Do you have an idea for a book you want to write? My bet is yes because most people do. Most people are also waiting around for the right time to start writing. But here’s the reality. You’ll never be fully ready to write a book.
You’ll feel overwhelmed. You’ll wonder if you’ll actually be able to finish the damn thing. You’ll tell yourself you don’t have enough to say. Fear will whisper in your ear, “Write a book? Why would anyone want to hear what you have to say?”
One day, though, you’ll decide you won’t let fear hold you back. That’s when you take the leap and finally write your book.
The good news is that there are a few signs that can help determine if you are truly ready to stop making excuses and start putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
Here are three ways to know if you’re ready to write a book.
1. You have an idea, and it won’t leave you alone.
The idea appeared one day, inspired by something in your life. A book you read, an interaction with family or a stranger or something entirely different. You thought to yourself, “That would make an amazing idea for a book.” Maybe you forgot it soon after. Or maybe you started writing. Then life continued and you didn’t write it.
But the idea came back. Maybe you wrote a few more pages, but then you hit a snag. You smacked into writer’s block. Or you didn’t know what to say next. Or the whole thing felt too unwieldy, so you just stopped again.
The idea returned again. And again and again and again. You began to see echoes of this idea around you in the world.
When your idea won’t leave you alone, give it a real chance to become a book by giving it space to breathe without judgment or editing too early. Instead, start by brainstorming. Get your ideas down on paper without expecting perfection. You should also expect the initial inspiration of your fantastic idea to fade. That’s simply part of the process of writing a book.
Many people stop writing while they’re still in this part of the process because they lose faith. Your initial inspiration fades, and your final book is too far away. You have no idea how the scraps and bits you’ve collected will fit together. You start to doubt. This is crap. Who would want to read this? Sound familiar?
This is part of the writing process. Inspiration arrives occasionally, but finishing a book requires organization and thoughtful work.
The most important thing is to keep going, no matter what. The world is waiting to read your book. Click To Tweet
2. You have a lot to say about the idea.
Before I’ll work with someone one-on-one or at writing retreats to write books, I meet with them first to talk about their ideas and get an idea if they’re ready to write. I can always tell when someone is truly ready to write their book. Not because they’re secure and know what they want, but because they can easily fill an hour telling me about their ideas, their hopes, their philosophy on the book and what they’d most love to see for the book.
If anyone asked, could you talk for hours about the topic for your book? Do you know what the characters look like or where they live? Even more so, do you feel the emotions you want people to feel as they read your book? Have you done research? Have you perhaps done a lot of research and keep planning more?
If this is you, do yourself a favor and start writing. You will never have guarantees that your book will be published or be a best seller, but if you never give it a chance, your book will always be a collection of ideas floating around your head.
3. You know your end goal.
Whenever I talk to people about their books, I ask many questions, but one question tells me above all when a person is ready to write. What do I ask?
I’m not asking for the plot. I’m not asking you to tell me about the characters. I’m asking what you want your readers to understand and feel when they’re finished reading the book. And I want you to tell me what your book is about in just one sentence.
People stop and think for a minute when I ask my question. They’ll say how hard it is to simplify all their ideas into one sentence. They’ll tell me how silly their one sentence is and how it’s probably wrong. Then in one clear breath, they describe a simple human truth.
If you can distill your book into one clean sentence, even if you think the sentence sucks, you’re ready to write your book.
You’re ready to write. What next?
Plenty of would-be book writers stop writing because they think they don’t have anything new to say. We all have different writing styles, different storytelling methods, and that’s what makes writing so wonderful. That’s why some authors resonate with you and others don’t, even if they’re writing about the same topic.
You will present your book in a way that no one else can or ever will to an audience who want to read what you have to write.
What’s your next step? Decide you’re ready to write your book. Don’t worry about editing, just get your shitty first draft out. Your SFD gets the imaginary book in your head onto paper and makes it real.
If you want encouragement and support as you write, find a writing mentor to help you along. Or join me in The Workshop, where you’ll find regular accountability, meet working authors and build your writing skills as you define and reach your writing goals.
Don’t worry if you still have doubts once you start writing — it’s all part of the process. If you’re feeling really stuck, here are a few tips to get past writer’s block. The most important thing is to keep going, no matter what. The world is waiting to read your book.
