Dump Your Excuses and Write the Book
By Rochelle Melander
This past weekend, I came across an interview with author Jane Yolen, who has been chosen to receive the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s [SFWA] Damon Knight Grand Master award. In the article, she said:
“Don’t worry about being great or even semi-great; in fact, don’t worry about rankings at all. That’s fairy dust. You have no control over any of it. Just write the damn book, tell the damn story, fiddle the damn poem.”
Her words inspired me. I’ve been tossing around book ideas for several months, but I’m not writing. I’m spinning, worrying over which project is most likely to sell.
If you’ve been making excuses instead of writing, then this tip is for you. Here are the most common excuses I hear in my coaching practice and a quick tip to overcome each of them.
I don’t have time to write.
Do you have time to watch Netflix? Hang out on Facebook? Play Candy Crush? Then you have time to write. Steal 30 minutes a day from any one of these activities and write.
I don’t know which project will sell.
No one does. Choose the book you’re most passionate about right now and work on it. You’ll get to the others in time.
I’m not ready.
So what. Write anyway. Do you know how to get the experience you need to write a great book? Write.
It’s not the right time.
It never is. You may be busy building a business, raising a family or earning money. Carve out a few minutes a day to write. When it is the right time, you’ll have a big head start!
I don’t have a platform.
Who cares? Many people have written books without a platform and found success. Many more have written books steadily over many years and have slowly built their platform. Write the book and worry about the platform later.
Pro Tip: Get accountability
Chris Baty, founder of National Novel Writing Month, believes that deadlines propel writers to finish books. He’s right—sort of. Deadlines provide something that every writer needs: accountability. But before you set a deadline, you need to find a way to keep it. Find an accountability partner, join an accountability group, or hire a coach. Once you have someone to hold you accountable, then you can set your deadline—and write towards the finish line!
If you’d like me to be your accountability partner, contact me for a complimentary consultation: rochelle@writenowcoach.com
