How to stop making excuses and start writing your book now

You know you need to do it. You’ve had it on your to-do list for years. You’ve told yourself time and again that this is the year you must get your ideas on paper and publish a book.

And yet…nothing.

It’s not that you don’t recognize the benefits, or that you don’t want to have a published book on your resume. You just struggle with it, and probably for the same reasons many others get overwhelmed and resist publication.

You don’t have time. Here’s a biggie. Everyone is busy. We all get that. But that’s not a good excuse when it comes to growing your business.

Rather than lamenting your lack of time, you should be prioritizing your day to accommodate important tasks, like writing your book. Maybe that means getting up 30 minutes earlier for a focused writing stint every morning, or turning off the television after dinner so you can write, or even setting aside several hours each Sunday morning until your book is done.

The point is, you must make writing a priority. Block out the time in your calendar, and treat that time as sacred. Pretend it’s an appointment with your most important client, and do not allow anything to get in the way of keeping it.

You can’t write. Many, many people claim they cannot write; yet when you look at their blogs, there are hundreds of posts. What it usually means when someone says they can’t write is that they don’t necessarily like to write.

Luckily, you have options for overcoming this particular hurdle. There’s step-by-step guidance to walk you through the process. You can hire a ghostwriter to help you or repurpose your blog posts into a book. And if all else fails, speak. Use dictation software, or simply record yourself using a free app on your phone and then have it transcribed.

You can’t organize a long project like a book. Ok, so you’re great with blog posts, and you don’t mind writing them, but the thought of writing an entire book makes you stare at your blank computer screen like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

First, if you can write a blog post, you can write a book. It’s just putting words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and so on. Like anything else, [bctt tweet=”The first step is to take a step. From there, you’ll eventually start walking and then running. ” username=”@kimsbuchanan”]

But if you really feel you can’t manage a large project, then an outline is going to be your best friend. Start with a broad overview of your book, and then break it down by sections, then chapters. Make notes about what you’ll cover in each, and then it’s just a matter of filling in the blanks.

There are dozens of reasons to write a book. It’s important for establishing your expertise, growing your audience, and solidifying your message. But none of that will happen if you don’t actually write it. So it’s time to get beyond your hurdles and get your book done. If not now, then when? Think about it!