How to Overcome Your Fears About Writing a Book

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Think about what you might enjoy sharing with others.

   Love/Hate – What do you hate? Is there a concept, practice, policy, that you simply vehemently oppose? What do you love? Have you been somewhere so amazing that you light up every time you tell a story about it? Well, write that story! Someone will love to read it.
   
   Inspirational – People love to hear stories of perseverance.
   
   These stories offer hope that can often be life-changing for a reader.
   
   If you’ve been through something and are now clearly on the other side, maybe you have priceless advice to offer others.
   
   Your story of triumph may give someone else the hope they need to keep going or even change the direction of their life.
   
   Tutorial – What are you good at? Are you amazingly skilled/knowledgeable on a topic? Maybe you could teach someone else through a step-by-step guide.
   
   Comedy
   - Do you have a story you love recounting for laughs? Or, something you are ridiculously terrible at? Maybe you are a pro at burning water.
   
   Someone may find your comical account of making a horrendous meal worth reading.
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   Step 2: Stop looking for ideas if you think you have enough.

   Sometimes, if you don't think about your project for a week or so, you'll begin to ask yourself questions.
   
   You will develop new ideas for the next chapter in your book., Keep small notebooks and pens by your bed, in the bathroom, in your purse/briefcase, in the kitchen, and at your desk at work; just for jotting down ideas when they come to you.
   
   You never know when ideas will come.
   
   Maybe you're sitting in the bus; just take notes on your phone. , Instead of checking Facebook or chitchatting with other customers when you’re in a long line at Target or the Post Office, brainstorm and jot down concepts, phrases, and ideas for your book., If you use 15-minute intervals, you can get an amazing amount of writing done each day.
   
   Using little notebooks, write for 15 minutes when you first wake up, on your lunch break, during idle time (e.g. in the bathroom), and again before bed.
   
   That's one hour of writing in a day, 365 hours of writing in one year! ,, Type it as a first draft and double space it to leave room for corrections and additions.
   
   Note where photos and illustrations are to appear.
   
   If your novel is currently handwritten in your journal, or scribbled on a series of sticky notes, go ahead and type it out on the computer.
   
   Don't be concerned about accuracy and neatness.
   
   You can fix it up when you do your rewrite, and there will be rewrites! , This way when you come back to it you will be refreshed and have a new perspective., Consider getting beta readers to read your book for a fresh outlook.
   
   Contact a professional editor to help you get your book ready for publishing. ,, Many print-on-demand companies require no upfront fees.
   
   Once you select a company, you will simply follow the step-by-step instructions for uploading your book files.
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   Step 3: Make it easy for yourself to write.

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   Step 4: Maximize idle moments.

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   Step 5: Plan to write in 15-minute intervals.

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   Step 6: Use the calendar on your mobile phone to make notices to remind yourself to write.

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   Step 7: Get the book out of your head and into digital form.

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   Step 8: Stop working on the book for at least several days after you complete your first draft.

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   Step 9: Revise and edit the book as many times as necessary.

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    Step 10: Decide whether to self-publish or contact a publishing company.

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    Step 11: Choose which self-publishing company you want to print and distribute for you if you decide to go that route.

Detailed Guide

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