You are one of those who fantasize about writing your first book. You’ve had this intention for a while or maybe it just crossed your mind. Maybe you already know what your idea is, you know that you have the passion to develop it and a defined initial objective (and if you still don’t have it clear, read my post from last week where I talk about these 3 things.) But still, the blank page terrifies you. It is not a very literal fear. The blank page is completely harmless. Nothing will happen if you don’t write on it. NOTHING. That is precisely why you should stop fearing it. Because if you don’t dare to start, nothing will happen, and “nothing” will not make your dream come true and I think that is even scarier. Can you imagine letting your life go by without fulfilling one of your biggest dreams?

Having said that, I have to speak frankly to you. There are truths that you should know about writing a book and you better know them now. My intention with this is not to scare you more. Since I started this series, my only goal is to help you and inspire you to take that first leap and finally decide to write your book. And before talking about the things that are preventing you to do it, I think there are certain things you should know. Writing a book is not easy. If it were everyone would do it, like going to the supermarket or brushing their teeth in the morning. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible.

Also, the road does not end with just writing a book. Once you finish, there are many things ahead that you would never have imagined. The book will be the starting point for a new life, because yes, once you have a written book it’s like giving birth to a child. You have to keep polishing and if you decide to release it to the world, not only it will take some time but also, just having written it will change your perspectives and will give you new goals and new ideas to develop.

Now, without further ado, let’s go to what scares you and I will tell you how you can fight it so you can unleash your creativity and inspiration. There are 5 things that an author always questions and makes us feel afraid to rush into writing but all those things have a solution and answer:

1. My idea is not original enough, others have already done it.

Writing is born from something very intimate inside. It’s a way of expressing our own feelings and interpretations, which have also been influenced by millions of things throughout our lives. When we have an idea, whether it is inspired by the idea of ​​another person or a genre, and we translate it into writing, this idea remains unique because it comes from you. No one is going to say things as you say them, with your same voice, with your same interpretation, simply because the only you in the world is you. Take E.L. James the author of 50 shades of Gray as an example. When she wrote her story she was inspired by the characters of Twilight, even using the same names initially! But her idea delighted her followers so much that it transformed into what it is today, one of the most successful sagas of recent times.

An idea or genre may already exist but there will always be someone who is interested in the way YOU expose it or develop it.

2. I am afraid of what others will say and think about me.

There is something you must have to be a writer. Beyond talent, vocation, inspiration, etc… you must have rhino skin. Everyone and I say it with conviction, and whoever denies it lies, absolutely all human beings judge others but we are afraid of being judged and not only that, we DO care about what others say. It’s natural. However, you should know that once you have written your book, and even in the process, the opinions of others will come and it’s something you cannot avoid. You will have opinions from people who know you, and people who don’t, close people, people not so close, and this may come as a surprise and even cause you pain.

Unfortunately in the world, there is still a lot of pain and hate. There is when the rhino skin is helpful, it simply means that this does not have to go through you. Better think that you have to learn to be a colander. Learn to listen and differentiate constructive criticisms from destructive ones. Just let through what fills you with light. Whatever has poison, throw it away! Don’t let that stop you. Your ideas are not for everyone. You cannot control what others think or say, but you can control how YOU react to it.

At first, this affected me a lot. I received a lot of criticism especially from people very close to me and they weren’t even critical of my book but of my decision to write and publish it and my desire to dedicate myself to this. And it was very hard. I went through moments when I wanted to leave my dreams behind. At the same time, I found people who supported me, valued what I was doing, and inspired me to keep going. All this prompted me to publish my first book and present it at one of the most important book fairs in Latin America. Today with this philosophy I write for myself first and if I manage to inspire people around, much better! but we must not get carried away by trying to please others. Write what inspires you, what you would like to read and what has not been written yet, what you have dreamed …

Always focus on yourself, your idea, and how important it is for you to make it known.

Me at the International Book Fair of Bogota

3. No one is going to read my book, I’m afraid of rejection.

This fear is closely linked to the one above. Rejection is something that writers have to live with. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned how the road does not end just by writing the book. Once you finish it, it has to go through a process of corrections, editing, and many more things before being published (I’ll talk about this in a future post so stay tuned). And when you think it’s ready, you will encounter the task of finding a literary agent if you decide, because now there are other options such as self-publishing (another topic for the future).

It starts with the process of writing letters for someone to accept your idea and decide to represent you. There is when you will find the rejection of the industry, not of the public and this is something even harder. In this field, there is a lot of subjectivity and you should be aware of it. If someone rejects your story, either someone from the industry or a reader, it doesn’t mean that your book is not good or your idea is not valid. There are millions of people in the world, all with different tastes. Did you know that J.K. Rowling the author of Harry Potter was rejected by more than 12 editors before being published? In fact, she has mentioned how she received harsh criticism about her story from people who said it was not original or was not commercial, people who told her she would never get anywhere with Harry Potter … And she has not been the only one. There are many similar stories with recognized authors. Even the bestselling books suffer rejection and this does not stop their writers.

May this not prevent you from writing. Use this as gasoline and momentum to keep going. Turn that rejection into a motive to persevere.

4. I don’t have enough time to write a book.

A very good friend told me something recently that made a big impact on me. She had heard this phrase: “if there is something that all human beings have equally, it’s time. We all have the same 24 hours a day.” Recently I also read in the book “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo, how can we fill ourselves with excuses using the lack of time, thus preventing us to achieve our goals. Here the solution is very simple. If you want something with determination you will find the time to get it.

You have to look very well at how you spend your time and you will see that there are many things that consume a lot of it (tv, phone, chats, among other things). If you have to make a plan that includes time to write, do it. In the next post, I will talk specifically about how to make a plan that suits your needs and objectives so you can write your book and abandon procrastination. For now, analyze those activities that reduce your productivity. Think about whether you could get up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later. What would you do with that hour? What would you do with those 7 extra hours a week? What would you do with those 30-31 hours a month?

5. I have no talent, what I do is not valid, and I am a fraud.

Have you heard of impostor syndrome? This affects many writers and artists in general. People who suffer from it feel not deserving of success, that their abilities are not good and that at some point others will end up exposing them. This is simply a lack of self-confidence. I already told you, writing a book is not easy. But when you do it, when you type “The End” after hours and dedication, you will realize that you have just created something wonderful that not everyone is capable of doing. If you start distrusting yourself even before you start, the road will be much more difficult and even unpleasant. You have to write with passion, with confidence in yourself, and above all enjoy the process of creating. Feel confident in your abilities, because all human beings possess countless powers and faculties, we have a brain capable of generating incredible things. Do not deprive the world of what your capabilities can make.

Some tips…

-If you still don’t feel comfortable with developing a book but want to write, start with a blog. There are dozens of free platforms, and you have the help of social media. You don’t need more. You can start practicing your writing, your discipline, explore topics, and best of all, you will start to gain an audience!

-Write not only on a keyboard. Do it by hand sometimes. Grab a paper and write ideas, or even start writing your book that way. You will be surprised at how different it feels and the wonderful ideas that are created in “old fashion style.”

-Read a lot before writing. Usually, I try not to read anything related to the genre I am writing about during the process. But I do it before starting. You can read a book by one of your favorite authors, or if there was a series that you liked and you know that it was born from a book, read that book. Or if your book is nonfiction, read something from someone who inspires you. The important thing is that you have role models, people who have fulfilled the dreams you are about to fulfill and this single fact will drive you to lose your fear of the blank paper for good.

-Don’t focus on the future of the book. Think about the process day by day. In how happy you feel writing, imagining characters, and creating plots on paper. There will be time to decide what to do with your creation, the important thing is to do it.

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