Do You Have A Book In You?

Do you have a book in

you? - 10 things to think about to make it actually happen

They say we all have a book in us. They also say we all have a marathon in us. I for one defi nitely DO NOT have the desire to run 26+ miles or commit to all the training required! I DID want to write a novel from my mid-twenties. It wasn’t until nearly thirty years later though in October 2019 that I became a published author. My fi rst novel, Pivotal reached the 2020 fi nals of the People’s Book Prize and The Page Turner Awards. If you too have been sitting on an idea and just don’t know if you can make it happen, ask yourself these questions and see if you can give yourself permission to start. 1 – How much do you want it? – Let yourself daydream for a bit. Imagine what it would be like to see your name on the cover, hold the book in your hand. Ask yourself what you really want? Is this a new career direction, is it a way to use your creativity, to feed your soul? Or do you have big dreams of a bestseller turned blockbuster? Connect with your goal and let pull you forward.

2 – Do you have the skills? – Yes, if you believe in your creativity, you have the determination to make it happen and the persistence to keep going. The average novel is anywhere between 80 and 120 words. It might seem like a mountain, but you just need to break it down into small chunks. Books are written one word, sentence, paragraph, page at a time.

3 – Do you have an idea? – Write it down. You’d be surprised at the number of people who carry their stories around in their heads and never write a single word. No second guessing. No worrying about what people might think. Get it out of your head!

4 – What do you need to know? Other than the story you want to tell, very little! All the how-to’s of publishing can come later. Do read widely, both books similar to yours and in other genres. It is really helpful, not only to expand your vocabulary but also to understand the market.

5 – How confi dent are you? – You may suffer from critical voices, past remarks from teachers or loved ones. You may have heard the odds are against you. You may well be telling yourself you’re not good enough. Best way to overcome this is to write. Start somewhere and keep writing. It’s one of those skills you can only really get good at by doing it!

6 – How resilient are you? If you want to be a published author it means letting your words out into the world for people to read. Practice, share your work and get feedback, you’ll build your resilience muscle and be properly prepared for people’s opinions and the subjective nature of the book business.

7 - When and where? Time, or lack of it is the most common reason given for not getting started. Look at your day/week/ and work out where there are pockets of time you can use. If you are committed to your goal, you will fi nd a way. It’s not about prioritising your schedule; it’s about scheduling your priorities. 8 – How much are you prepared to invest in your new career? You may want to join a workshop, do a course, consider going part time. None of these are essential. Most writers start out writing alongside their jobs and other commitments without spending anything. At some point you might want to consider some formal study, or for those who’d like to self-publish, invest in a cover designer or editor. At the beginning, all you really need to do is invest time.

9 - What support do you have? You need readers to give you encouragement and constructive feedback. Friends, family and writers’ groups are a great help, especially groups with authors who have already published. Feel free to join my Facebook group, full of lovely authors and avid readers.

10 - Are you ready? If you’ve been sitting on the idea for a book, you may still not feel you know enough to write it. That’s ok. Writing a book is not all about the writing. If you need to do some research, if you need to a visit to a particular location to help you build authenticity into your story, do it! With one word of caution. It is easy to get lost down a research rabbit hole, or several! Make sure you are writing too.

If you’d like to get started on your book and fi nd out more about working with me as your coach please visit my website or click here to get in touch.