Wherever you are on your book writing adventure, you’ll find what you need here…
What to do if you’re just starting out on your Author Adventure: planning, preparation, and dealing with your Inner Dickhead
Whether your project is a giant railway infrastructure, a cottage renovation, or writing your book, it will inevitably take way too long and cost much more than you budget. It’s because you suffer from the planning fallacy — with a healthy dose of optimism bias and overconfidence thrown in.
If you want to write your book, you need to build a good writing habit or you'll never manage it.
What are you struggling with? What feels horrible?
What if, instead of saying you'll write 500 words a morning, all you have to do is make a cup of tea, open your document, and scribble down what you're going to do next?
Make it easy and make it attractive.
We think that unless we can make giant leaps forward and see enormous and sudden improvements in what we're doing, we're not doing anything.
It's hard to keep going when keeping going is hard (and boring).
Next time you know you have a chunk of work to do – or if you're writing your book and struggling to set aside a chunk of time – book yourself a long train journey. Find some cheap first-class tickets to anywhere and settle in.
Maybe it's the constant background white noise. The clacks and clatters as the train rolls over joints in the track.
Possibly it's the gentle rolling motion as we munch through the miles.
Two questions get fired at me often:
How can I become a better writer?
What books do you recommend I read to get better at marketing my business?
My answer to the first question is: write. Write every day and don’t worry too much if what you write is sometimes crap. You’ll get better.
Write. Edit. Improve. Repeat.
And read everything you can get your hands on, good and bad.
The thing about tiny beetle steps is, eventually they add up to great big leaps.
We get hung up on the great big leaps. We strive for massive improvements, to become an overnight success, and wish for miracles to happen fast.
Ever look at those snazzy business owners in your inbox and on the internet and wonder how on earth they come up with all their stories, emails, articles, and podcasts? Wonder no more—you can do that too. The secret is simple: be fascinated by everything.
The reason we fail to make the changes we want and achieve the results we desire isn't willpower or laziness or lack of ability; it's because what we're trying to do is at odds with who we believe we really are.
When you sit down to write a book and you realise how much bloody hard work is involved, and you're staring at the Blank Page Of Doom in despair, you're stuck.
How about if I told you I have a secret weapon that could be the key to defeating procrastination, anxiety, fear, and generalised woe?
It's *whispers* an outline.
Let me ask you again: why aren't you achieving your goals? Do you know what's missing? Which tiny beetle steps you need to take?
Writing a book isn't just about the writing; it's about the details, too. The fine points that mark you out as a professional. Stuff your readers may not notice on a conscious level, but if you get it wrong, they'll feel it. They'll know.
So pay attention to the details and don't let the excitement of finishing trick you into a similar horror...
Knowing what questions to ask when you start to write your book is the hardest part… We spend so much time looking for answers, we rarely stop to think if we’re asking the right questions. And sometimes we don’t know which questions to ask at all…
