I’ve been writing books since I was a kid. For my 16th birthday, my mom gave me a typewriter with the instruction that if I wanted to keep it, I had to write a book.
So…I wrote one! But the idea that writing books are easy and fun is something that only came to me after years of practice and more than one failure. Now I know that there are some very specific things you can do to make your book-writing process awesome. Here’s what worked for me:
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Embrace efficient writing techniques to reduce the time spent on book writing. |
| 2. Implement effective time management strategies to allocate dedicated writing periods. |
| 3. Break down the writing process into manageable tasks and set realistic goals. |
| 4. Prioritize focus and eliminate distractions during your dedicated writing time. |
| 5. Experiment with different writing routines to find what works best for your productivity. |
| 6. Learn from personal experiences and continually refine your writing process. |
| 7. Consider seeking inspiration from other writers who have improved their writing efficiency. |
| 8. Value the importance of planning, preparation, and staying organized throughout the process. |
| 9. Continuously strive to improve your writing skills and refine your approach over time. |
| 10. The journey of knocking down book writing time requires dedication and adaptability. |
Read A Lot
If you want to write a book, you have to read a lot. This is one of the best ways to get started on your project. Reading will help you learn about your topic and inform your writing style. It will also give you insight into what makes other books successful (or not).
To start with: If there’s any sort of writing style guide that applies to whatever kind of book you’re hoping to create, read it! If some specific theories or tropes are common in works similar to yours (like how all novels should be written), take note of those as well.
This will help ensure that what comes out on paper is something worth reading and hopefully enjoyable enough for someone else besides yourself!
Once those basics are covered, consider what type of audience might like reading whatever kind of book it is that interests them most and then dig into their favorite titles from last year (or five years ago) until now; studying these successful works may prove useful when writing one’s novel/memoir/nonfiction piece, etc.
Building a strong foundation in the early stages of writing is crucial. Discover the insights shared in How to Write a Book Part 3: Don’t Give Up to overcome challenges and stay motivated throughout your writing journey.
Don’t Be A Perfectionist
I used to spend hours upon hours trying to get everything perfect. I would only write when my wife was out of the house, so she wouldn’t see me working on it and ask for updates or make suggestions on how to improve it.
Then I would spend another hour or two just looking at what I had written and wondering if it was good enough (but not finding out).
This took up so much time that when I eventually got around to writing something down, there wasn’t enough time left in the day or week for me to finish writing my book.
Then when Friday came around and my wife came home from work and asked if she could see any progress yet, I would have nothing ready for her because all the extra time spent worrying about mistakes meant that less time was available for actually writing!
Some people may think this is being lazy but trust me: being too careful about every word means you aren’t getting anything done!
If you’re constantly worried about making mistakes then your mind won’t be focused on what matters most your story! Instead focus solely on what needs doing right now (and don’t worry about grammar/spelling later)
Use The “Freewrite” Method
You can use freewriting as a way to get started on your book, or even just get ideas out of your head.
It’s just a matter of writing continuously for a set amount of time. The best part is that it doesn’t have to be about anything in particular. It could be about your life, the weather, what you ate for breakfast today whatever! It doesn’t matter so long as you keep going and don’t stop until the timer goes off (you can always write more).
Many people also find that freewriting helps them practice their writing skills as well because they often end up with more words than they expected when they first started writing!
Want to write faster without sacrificing quality? Uncover the secrets of efficient writing in The Secret to Writing a Book 6x Faster Than You Think and learn techniques to boost your writing speed effectively.
Write Ideally In The Morning
Another way to knock down writing time is to write in the morning. This is because your mind and body are fresher and more alert in the morning. Your brain will be clearer, and you’ll have fewer distractions to deal with. If you’re a morning person, this can be extremely helpful when it comes to getting things done quickly or fitting writing into your schedule at all.
If you want to write as quickly as possible but still produce good work, three things are essential for success:
- Use software that’s designed for writers (like Scrivener)
- Write in short bursts (like 30 minutes)
- Write every day
Give Yourself Rewards
Reward yourself for completing each chapter. The reward can be anything you want, but it needs to be something you enjoy and will do after a day of writing. You should give yourself this reward every time you finish a chapter (even if it’s short), even if there are other chapters left to write.
Reward yourself for completing the book. Again, the reward needs to be something you enjoy doing; however, this time we’re not just rewarding ourselves after finishing one chapter we’re going all out! Make sure your rewards are big enough and exciting enough that they make up for the fact that we have yet to reach our finish line: publishing our book!
When I finished my first novel about three years ago, I took my wife and two friends out for dinner at a nice restaurant in town (on me). This year when I finished my second novel, I booked our tickets on an exotic vacation across Europe (also for me).
Reward yourself for meeting your goals. Rather than having one huge reward at the end of your journey toward publishing a book or maybe even just one medium-sized reward at some point during your journey, you should decide what goals need to happen before certain key dates along the way so that when those dates roll around (and they will).
It’ll be easy enough not only to celebrate them but also feel like they have been achieved thanks in part due “those” goals being reached early!
Reward yourself based on feedback received from friends or family members who are reading drafts of your work as well as beta readers/editors/proofreaders hired by editors who specialize in finding errors such as misspelled words or incorrect punctuation usage.”
Captivating readers is a goal every writer shares. Explore the strategies highlighted in How to Write a Book Everyone Will Read and Love to create a book that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impact.
Have A Writing Routine, Not A Writing Schedule
Writing a book is a long-term commitment. It’s not something you can do in one afternoon and expect it to be any good. It requires dedication and consistency, even when you’re not feeling inspired or motivated.
To make this work, however, you need to have a routine that allows for flexibility in your daily life without compromising the quality of what you produce.
The key difference between routines and schedules is that while both involve making time for writing every day, only one lets us adapt our plans based on what happens during the day (and night).
Schedules are rigid; they demand that we follow them no matter what else comes up they don’t take into account whether or not we’re tired after work or hungry after dinner or just generally busy with other things going on outside of our writing schedule slots!
Schedules also require us to work at specific times each day and if those slots aren’t convenient then there’s no way around them unless we want someone else dictating when we write!
Don’t Outline Everything Beforehand
“I think outlining is a waste of time,” says author Seth Godin. “You can’t remove the writer from the writing.”
What he means is that you shouldn’t spend all your time planning what’s going to happen in your book before you even start. You will get so much more enjoyment out of writing if you jump in and start creating but it’s hard for us writers who care about our craft to do that!
“My favorite part about writing a book,” says journalist Julia Cameron, “is when I’m in the flow.” She once said that when she gives workshops on writing fiction, she tells people not to get too far ahead of themselves with an outline or character sketches: “Just put your fingers on the keyboard and start typing.”
Set A Time Limit For Each Chapter, And Stick To It
When you’re writing a book, it can feel like one big stretch of work without any breaks or milestones. This is especially true if your goal is to publish a book as quickly as possible. But there’s no need to panic; there are ways to make things easier on yourself.
In this section, we’ll talk about setting up your system for success by setting time limits for each chapter and sticking to them (and why it’s so important).
What does this look like? Well, let’s say that I’m working on my second book (or third…fourth…whatever!). The first step is figuring out how much work needs to be done per day and then breaking it down into smaller chunks within a larger timeframe.
For example: if I want to finish the first draft of my book in 30 days (which would be pretty impressive), then I would divide 30 days into 6 parts giving me 5 working days per week plus one weekend day where I don’t have any obligations or responsibilities keeping me from getting stuff done!
From here on out anything goes; all that matters now is hitting those goals by completing portions every single day instead trying to push through everything at once without taking breaks or giving ourselves room for error (because let’s face facts – no matter how well prepared we think we might be there will always be times when things go sideways).
Writing a book comes with its challenges and surprises. Discover the wisdom gained from experience in 14 Things I Wish Someone Told Me About Book Writing and gain valuable insights to navigate the writing process more smoothly.
Get Someone To Read Your First Draft
You can’t edit your work. If you try, all you’ll do is make things worse. You need someone else to read it and give feedback so that you can learn from their suggestions. It might hurt at first, but it is for the best.
Think about it: if someone was watching a video of someone else playing basketball and told them to move their feet faster or run harder, would they be able to do so without practicing?
Of course not! So don’t expect yourself to be able to edit your writing unless you have the experience of receiving feedback on other projects first–and then use that experience as a tool in your next project!
Plan Your Book Around One Big Idea
The first thing you need to do is identify the big idea of your book. What’s it about? This can be a bit tricky, so I suggest doing this with friends and family who will be honest with you. Ask them what they think the book is about based on reading just one chapter at a time.
Once you’ve identified a few ideas people seem to agree upon, go back over each one and ask yourself: “What am I trying to say here? How do these paragraphs connect? What is their underlying message?”
Once again, don’t worry about being super specific yet just try and get yourself into an overall mindset for what this book should be about and how it will connect all its parts.
Early stages of book writing can be overwhelming, but there’s much to learn. Embrace the lessons shared in 16 Writing Tips I Learned in My First 6 Months of Book Writing to enhance your writing skills and tackle challenges with confidence.
Don’t Overthink It. Just Write!
The first step is to write the first draft. This is pretty easy because you don’t have to worry about anything. There are no rules for writing the first draft. You can write anything in any way that feels natural to you just get it down on paper (or screen) and don’t worry about typos or grammar or length or content until later when you edit.
I recommend not even thinking about what your book will be about before writing the first draft. It’s better off being an organic process where ideas flow from your brain onto the page without much effort required from your conscious mind at all in other words: just let yourself think freely and go.
Writing Books Doesn’t Have To Be Painful
Writing books doesn’t have to be painful. In fact, it can be fun and rewarding.
You can do it even if you’re busy, and you don’t have to be an expert on your subject matter either; just write down what comes naturally.
Writing a book in 48 hours isn’t possible for everyone (and I wouldn’t recommend trying it anyway), but getting started as soon as possible is important too.
Conclusion
Now, you’ve read this far and you might be wondering if I have a book of my own. The answer is yes! My first book was released in 2016 and sold over 100,000 copies in just one year (which is pretty damn good for a complete unknown). This post will help you learn how I did it so that you can make your dream come true too!
Further Reading
Explore these additional resources to enhance your understanding of book writing:
How Many Hours It Takes Me to Write a Book: Gain insights into the author’s personal experience with book writing and the time commitment involved.
How to Write a Book: Discover practical tips and advice on the process of writing a book, helping you get started and stay on track.
10 Best Tips to Write a Book Fast: Learn effective strategies for writing a book quickly without compromising quality.
FAQs
How can I manage my time effectively while writing a book?
Time management is essential for successful book writing. Create a schedule, set specific writing goals, and allocate dedicated time for writing each day to ensure steady progress.
What are some techniques to overcome writer’s block during book writing?
Writer’s block is common but manageable. Try techniques like freewriting, changing your writing environment, or outlining to spark creativity and overcome mental blocks.
How do I maintain consistent motivation throughout the book writing process?
Maintaining motivation requires setting clear objectives, rewarding yourself for milestones achieved, and reminding yourself of the reasons you embarked on the writing journey.
What strategies can I use to improve my writing efficiency?
Enhance your writing efficiency by setting a daily word count target, avoiding excessive self-editing during the first draft, and utilizing tools like timers or writing sprints.
How can I ensure that my book resonates with readers?
To create a book that resonates, understand your target audience, address their interests and needs, and incorporate relatable characters and compelling storytelling techniques.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
