Open up a document on your computer right now. Seriously, stop what you’re doing here and do that step before you read on. Now, title it “My Book.”
There, you started writing your book! See how easy that was?
I love you if you’re laughing at that and you’re a beginner writer and thinking, OMG, is she serious? But I want you to know this isn’t as hard as it seems.
And every day you procrastinate is another day someone who truly needs your brave words has to wait for their life to be changed. This isn’t about you. It’s about someone else who needs you to get your ass in gear! You can do this. Start writing. Begin with an outline. More on that later.
Approaching the big project of writing your first book might feel scary or hard. But it is what you think it is. It can be easy and exciting. There is so much support out there for you. You can hire a book coach, join a writer’s community, or sign up for an amazing writing retreat for beginners! Being a successful, productive writer is about committing yourself to the process, learning, and improving on your craft. Start writing a book today! You can do this!
You can write a book with no experience. Doesn’t everyone have to start with their first book and no experience? I did. I’m so glad I got over my fear of not-good-enough and wrote and published that first book. Today, I will say I’m not a beginner writer anymore, but honestly, I’m a lifelong learner with a beginner’s mindset, no matter what I’m doing. And that is the mark of a master. If I went back to do it all over again, I’d probably start with a writer’s retreat. It was my second book that was born from the inspiration of a writer’s retreat, and it was a powerful way to jumpstart my writing process.
I’ve learned a few things since then, so below are some of those basics I wish I’d had before I did my first book.
Here are 10 tips for writing a bestselling book, even if you’re a beginner:
- Know the why behind your book. Why are you writing?
- Know your ideal reader. Do the research and don’t guess about this. Know as much as you can about the person who will buy and read your book.
- Understand the market for the genre of the book you’re writing. Do people buy your kind of book?
- Learn how to write in a way that shows the reader a scene instead of telling them. This one thing changed my writing forever.
- Hire a book coach, editor, and other book professionals and learn from them. There’s so much to learn!
- Ask people (a few ideal readers) to read your material and give you feedback so you can fine-tune your writing.
- Be coachable about your writing. Listen to feedback and try new things in your writing.
- Join a writer’s community and learn from your peers. So much of my inspiration comes from listening to others read and talk about their writing.
- Read a lot! Know what you love and model after your favorite writers.
- Attend a writer’s retreat and experience that transformation with others who will continue to support you for months and years afterward.
Dear beginner writer,
Your brave words and work are waiting to be read. Everything has been written before, but not by you! Your unique voice, in exactly the way only you can write it, is the voice someone needs to read. Everyone is a writer!
Start by writing your outline. Get back to that document I had you start at the beginning of this blog and begin by adding a numbered list. Maybe one through ten to start. Get your ideal reader in your mind and the journey you’ll take them on. Start naming those experiences in chapter title form. What’s the beginning, middle, and end of that journey?
Once you have a chapter title outline, go back to each title and start doing a bullet list of ideas that include the scenes and lessons you want to teach under each title. What are the important scenes from your life you want to make sure to share with your readers to allow them to get to know, love, and trust you? And what are the lessons, tools, or strategies you want to teach them? Bullet-list those as well.
Your end product can be crafted in any order or arrangement you desire, but getting your outline down first will make it so much easier and catapult you onto the journey of writing your book. Next, it’s about scheduling and protecting the time to sit down and write! You’ll find a ton of inspiration and resources, including a mini book-writing course in the Brave Healer Resources Vault.
What I know for sure is that writing your book doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right support, a great outline, and some dedicated time management, even if you’re a beginner, you can have your book written and ready to be published in a much shorter amount of time than you might think. Find the people, events, and resources that will help you realize your goals!
