It's Halftime
This is a little big of a gut-check. Did you start the year with the intention to finish your book? Or did you go into the summer with ambition to make serious progress? If you’ve been working on your book since the start of the year, you could probably have a complete draft by now. We’re well into the summer. How far have you come?
You’re here, so I know one thing about you—writing a book is important to you and your goals. So I want you to start off right, with a good mindset, an action plan that is designed to achieve the specific results you need, and a sense that you have a community to help you stay motivated and on track with your writing, editing, or promoting (wherever you happen to be in your journey).
Clarify your thinking
I was talking with one of my authors recently, and he described how surprising the impact of his first book has been. He’d published articles before, but the book really changed things. People suddenly wanted to pay attention, wanted to interview him, and it makes him excited to write an even better second book. He said, “I don’t think people realize how influential a book can be—even if it’s just decent.” We’re aiming for better than decent here, but he’s exactly right.
Lots of writers lose steam when doubt starts to creep in. What if nobody wants to hear from me? People are probably only pretending to support me to be nice. There’s so much I don’t know.
Those are common worries that might pop up from time to time, but don’t fall for them. Remember that the phenomenon described by the Dunning Kruger effect goes both ways. Your doubts may actually indicate that you are the person who should be writing the book.
Clarify who your book is for and what they will get out of it. That level of focus will give you more confidence to move forward, because you don’t have to know everything or serve everyone—in fact, you shouldn’t.
It will help to make sure you have a clear goal in mind. What is it that you want the book to accomplish? The same author I mentioned above told me that when he finished his first book he found out that writing it was only the beginning of his journey as an author. That may sound daunting, but I believe that keeping your big goals in mind will make the task of writing the book feel smaller.
Little steps, big progress
Your plan should include a clear Table of Contents and a detailed outline. With those in mind, you can break down a your manuscript into a work plan that has you writing just 500 words per day. If you’re writing a 70,000-word manuscript, which is pretty typical, you could get that done in just 140 days.
Years ago I heard about a method that Jerry Seinfeld uses for his writing. He’s well known as a disciplined and prolific writer, so I was intrigued. What he does is called “don’t break the chain” and it’s as simple as drawing a big “X” through the date on your calendar for every day that you take a certain action. In this case it would be for every day you write 500 words. The key is to build the chain as long as you can without breaking it.
I like that method, but I think it needs a little flexibility. There may be days when it is literally impossible to write, or days when you need to do some research or editing, and you don’t want to feel like you’ve ruined your progress by missing one day. I take a slightly more serious approach than the Twitter account @CountsAsWriting, but there’s some truth beneath the jokes—there are a lot of things that can count as writing toward your goal. But laundry is not one of them, sorry.
Get (it) together
I’ve heard people say if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. As far as your life as an author is concerned, that sounds great, but it’s half garbage. The truth is that you’ll go faster and farther if you have a community around you.
Your best ideas will come out faster, your writing practice will be more consistent, you’ll stop worrying that you’re missing opportunities, and you will feel better about the whole process.
Writing is a thing you will almost certainly do alone. Being an author, however, is something you should do with a group of allies around you.
Spend a little time this week to assess your mindset, plan the actions that will get you to your goal, and find a group of people who give you energy for your journey.
I have been running my weekly Author Club for more than two years. It is a place where writers—experienced authors, new authors, and not-yet-authors—come together to ask questions, share ideas, and benefit from the wisdom and support of the group. Join the waitlist for a chance to gain the momentum boost that comes from having a community that supports your goals.
I’m adding members just a few at a time. If you think you’re interested, join the waitlist so that you can receive an invitation when there is a place open.
Before you go, check out what’s new over at The Academic Storyteller
