9 Myths that May Block You from Completing Your Best Book Now!
Many speakers, consultants, and small business owners alike
feel confident with communicating their message orally. They
can spout their message in an elevator speech with the
accuracy of a scientist. But when it comes to putting it on
paper, some grown men & women are frustrated to tears. Through speaking and writing, I have discovered 9 myths that
often block others from writing their best book now. I
promise. It's not hard once you know exactly what to do.
Successful writers set up a system of writing. Destroy these
myths and setup your system of writing with nine easy
solutions. Myth # 1 It's too hard. Too many of us for too long have hid behind the words, "It's
too hard." Now is the time to take charge of our fears and
conquer them. First things first, to overcome
procrastination -the fear of failure- is to act now. Most
times the bottom line of procrastination is fear of failure. Solution: Act now. Select step one of an easy writing
program and begin today. Or choose to sign-up for an easy 7
lesson ecourse "Jumpstart Writing Your Best Book Now. " Send
any email to iscribe@writetowin.org Action will destroy fear.
Each successful step of your system will deal a death blow to
fear. Myth #2 I have to get away from everything to write a successful book. No you don't. I know several novelist and non-fiction book
writers who had to write during a long commute to get their
best book written and out to the world. They accomplished it
because they systematically worked on their book until it was
done. Solution: Avoid marathon writing. In the midst of your busy
life, designate your time to write (work on your book) with a
goal to completion. (Reasonable time to completion) Myth #3 I can't keep up with where I am after interruptions of life. It is a common challenge to find your place after being
interrupted with family, work and daily life. After all
that's why many think you must get away to get it done
effectively. Yet, there's hope for those who can't get away
or choose not to. Successful writers all over the world use
the tracking approach. They succeed because they commit to
doing a little each day. Solution: Set yourself up for success use the tracking
approach. There are 2 methods you could use for your
tracking. Time is the method where you commit to a writing a
certain amount of time each day. With the cumulative factor
involved your commitment doesn't have to be that much.
For example, to accomplish my book writing goals I commit to
writing one hour a day in my most productive time. For me it
is right after my meditation and reading time. With this
method don't be overly concerned about how much you write,
just keep the time commitment. The other method is focused on output. Commit to writing a
certain number of words or pages a day, perhaps 750-1,000
words or approximately three and a half pages double-spaced
text. The key factor is to stick to it until completion. Winner's Note: You may ask how do I get started after
interruptions or even in my daily allotted slot so that I
don't spend a lot of time re-locating where I stopped? Start
your daily writing session by re-reading the last words you
wrote the day before. This will get you back in the flow. The
continued cycle of review will create a momentum that will
keep you going to completion. Another piece of advice is to
create a support system that will help isolate you from
telephone calls and interruptions during your daily Tracking
Session. Myth #4 I have to complete each chapter in order. It's called linear writing when you complete each chapter in
order. You don't have to write each chapter one after the
other. If you happen to get stuck on chapter two, you could
be stuck a very long time. I think this type of thinking
comes from grade school where we are ritually taught to do
everything in order. If you have been thinking that way stop right now, no need
to raise your hand. You have my permission to work on
whatever chapter moves you or you feel passion bubbling for
at the moment. Feeling stuck on a chapter, try another. There
you have it now go with the flow. Solution: Don't become chained to writing in order. Jump
around and fill in the blanks. Review your chapters and
whatever subject or topic you most drawn to, begin there. Myth #5 I am stuck. I have to stop writing until I feel it again. Unseasoned writers may play the martyr and push through just
to put something on paper or give up and try again another
day. We would never get it done like that. When you get stuck
simply close that chapter and pull out your chapter outline
and choose another chapter. If you have been following this
program, you have listed main points for each chapter.
Select a topic from that chapter and begin there. Solution: To maintain your momentum keep your writing
commitments. Go around writer's block by working on another
chapter. For example, while writing this book in one of my
writing sessions, I wanted to finish my fourth chapter on
titles but I ran into a writer's block. Instead of breaking
my momentum, I came down to chapter eight about easy writing
and began there. I was able to complete my time commitment of
one hour and keep my momentum. Myth #6 I just write whatever comes to my head and there's no need to re-write. My editor will handle all that. It's o.k. to free write when
you are working on your first draft. The idea is go get the
thoughts out of your head onto paper. For no one can express
it quite like you. Oh sure, there are some better or worse
writers but not exactly like you. I know this may not feel good to some but its smacks of
plain ole laziness if you don't work on making your copy the
best it can be. Don't leave all the dirty work for your
editor unless you really can't do any better. Solution: Successful authors rewrite and organize their
ideas for the most impact. Avoid re-writing during your first
draft. Concentrate on finishing each chapter then you're your
tracking time to self-edit: Check your ideas for flow,
grammar, spelling, and chapter endings. Work on your chapter
titles and lead in introductions. Myth #7 I have to do it all myself. Do your research and reading time apart from your writing
sessions. You may be able to ask your spouse, a teen-aged son
or daughter, a friend to help with your research. Know when
to let go of your chapters and book. Don't self-edit and pick
your book apart word by word. Learn to use your skills at the
highest level possible. Some of the mechanical tasks of
proofreading ask a family member, part-time employee or again
a friend to help. Solution: After using your skills at the highest level,
learn to delegate faster and faster. Do the best job you can
with your manuscript, and then don't be afraid to pass it to
a professional. Myth #8 I don't know anything about computers so pecking my book out would probably take forever. Don't run from technology. At least take the time to learn
about the shortcuts in your current software. Welcome to the
new millennium! Embrace technology make your software work
efficiently for you. Solution: Value your time. Learn how to do it easier and
faster. Myth #9 Computer crashes, loss of information would never happen to me. If you have been computing long, you know computer crashes
or loss of data can happen to anyone. Don't take the chance
of losing your hard work. Print out and back up daily. Solution: Develop the habit now to save your work and print
daily. Save your manuscript to an alternate space. Use a
floppy diskette or burn a cd/dvd. Safeguard your time
investment backup today and every day. Writing a book is a journey. Most journeys go so much smoother
with a map or in our case a writing plan. Taking the simple
steps above will get you started fast and keep you going to
completion. Start today then complete and release your
significant message in a book to the world.
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