What if you could get past self-doubt, or thinking you’re not a good writer? And access a place where the words of your book flow onto the page.
One of the biggest blocks that holds aspiring authors back from getting their message written on the pages of a book is thinking they’re not a good writer.
If you ever had one of those English teachers who marked up your paper with red ink and corrections, that could have been the start of doubting your writing prowess. Of the 650+ authors I’ve published, only a fraction of them consider themselves good writers.
So, how does someone who thinks they can’t write become an author?
Good question. Now there’s lots of people out there who would answer that question by saying you should hire a ghostwriter. Or fill in one of those book templates. Or slap together some of your old blog posts and make that a book. Or more recently, just have AI write it for you.
All of these are potential answers to the question.
But for transformational authors who realize the importance and value of writing their own book, none of those are worthwhile or fulfilling options to say the least. Because they are void of the heart and soul of the author who wants to share the message in the first place.
“You don’t need to be a writer to become an author. You just need to have something you want to share in service to yourself and others.”
Do you have something you want to share in a book? Of course you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this right now. So…
Here are 5 tips to help you become an author even if you don’t think you’re a good writer.
1) Release Perfection
I get it. If you have a tendency towards perfection this may be difficult to do. But once you can let go of having to get every word, sentence and paragraph absolutely perfect, the easier it’s going to be to write. Create a mantra or affirm to yourself that writing your first draft is an imperfect process. Even the best writers on the planet don’t publish their first draft. Why? Because it’s less than perfect. So give yourself some grace and open yourself up to the willingness to let perfectionism go when you sit down to write.
2) Resist the Urge to Edit While Your Write
Aspiring authors are famous for writing a single paragraph and rereading it, editing it and going over it one more time before moving onto the next paragraph. This is a huge mistake as it slows down your flow and keeps you moving at a snail’s pace. Once you release perfection, practice allowing yourself to write in the flow, without stopping over every sentence or paragraph to “check it.” Just keep writing.
3) Use Comments to Flag Troubling Spots
Don’t ever let yourself get hung up on a piece of writing that doesn’t quite feel right to you. Rather, insert a comment into that section of your manuscript and write a note to yourself (or your editor) that this is a paragraph or section that you need to revisit. Doing this allows you to keep the flow going, while not forgetting an area that feels a little clunky or stuck. Editors appreciate knowing where they need to give a little more attention. Which brings me to the next tip…
4) Embrace the Editing Process
It doesn’t matter how you plan on publishing your book, working with an editor is a must for any aspiring author. Too many writers get themselves twisted in knots fretting over whether their book reads well, makes sense, is easy to follow along and gets their point across. This is where editors come in. There are professionals out there (like the near dozen editors we have on our Capucia publishing team) whose passion is helping words sing off the page. Your job as an author is to get the words down the best you can. The editor’s job is to work with you to transform those words into the best possible manuscript it can be.
5) Realize You’re Not Alone
While writing a book may feel very much like a solo endeavor, it’s essential to be surrounded and supported by other aspiring authors who “get” the journey of writing a book. I’ve encountered so many authors who choose the wrong people to tell about their book writing endeavors, only to be doubted, unsupported and in some cases even ridiculed for wanting to write a book. Know that you are not alone even if you have nay-sayers in your life who don’t support your dream. Seek out a like-minded community to share the struggles and successes with. There’s nothing I enjoy more than seeing our Get Your Book Done clients support each other, cheer each other on and let them know they’re not alone. When the journey is shared, you are inspired to write no matter what, to allow for imperfection, trust the process and be celebrated along the way.
No matter what anyone says that’s unsupportive, or the red marks you got on your paper in high school, or your own self-doubt that you’re not a good writer. Embrace these 5 tips and trust me when I say if you do that…
YOU. CAN. WRITE. YOUR. BOOK!
Repeat to yourself now, “I don’t need to be a writer to be an author.” And repeat often!
