Is writing a book hard?

How often have you thought “I’m not creative?” Have you ever wondered at the creativity of young children playing, asking yourself how on earth they come up with such crazy ideas?

Creativity doesn’t disappear as we get older; we simply don’t practice it quite as much as we did when we were children. Traditional classroom schooling also doesn’t place a priority on creativity because teachers are so focused on teaching the curriculum and scoring tests. If you want to spur your creative juices once again, one of the easiest ways is writing a book.

Of course, before you start writing the next bestseller, you need to prepare an outline and know what topic you’ll write about. What are you passionate about? What are you knowledgeable about? Are you an expert in a particular field? If so, you could write about your expertise so your business will grow.

Whether you want to write a fiction book or you want to write non-fiction you will need to think about writing on your topic by testing the waters first. Start by writing a book plan. Focus on the story you want to tell. Don't worry about publishing at this stage.

Here are just a few ways you can become a published author and unleash your hidden creative genius by writing a book:

More...

Photo by Ava Sol

How to start writing a book

1. Use the brain dump method to clarify your topic

When writing a book for the first time it is essential to start eliminating what you don't need. Your mind can only focus on a few ideas at a time so when you have too many you will end up confused rather than creative.

We now know that multitasking diminishes productivity, so instead of trying to write your book with too many ideas swimming around, take a journal and just start writing everything you could write a book about down.

Give yourself ten minutes and go for it. Giving yourself a time limit helps you focus so use a timer. If you find it hard to come up with anything try to speak into a recorder and then transcribe what you have said.

When you have released your ideas onto paper, choose one idea that excites you the most. Writing a book takes time and effort what will give you the energy and the motivation to keep going is a topic you are excited about.

Now focus solely on writing your book. You’ll discover the writing process is easier when you’re able to focus on just one topic instead of one hundred.

Start writing and don't worry about other ideas

When you start writing your first book you may find yourself stuck on one idea to the point that it may be hard to concentrate on anything else.

On the other hand, you may begin to feel so creative that all kinds of ideas start flowing through. As you release your big idea into a book it can be very helpful to pay attention to other creative ideas that begin to surface.

Write them down and make a note of them for future use. Don't allow these ideas to distract you. Instead, write them down and follow through with what you are currently writing about.

You never know where your writing will take you. When your book is complete and you have some time to relax you can get back to your notes. Often that's when you’ll get your next inspiration.

Writing is creative problem solving

When you make a pros/cons list to help you make a decision or you create a to-do list to track your daily tasks or you create a mind map to illustrate the growth of your business you are using writing to solve a problem.

Just writing down your thoughts on a journal can clarify to you what you are feeling and what approach to use to resolve a challenging situation.

Writing out the details of a problem allows you to clarify exactly what has to happen and when. Then it's easier to see connections and solutions to these problems.

Use the same method outlined in step 1 (mind- mapping) to outline the book as a whole. Then outline each chapter as you go.

A book can be like a puzzle. You don't have to know where each piece fits from the start. Like in a puzzle, the first thing to do is to have all the pieces lined out. Then you can start to put them in order one by one.

Accept your first draft may be terrible

If you want to be an author you have to write every day. Being a writer means you write as much as possible. Do not aim for perfection. Aim to get your first draft done.

Writing is a skill like any other. You need to practice it to master it. Leave your judge behind and set a daily word count. If you find it hard to complete it then set the bar lower to a word count you can stick to.

You could start by setting a writing time. Ask yourself: can I just write a sentence? Just one sentence! Of course you can. Then as you write that one sentence keep asking the same question again and again. Writing is a process. The more you write, the easier the process becomes.

Do not go back and re-write endlessly. That is what editing is about. Imagine you are a sculptor. The figure gets sculpted one bit at a time. At first, there will just be just a big blob carved out of stone.

It will take many passes before something that makes sense starts emerging. Editing is often where the hard work gets done. With time, patience and perseverance your masterpiece will be done.

Learn something new every day

The best books are those that are well researched, so embrace that research phase because it can spur your creativity.

Embrace the idea of learning something new every day. Discover new facts, new resources, new theories on your topic.

Carry this idea over into your personal life by mixing up your daily routines . Try new things out. Explore your surroundings, take the long way home from work, or explore a new town you randomly choose from a map.

Your brain will thank you for making it work differently, simply because you mixed things up.

Creativity is hidden inside each of us. The process of accessing and using it to create a book or a business you love will be unique for every person but promises to yield great rewards.

Click to Tweet