I want to write a book

I often give workshops on writing and publishing to a standing room only audience filled with hopeful faces of those just getting started.

When the workshop ends, I’ll always have a few who wait patiently through all the goodbyes to have a word with me.

“I want to start writing a book!” They’ll exclaim with a look of determination that instantly turns to defeat. “But I don’t know how to get started.”

Well, the truth is, there’s only one way to get started: START.

Writing a book often feels daunting because aspiring writers often see it just as that. Sitting down and writing it from the “Once upon a time” all the way through character development and plot twists, to “And they lived happily ever after.” Oh! And don’t forget proofreading, editing, beta readers, more editing…

But honestly, writing a book is more than that. It’s laying awake at night plotting. It’s getting an idea while in the bank line and writing notes on the back of your checkbook. It’s talking to friends, especially writer friends (don’t have any? The Twitter writing community is astounding!) about your ideas and seeing if they can help. It’s sitting down and writing your opening line- which might change one or seven times. It’s getting through the first chapter with tears of both joy and hate. It’s killing darlings and bringing them back again. Oops. It’s weeks, months, years… YOUR baby means YOUR timeline.

So if you want to start writing a book, even just by saying those magical words, “I want to start writing a book,” I’d love to be the first to tell you- “You probably already have.” Now keep at it! 🙂

❤️ Julia