Have you been toying with the idea of writing a book for years? You’ve got great ideas, expertise in your field, a way with the English language, and quite the sense of humor (if you may say so yourself). Well, if you’ve ever contemplated tickling the keyboard, you wouldn’t be alone. Writer Joseph Epstein estimates that 81% of Americans want to write a book. In case you are hurriedly doing math right now, that’s like saying 8 out of 10, or somewhere around 200 million people have aspirations of sharing their genius with the world. Think about the 10 closest people to you… have 8 of them written books? I didn’t think so.
Why the discrepancy? Why aren’t those people writing? And more importantly, if you count yourself among that 81%… why aren’t you writing? You’re an expert in your field. You have so much knowledge to share with the world – so what’s holding you back? (And why it shouldn’t)
Well for one, it’s hard! If writing a book were easy, there would be 200 million people doing it. It takes hard work, dedication, perseverance, and a lot of coffee (or chocolate if you’re like me). However, there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, as satisfying as holding a finished manuscript in your hands. You may want to put one of those plastic protectors on top of it because you are going to cry!
Every step is the hardest. When I outlined my first book, I thought that was going to be the hardest part. Then I started writing. Suddenly writing was the hardest part. Until I started editing, and then that was the hardest part. Are you noticing a pattern here?
But, I can think of one thing that’s harder than all of the steps combined… not doing it. I can’t imagine being old and on my way out, harboring regrets that I never shared my gifts with the world.
It takes A Lot of time. You’ve got a job or a business, family, friends, volunteer responsibilities, and you have this weird habit of sleeping for 7-8 hours a night. When can you possibly find the time? Well, do you spend a few hours every night watching television? Yup. You’ve got time to write a book. Do you have a lunch hour at your job where you can sit at your desk undisturbed? Do you have a job that you care so little about and that requires so little of your brain power, that you can write and still complete your daily to-do list? (That may or may not be how I finished my NANOWRIMO novel)
You’ve got plenty of time to write, you just have to want it bad enough.
Rejection sucks. No one likes being told “no”. It’s hard enough when you try to sell a product that you have no vested interest in (other than keeping a roof over your head). When people don’t want to buy the widget you are peddling, it’s momentarily disheartening. When they don’t want to buy (or publish) the manuscript that you’ve poured your blood, sweat, and tears into, you feel like someone is ripping your still-beating heart from your chest and then playing hacky sack with it like they are waiting for Dave Mathews Band to go on stage.
Despite the pain, no one has ever died from rejection.
Writing a book will never be easy. It will never be quick. And it will never be met with applause from every single soul that reads it. So why does anyone actually do it? Because it feels amazing. When you are ready to write your own masterpiece, I can help. Email me at sheryl@sherylgreenspeaks.com and let’s chat.
Recent Comments