By BookBaby author Nancy L. Erickson
You have the time to do the things you want to do if you make those things a priority. Make writing a priority and write your book.
As a nonfiction book coach, I get to show people how to write a book. I have written books, developed curricula, published other people’s books, and taught university classes. There hasn’t been a part of my life that didn’t include writing. It’s always been easy for me just to let go and write no matter how I’m feeling.
My journal has been a part of my life as a child and to this very day. Of course, it’s not the same journal I used a child, but the practice of letting go and writing through every pain, tear, joy, and fear is one key to my emotional well-being and a daily sense of peace.
So when I meet prospective writers who don’t think they have a story to tell or are unsure of how to write a book, I ask them, “What’s the most difficult thing you’ve been through?” Immediately, their faces soften. Everyone has gone through something and has a story that could change lives, save lives, or transform society. But sometimes, we need a little help to get it out of us and onto paper.
Are you ready to have something to show for 2019?
We’re three-quarters through 2018. If you’re like most people busy with work, family, or school, it might be hard to believe. You might be wondering, “What have I done with my time these last nine months?”
Have you achieved any of those goals you mapped out for the new year? What about work — did that promotion you worked hard for come to pass?
As a creator of several book-writing classes, I know first-hand the importance of time. Many of the clients I work with are busy executives and career professionals. Not only are they juggling the demands of work, but many of them have families with children. So how does a busy professional with a family have time to write a book? The answer: prioritize.
You have the time to do the things you want to do if you make those things a priority.
When I started graduate school at the age of 48, I had to change my attitude. I reasoned that graduate school was for a season of my life, not its entirety. To achieve my goal and earn my degree, I knew I had to cut out everything I could to get the work done. But it was temporary, after all, it was only two years. That time was going to pass anyway. I figured I may as well have something to show for it.
Writing your book is a lot like going to school. You have a major project that you work and work and work on, and you think you’ll never finish. Then one day — it’s over! You have your book in hand, and you can start doing the other things you love again. The year it takes to write your book is going to pass anyway. You might as well have something to show for it.
Change a life (and yours too)
What if the book you write not only changes someone else’s life but changes yours too? When my authors finish their books, one thing that surprises them is how much they have changed. They sought to write a story to provide hope and help to someone else and found their personal opinions, thoughts, and feelings changed and/or healed in the process. Over the years, one thing I’ve learned about writing is, “While you’re working on your book, your book is working on you.”
It’s no secret that writing has a positive impact on your emotional and mental health. That journal I keep is one of my tools for maintaining a sense of peace. But what if writing a book enabled you to realize your professional calling? That’s what author Ganesh Vancheeswaran (The Underage CEOs) says writing a book did for him. In his article “Writing a Book Changed My Life. It Can Change Yours Too” (Entrepreneur India), he talks of how writing a book opened up dimensions within himself. He goes on to say that:
“Curiously, writing the book made me realize that I was an entrepreneur. Probably because, from idea to publication to promotion, writing a book is akin to the journey of an entrepreneur. You have to hustle, face ups and downs, live with delays and anxiety, reconcile yourself to delayed gratification and face up to loneliness. I emerged from this 12-month journey with the confidence that I have what it takes to make it in the big, bad world of entrepreneurs. That remains one of the best decisions of my life. I have since been able to work on highly satisfying projects, make a name for myself in the market, and earn a lot of money.”
Reading stories like Ganesh’s transformation after writing his book is one of the reasons I love what I do. What about you? Are you ready to change the life of someone who needs hope?
Join Nancy and a host of great presenters, speakers, and exhibitors at BookBaby’s 2018 Independent Authors Conference, November 2-4 at The Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia! The Independent Authors Conference is the only writing conference dedicated to helping independent authors publish successfully. Register now! Don’t miss this opportunity to listen and learn from some of today’s leading self-publishing experts!
Join Nancy and a host of great presenters, speakers, and exhibitors at BookBaby’s
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This BookBaby blog article Set Your Priorities And Write Your Book appeared first on and was stolen from BookBaby Blog .