For some people, when they are ready to write a book, they simply sit down, crack their knuckles, and begin.
For others, it’s not so clear-cut; they may blithely go about their business, perhaps acting or feeling a little different, but not aware of what’s brewing inside them.
Does this sound familiar? You may be tacitly aware that something is happening, but you can’t tell whether it’s that you’re ready to write a book or indigestion. So how do you know?
The below 10 signs all point to you being ready to write a book.
If any of these rings true, then, friend, you’re on the cusp of doing something that will change your life—forever.
You have the premise for what would make a fantastic novel; have been mulling over a topic you know would make a great nonfiction book or solve a problem as a self-help/self-development book; or you realize it’s time to write about something that happened in your life or an event that dramatically changed you in a memoir.
The more you live with your idea or story, the more it feels viable and interesting: something you want to explore on the page.
You mention your plot or nonfiction topic to a friend or co-worker, and their face lights up. “That would make a great book!” they say. You might not have ever thought about it in those terms (or had you?), but now that they put it like that, and with such enthusiasm, it lights a spark inside you, and you start thinking they might be right.
This very thing happened to the chef Wolfgang Puck when Johnny Carson asked him why he didn’t sell his pizzas in frozen form. Puck, a restaurant chef, had never thought about creating supermarket food, but after Carson’s comment, he realized it was a fantastic idea and soon became known to a whole new market segment for his frozen pies.
It’s also common that a friend or your writing workshop will see the potential in something short you wrote and give you compelling reasons why it should become a novel or memoir. Or your business clients ask the same few questions, including whether you’ve written a book about a particular issue they face. If you hadn’t thought about it before, their questions open the door to the possibility of you turning the work you do into a book.
Sometimes we’re simply too close to something to see it clearly, and it takes an outsider to swoop in and see it for us.
Every time you hear about a book being published or see news of a publication in the same genre your book would be in, you feel a pull, envy, or FOMO.
If you then go so far as to think, “I could do that,” or “My book would be even better,” that’s how you know you’re ready to write a book yourself.
You start picking up how-to books about writing, click on articles related to writing books, or watch videos and author interviews to get the inside scoop on what to expect. You may not have ever encountered these helpful resources before, but for some reason, you’re now seeing them everywhere. Coincidence? Nope.
You may not consciously know you’re ready to write a book, but your unconscious sure does! When ideas start popping into your mind at all hours: while grocery shopping, in the middle of the night, or at your kid’s soccer practice, and you’re writing them down, that’s a sign you’re ready.
*Note, if you haven’t started keeping a pen and paper or an index card in your bag or pocket, now’s the time.
What’s more, every time you write something down, that hand-mind muscle use stimulates your brain to produce further connections and link concepts on the subject that much more. This is what happens when you begin living with an idea; it becomes a part of your physical and intellectual life.
You’ve written about your topic in a short story, blog, article, or even as a social media post to get acquainted with the idea being on the page. Deep down, you know it has the potential to become more. That it has great legs. That there is so much potential to unfold. But it’s a start.
You like writing (or even love it) and feeling that particular “flow” that comes when you’re in the zone. That said, you are afraid of starting such a big project because you don’t know how you’ll sustain it.
You may allow yourself to think the words, “I am ready to write a book,” but because you can’t wrap your head around what that would practically look like spread over several months or longer, you don’t take action.
You know what the book will be about, you may even have a pitch or an outline, but you have no idea how to use any of that to start the writing.
(Do you just … start? Like sit down and write “Chapter 1” and go from there? And what does “go from there” look like??)
You are so ready that you launch into writing your book. The problem is after a while you get stuck and don’t know how to go further. You know there are helpful resources out there but aren’t sure which to use or how to apply them to your situation.
This is the perfect feeling to show you that you’re ready. After all, if you were not ready to write a book, when the idea came up in conversation or passed through your thoughts, you would not feel anything. Maybe hungry. Or indigestion. But not the deliciously heady combination of scared and excited. That cocktail is reserved for only the things in your life that truly matter.
When you know you’re about to do something that will change the trajectory of your life forever, earn you praise and the reputation as someone who has achieved what most people only dream of doing, and push you (and yourself as a business or your business itself) into a much higher category, that moment of clarity is one of the most thrilling, terrifying, and solidifying human moments you will ever have.
Tip: Be sure to choose one that will neatly dovetail into your life to ensure you have time and energy to attend or take part in the lessons, do the work, and enjoy yourself (bearing in mind if you feel rushed, harried, or overwhelmed, your likelihood of succeeding will drop).
Look at things like:
We’re here to help you successfully write your book! See if our mentored 4-month book-writing programs are right for you:
If you’re not sure whether your feelings are indigestion, or you’re actually ready to write a book, share any thoughts or questions in the comments below!
I’ll give you advice or tools to help with your next step toward not just writing a book, but writing a book that will change the course of your life.
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