So many times I've heard it, "Oh, I've always wanted to write a book!" But the excuses are always the same: I don't have time, I'm not really a writer, I'm not ready to start it.
It's time to stop talking about it and start doing it! Anyone can write a book! In my NOW WHAT series, I'm going to give you some easy guidelines to help you make your dream come true!
Myth #1: I don't have time.
How much time do you spend on your phone in a day?
If you're anything like me, you can spend hours on social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like are total time-sucks. Don't get me wrong, I love to be online, but let's be real; social media takes up all our time.
Solution? Put that phone down!
Spend one hour, thirty minutes, even fifteen minutes, a day on your book. It's that easy! If you're a goal oriented person, set a word count. Write until you hit your word count. It doesn't have to be much, maybe 500 words.
"500 WORDS?!" you might say. "That's so much!!"
Actually, it's not! On average a page consists of 250-300 words. So that's only 2 pages. You can do it!
Myth #2: I'm not really a writer.
Most big-time authors weren't good either!
Stephen King writes in his autobiography about how many rejection letters he received. He had a nail on the wall, and every time he got a new one, he'd stick it on that nail. But that didn't stop him.
Writing, like anything, takes practice. You have to write and rewrite many times over to get good. But that shouldn't stop you! Like Jake the dog from Adventure Time says, "The first step to being good at something is kinda sucking."
Write your story, then share it with your friends or family. Join a writers group and ask for critiques. Writers are more than happy to share their tips with other writers. You can't get better if you never start.
Myth #3: I'm not ready to start.
I've been in this situation. I kept telling myself I wasn't ready to start a project, but that's not what was holding me back.
I was afraid.
I was worried about the time commitment. I was worried about the work I would invest. I was worried about getting to the end.
None of these things matter. Don't be afraid of success! Not many people can say they wrote a WHOLE BOOK. There are a lot of people who start and never reach the end. Don't let this be you!
Put your fear down and jump in! Don't be afraid to get wet!
Now go out there and write your book!