YIKES! It’s been 10 Years, and I’m still writing my book!

If you’ve been writing your book for the past ten years—if you’re stuck, or you don’t have the time to write—there are THREE simple things that will help you jump-start your writing project:

MESSAGE. MINDSET. DEADLINE.

Throughout the years I’ve met many people who have wanted to write a book but they never followed through. They had ideas, yes. Maybe even devised a chapter outline or two, or recorded some notes, but they stopped somewhere along the way. Because of a lack of time. They got busy. Life happened. So, writing a book got “put on the back burner.”

Now, let’s consider the idiomatic expression “put on the back burner.” I’m envisioning a stove with four burners. Doesn’t matter if it’s gas or electric. A large burner and a small one are in the front with two small ones in the back. The pan that gets put on the back burner contains some food item, like a sauce, that doesn’t have to be watched as intently. The problem is, though, that sometimes what’s on the back burner gets burned.

So, here’s the burning question that every author—whether or not they think they have the time to write or not—could be asking themselves: Can you afford NOT TO SHARE your MESSAGE?

Now, take some time to honestly think about how you will answer that question because if your readers can afford to wait one year, five years, or even ten years to hear your message, do you really need to write your story? If your MESSAGE is not imperative, life-changing, life-saving, if it’s not going to help someone, raise awareness, open a dialogue, or change someone’s perspective, do you still want to write it?

Or, if you’re thinking of writing a story that’s purely for entertainment purposes, would you wait on writing it, and take a risk that someone else is going to write a story similar to yours?

Know that writing a book always starts with an author’s MINDSET. Actually, writing a book goes deeper than MINDSET, but let’s just stay at the MINDSET level right now.

Let’s say that you perceive writing your book as an “extra” pursuit. Or, you might feel that writing your book is a luxury that you cannot afford. It’s time to change that MINDSET because if you don’t share your message, then you can’t impact, help, or reach anyone else.

When you don’t make the time to write your book, you’re burying your light. It’s like holding a candle with a flame and snuffing it out rather than lighting someone else’s candle to keep the light going.

So, if you believe that your message is going to help someone, then share your experiences, open a dialogue, and introduce your perspectives to others. If you don’t write your book, you’ll never know how you may have impacted your readers if you did.

If you’ve decided that you do have a MESSAGE to share and you have a burning desire to have your MESSAGE heard, how do you tackle the issue of TIME? It’s a serious issue because we are all strapped for TIME and we only have a certain amount of TIME in each day.

You’ve heard this before: take small steps to create big ones.

Actually, exponential ones.

Lastly, impose a DEADLINE on yourself, real or imagined. But, do make it attainable so you can set yourself up for success. EIGHT MONTHS IS A GOOD PLACE TO START, especially if you want to work with a ghostwriter. You might also tie your DEADLINE into your prospective release date, such as the holidays, an event, an anniversary, a speaking engagement, or a course you’re teaching. Just create a DEADLINE and stick to it. Having a DEADLINE holds you accountable to your own self so you can achieve your goal of finishing your book, sharing your message, and creating a ripple effect.

And, the best part is that you don’t need to wait ten years to find out how it’s going to end.

Do you have an interesting story to tell? If so, I’d like to learn more. Let’s talk!