What Will It Take to Finish Your Book?

EPISODE 248T

I have been saying since the beginning of this podcast 3 1/2 years ago that I believe YOU can write a book and change the world. Today I talk about how to finish your book.

The three most important things you need are time to write, the mindset to get started and keep going, and the structure for the kind of book you want to write. I share a lot of suggestions and tips in all three areas to encourage YOU to write and finish your book. Happy writing!

TRANSCRIPTION

If you’ve been listening for awhile, you know that I’ve been working with writers to finish their book and get it out into the world. Whether you want to go the traditional route and publish with a publishing house or take the entrepreneurial route and learn how to publish it yourself, if you have a burning idea inside, I think it’s important to get it out.

I absolutely believe YOU can write a book, and I absolutely believe books change the world. What if you and I could change the world for the better?

I’m a writer so I know how it feels to have an idea or a story tumbling around inside! For me, if I don’t write, I start feeling like I’m withering away inside. I feel much better when I write my ideas down. I feel a sense of satisfaction just by getting things down on paper.

But the incredible and intense sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish a book – there’s nothing like it for me. And I want to help other people feel that too!

That’s just the inward-facing side of why I believe finishing your book is important. The part that affects you.

There’s also the effect of your book on other people. Maybe you’ll teach someone how to do something you are good at. Maybe you’ll convince people to make a change to improve their health or the health of the planet. Maybe you’ll help someone to have a few hours of relaxation and enjoyment after a long, hard day.

ALL of these reasons are great reasons for finishing your book, whether you’re more interested in your own satisfaction or more excited about how it will affect others. All good reasons!

Now, if you have lots of ideas, and it’s fun to let them tumble around when you’re just standing in line or sitting in traffic, and they’re NOT pushing and shoving to get out – no problem. I love daydreaming, and not every idea is making me uncomfortable until I write it down. My goodness, I’d be writing something every waking hour! Haha!

So maybe you like the idea of writing a book, of holding a book in your hand with your name on it. But when you start thinking about the hours involved, the time it takes to learn and grow so that your writing is good enough for people to want to give you money for it…maybe that doesn’t sound so fun.

That’s perfectly fine! Writing for the joy of it is definitely a good reason! What you decide to do with the book afterward is a separate choice.

So whether you’re thinking about writing just for yourself, or to leave a family legacy, or to promote your work or business, or to have a career – no matter what your end goal – there is one thing you have to do.

Finish.

In order to have a book of any length, you have to finish writing it! Haha! Right?

So what will it take for you to finish your book?

I’ve found there are three main things required no matter what you’re writing, fiction or nonfiction, no matter the length.

Time, mindset, and structure.

You need the time to sit down and write until you come to The End.

You need to believe that this endeavor is worth taking time away from other things.

And you need to have an idea of what you’re trying to create. A romance novel will have a different structure from an epic fantasy. A how-to-fix-your-motorcycle guide will be set up differently than a ministry book for growing a church.

Time, mindset, and structure are all intertwined. If...