your readers.
Also, check out the reviews of books similar to the topic you want to write about. Take note of any content gaps to fill and what the readers found most valuable about the book. If you’re writing fiction, find out what elements of the story the readers found exciting or disappointing.
Search for your topic on online course platforms. You can search for courses related to your book idea by checking platforms such as Udemy or Teachable. If you plan to write a nonfiction book, you can check out how much interest there is in your topic by checking the popularity of related courses. You may also discover topics in these courses that you could include in your book.
If you are focused on writing fiction, you can still find online courses that may cover the essential elements that need to be included in a novel in particular genres, and how you should present and market your book.
If you have been intending to write a book, but haven’t started yet, I hope that the ideas above will help you to overcome procrastination and to start writing your book.
READ MORE
Self-Publishing Checklist for Authors
Five Ways to Overcome the Fear of Failure in Self-Publishing
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How to Write a Nonfiction Book that Sells
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