Writing the Book Inside You
Despite the faith you have in yourself, take the leap and write the book
Writing a book feels like the one thing many people talk about at some point in their lives, but only some of these people ever follow through and achieve this goal.
I do believe it’s true that every person has one good book in them. However, I also believe that many people don’t realize the work it takes to develop a book to the point of publication. This may also be why so many people don’t follow through with writing that one book.
Or, they may just feel as if their story isn’t as interesting to tell as they think it is.
This was me in the beginning.
At an early age, I had such a terrible stutter that my school suggested keeping me back a grade because they couldn’t envision me keeping up with the other students. (Which my parents fought them on.)
So my grandmother made me sit down and read aloud to try to help my stutter. And every day, we sat down to read aloud and read along to a program called Hooked on Phonics. Which is a big reason why I was so strongly drawn to books.
After I overcame my stutter, my love for books only grew and I started wanting to write my own stories.
But as a kid, my access to books was limited. My main source of books was from my school library where I would check out a couple of books a week. At some point when I was in high school, I felt a switch to wanting to write a book.
So I took the time to write my first book, which was a young adult book.
I was scared to show it to anyone because I didn’t have faith in my writing. I was only 16 and I’d tried to write a book. And I didn’t do well in many of my English classes, many of my teachers told me I didn’t write well.
But it only takes one or two people to read your writing and show they believe in you to make a difference.
And thankfully, I managed to have some teachers who cheered me on and encouraged me to write.
When it comes down to writing a book, I think you need these three things to achieve the dream of writing it in the first place.
The story
Every person has a story in them.
It doesn’t have to be something amazing to do well and resonate with readers. Because the truth is, something that you write is going to capture a reader’s attention. But you won’t know until you write it.
If you have a story idea, leap.
A determination
Writing a book isn’t easy.
You will need to write it, edit it, reread it, edit it again, and then test it with readers. After all that, depending on the feedback you’re given, you may need to do the whole process over again. After doing this process so many times, it can feel a little defeating.
However, if you dream of making this story a reality and getting it into the hands of readers, you’ll need determination to make it happen.
Support
Something many writers lack is a good support system.
People who:
Are willing to read their work
Willing to provide honest feedback
Willing to answer questions about the book that you have
When writers develop a great support system, they increase the chances of their book’s success.
But at the same time, once this support system is created, the writer needs to give back.
Include them in a thank you section of the book
Give them a free eBook copy of your book
Give them a shoutout in your newsletter or social media
I hope more than anything that more people will take the leap of faith it requires because the result is well worth it.
No matter how unsure you are of yourself. No matter your circumstances. And no matter your beginning support system.
Begin writing that book.