The Top 3 Excuses For Not Writing Your Book
Consultants, speakers, and personalities - it seems like nowadays everyone wants to tell their story, let the world know about their journey. With so many people looking to write their first book and become an author, what separates those who become an author and those who only talk about writing a book?
The Book in Your Head
Are you thinking about writing a book? Have a story you want to tell? Maybe you've grown up in an abusive household, have journeyed across the globe or started out as a child in a poor family and have become wealthy and successful; whatever the story in which you hold inside of you cannot be shared or validated until you place your thoughts, feelings, and storyline from your head onto a piece of paper. Having a “book in your head” as I’ve heard so many people tell me is only the very first baby step to writing a book. To become an author, you need to take action to create, write, and publish your book so you can add author to your bio.
It seems like everybody wants to write a book, but it’s hard for others to read it if it only exists in your head!
While there are many excuses that I’ve heard for why a person doesn’t write their book, no excuse is a good excuse if you want to have the privilege of becoming an author. If you want the prestige, expertise, and acknowledgement that a book author has, you need to put in the work to make your book happen. Here are the most common excuses I hear from creators, business owners, and consultants as to why they haven’t written a book.
Excuse #1: I don't have the time
I listen to this excuse a lot! My question to you is, how many hours of television or social media do you engage in per week? Do you play video games? How much of your time does gaming take up in a week? What else takes up your time weekly that you could exchange to make time to write your book?
The fact is, many of us have the time if we take a good look at our current daily activities. One hour of television per day equals seven hours per week. Would you rather be up on the latest episode or be an author?
Time is similar to money in that when you analyze what you do with either time or money; you can realize what items or categories you can cut out or reduce to utilize either more effectively. Look at what you are doing during the week - write down your daily activities along with the time spent each day for one week and see how many hours you are spending on activities that aren’t moving your forward. If you're on social media for two hours a day, you can use those two hours a day to write your book - that's 14 hours per week! That would make a dent in your book, and, over time, you will have a finished novel.
Excuse #2: I don't like to write
Many people say they don't want to write or have writer's block. If either is the case, you can hire a ghostwriter to work with you weekly to keep you accountable and to fill-in on the parts of writing which you don't like. Your ghostwriter can interview you, you can record your book on audio and use an automated transcription service to turn your audio into written words, or you can record video for your ghostwriter. There are so many options and ways for you to write your book when you are working together with a ghostwriter. Choose the content creation cycle that works best for your personal preferences.
Excuse #3: I have kids at home
Do you believe every author who is out there doesn't have (or didn't have) kids at the time of their publication? The picture of the single author, sweating away at writing their book in a cabin, is a dramatized version of what happens with most writers. So people ask me, ‘How do they find the time to write?’ They will write before or after their kids go to bed, during their work lunch break, or on the weekends. Writing a book is a big commitment; however, if you want to get your book completed, you want to work on your book in little bites as an effective way to finish your novel.
Start Writing Your Book Today
Remember, "someday" is not a day. Putting your dream of writing a book off until tomorrow means you're not committed or you are giving yourself an excuse to put off your dream of writing a book. Commit to yourself today and take your first step toward becoming a published author by setting aside time each day to write your book!
Do you need assistance getting started on your new book or picking up where you left off on writing your book? Have you finished your book, and you're looking for an editor who can complete your book edits quickly? Are you looking for an experienced author, book coach, and ghostwriter to work with you as a team to write and publish your new book?
Find out how Write For You can work with you to create book content that tells your story. Book your complimentary discovery call today to find out how you can work together with Write For You to achieve your goals!