Want to Write a Book? Why?

So you want to write a book...

With self-publishing options now at your disposal it's as easy as writing something, uploading it to Amazon, Draft2Digital, Lulu...or wherever, right?

Not exactly.

Putting that little tidbit aside, let's continue with the idea that you want to write a book. Okay, where do you start?

You might think that the most obvious place to begin is at the beginning chapter.

Maybe it is, maybe it's not.

So, you're writing a book?

Before digging too deep into your book, however, it's important to understand why you want to write it.

Is it to share the knowledge you've gained over a lifetime? Or, perhaps it's to share what a difficult situation taught you...or maybe you've always wanted to see your name in print.

There's nothing wrong with any of those goals/dreams, but first, before putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, I'd recommend taking time to examine three things:

1. What are the emotional reasons behind the desire to write this book?
2. Is there a business reason I want to write it, and if so, what is that reason?
3. What will it take to satisfy that "itch" to write a book? Just the act of writing it? Or maybe it's a practical reason, such as getting more leads.

The reason I say that your "why" in regards to your book is important is because it's that element that will get you through what I call the "slog days".

These days (ones that every writer faces, let me tell you) are those days that you don't want to sit down to write. That your mind is being tugged in a million different directions (via both internal and external interruptions).

But you've got a deadline/word count/time spent (choose a metric that works for you) number to hit, so you push through, do what you told yourself you were going to do, and move forward.

Now, if you're anything like me you do well at getting the writing done for someone else, most times before deadline. But when it comes to getting deadlines done for my own stuff, it gets pushed further and further out, until it's either forgotten, nixed or left sitting there, collecting digital dust in my ClickUp folder...sigh.

The old "cobbler's children wear no shoes" kind of thing.

Why do I do that?

Good question, and it's one that I continue to grapple with, however I have an inkling it has something to do with not valuing my own thoughts and ideas.

Ouch!

But I digress...getting back to the whole book writing thing...

If you consider why you want to write a book, what you want it to do for you and your life/business, what you expect will happen when you do finally hit "publish" on that thing (or, find someone else to hit that button for you), it will be easier to write when things in your life don't go as planned.

Do you have that "itch" to write a book? Have you already written one...or more? Tell me about it in the comments...how did you push through and get it all done? Are you planning to write more books?