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At least – it’s not as hard as you think.

Before we jump in, I want to say thank you to everyone for bearing with me during the blog’s brief hiatus. All of the craziness following Hurricane Ian forced me to realise how harried and busy I’ve been over the past two months or so. I was stressed, my brain was tired, and I really needed a break. I had a vacation planned anyway, so the timing was perfect.

But one of the things I kept thinking about during my vacation week was the process of writing a book – how it’s made out to be so difficult by some and so easy by others. And while it is true that writing a book is a grand undertaking, all this huffing and puffing about technicalities and the things you have to get right are a bit scary sometimes. There’s so much information out there about how to write a book that it can be overwhelming.

And so it is that setting out to write a book is a daunting task. Right now, you have nothing, and within a few months or so, you’re expected to have tens of thousands of words that all sound pretty and form a perfect story. Only slightly terrifying. The simple hugeness of writing a book gets to everyone at one point or another. I’ve had endless trouble getting past the fear of writing my WIP Project Pea even though I’ve written many books before. Some people never even start writing because it’s just too intimidating.

I have good news for you: it doesn’t have to be. This fear of difficulty and failure can be conquered. By using the following tips, you can banish that nagging worry and write your book from beginning to end in peace.

1. Organise ideas

Whether pantser or plotter, it’s important to jot some ideas down so you know where your story is going. Beginning a story without any plan, any characters, or any details is much more difficult and you’ll likely lose motivation at some point.

Don’t make this harder on yourself. Even if you can’t manage to create a full outline (mine are very basic), at least have some thoughts to go off of so you’re not starting out completely in the dark. My favourite “outlining” process is Save the Cat! because it allows you to be as detailed or vague as you want yet still presents you with a clear direction for a good story.

2. Smaller tasks

When you think of writing a whole book, your brain probably panics. I know mine does! But what about just writing a page? A chapter? That’s much more doable.

The key is to break up the task of writing a book into smaller chunks. Focus on the first chapter, and then the next. Have a small word count goal that you can meet every day. You might be taking small steps, but they’re steps nonetheless! (Tip: If you want to hear more about how to break up the writing process into swallowable chunks, stay tuned for my Friday post!)

3. Just do it

I know it’s easier said than done, but the surest way to start writing is just to do it. Write when you’re inspired. Write even when you don’t feel like it. Write while you’re waiting for an appointment or when you have extra time on your hands during lunch. Don’t let a simple fear stop you from doing great things with your ideas.

Pick up that keyboard or pen and just go – the only thing stopping you is yourself.

Happy writing!
-E.J.

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Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash