They say that in life we all have to do 3 things: have a child, plant a tree, and write a book. My philosophy is that the only thing you have to do in this world is doing what makes you happy. In my case, for example, any plant that has come into my hands has little chance of life. So planting the tree is something I still have to do and I don’t know… maybe I’ll be able to do it one day. But something that I have done and that I can speak with complete authority about is being a mom and writing books. It is what I love and what makes me happy and fulfilled.

I think that all human beings at some point have thought that their story or some story that they have in their mind could be a book. Even dreams we have. I’m not necessarily talking about fiction. Many times people may be in a position where they believe that something they know can be put on the pages of a book for others to learn from, be inspired by, and/or follow suit. Although just like having children, or planting a tree, it is not for everyone. Nor is it an absolute necessity. If in your case you feel that writing is in you, I want to tell you something before I tell you what you need before you write your book.

Since I was little I always dreamed of fantasy worlds. It was The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, the book that at the age of 8 changed my life completely. From then on, the genre caught my attention so much that to this day I continue to consume fantasy stories that have forged me not only as a writer but also as a person. And not only fantasy but in general any genre that transports me to something beyond the real world we know is something that captivates me.

Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and George R. R. Martin are those authors whose stories have marked me in a way that I could never explain. Also, I have to say that I grew up under the influence of the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez and movies like Star Wars, so all that fantasy, magic, and science fiction got mixed up in my head and I always wanted to write a book related to those topics. But I left it in my memory as a forgotten dream while I tried to make a career as a journalist. Until one fine day, I allowed myself to go beyond my dream and wrote and published my first book, The Lake of Miracles. However, it took me a long time. I wrote it for two or three months in 2007. But I published it almost 10 years later! I don’t want this to happen to you.

If I had known everything I know today about the industry and what it means to embark on this task of writing books, things would have been easier. But with my story and 5 books on the market, I don’t regret anything or the way things happened. Because thanks to that today I can help writers like you so you don’t spend years making your dream a reality but materialize it in a short time. It only takes 3 things that I will mention below:

An idea:

This is the first step. Something that comes from somewhere in your head. As I mentioned before, it may have been a dream, an intuition, or a simple comment from someone. It can be born from an image, a song, it could be your life story, or someone else’s. It is an idea that constantly makes you scheme and fantasizes about the possibility of sitting down to write and that generates that inner conviction that tells you “this could be a book.” Just that is enough. Do you have an idea? Now you need something else…

Passion:

It is not enough to have an idea. Like everything in life, there is something that is needed to develop it and it goes beyond a simple desire. I call this Passion. That need to make the idea a reality must generate an almost uncontrollable internal explosion. Keep in mind that you will have to work many hours on that idea to develop it into a book. And there is nothing worse than doing something without passion. You have to fall in love with that idea, that passion is what awakens in your heart the desire to want to execute a plan to make your book a reality. It has to generate positive emotions and enthusiasm.

Now finally… A clear intention:

You already have the idea and you know you have the passion to take it to become a book. But first, ask yourself: Why do I want to do this book? Do you want to be a writer and write this and many more books? Do you have a business and think that the book can help you increase your profits? Is writing your hobby and is it something you want to experience only once? Do you want to write it just for you? I’m going to explain why you have to ask yourself these questions.

Nobody knows what a book can develop. The book you write as a hobby may be a hit, so successful that you become a full-time writer, or that it is your book that generates an idea for a business… you never know what a book can motivate in your life. But that main intention will set you a goal that will help you to understand your idea and the passion behind it.

You will need this because it is what makes you get up every day to try to execute your writing plan. We are human beings and we need some guidance to know where to go even if we have no idea what the future has in store for us.

So what is your intention and how to find it? You have to do an internal exam. Meditating helps me a lot, for example. I am one of those who think that inspiration has a divine intervention. So I invite you to do the following exercise.

Write the following sentence on a piece of paper: “The intention of this book is…”

Then meditate for a few minutes. Immediately write the first thing that comes to mind under the sentence. If you write more than one sentence or one paragraph, that’s fine. You can then edit it. The shorter your intention, the clearer it will be.

If you feel that you have these three things clear, you are up to a good start! I’ll give you another homework assignment. Write on another piece of paper your idea, the reasons why you are passionate about being able to develop it, and what your intention is (once you have developed the previous exercise). Leave this sheet in a conspicuous place. This will help you in the writing process, especially in moments when you hesitate, (because they will come). It’s like when you start a marathon. You start full of energy and vigor but there will be times when you want to throw in the towel or give up trying. This piece of paper is going to give you back the spark so don’t throw it away.

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