If I Want to Write A Book, Can I Do It?

Writing is easy if you want to write. It’s not quite as easy if you want to write a book.  I can make this comment not because I’ve managed to publish a book, but because I’ve experienced writing a book. There are many times when I’ve sat in front of my computer only to run out of steam or find another mistake in my writing.

I am one of many who have succeeded in writing a book. I know of many people who have begun the process only to find the journey it takes to have a book in hand simply too much for them.  It’s a challenge to be able to write when the ‘real world’ pushes itself on you with more commitments.  It can take  a lot longer than one month to finish a book, or it can take one month to write a 400 page novel.  The difference is what one considers “finished.”

For my own personal goal it was writing a non-fiction book, and one which I would eventually publish.  I was fearful about reviews, in fact if I didn’t freak out so much about them I would have possibly had a lesser book.  I wrote to me first, only to realize that I was the last person I should be writing for.  For a while, it was a similar story with blogs and other things I wrote.  Ah, yes, the selfish, blind, self-entitled, brat I was.  I was capable of much more, and eventually that was exactly what I wanted to do.

You know what you are capable of as a writer, and there are times when writing an article on the web is good enough, but there are also times when writing a full novel might be the very thing you want to do.  It’s a challenge you’re willing to accept.  It depends on what you want to do, and more importantly what you are willing to sacrifice to do this.  Some people might want to write a book with 800 pages, but don’t have the time. The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well shows that it is if I want to write a book, I can.

Logic has a lot to do with editing, but logic doesn’t have a lot to do with writing, there is a type of relationship a writer has to their book, and more often than not, it is another pair of eyes who sees what was missed the first time around.  Logic plays an important role in writing a book, when you come to learn of your own strengths as a writer.  I know I can write a blog post, and I know I have the ability to write a page a day- I simply set a time to do this. Emotions send you soaring, and crashing, but by using logic and natural ability, this will help- if you want to write a book.  If you want to publish a book, it’s a bit different but the same theory holds true.

I wanted to write a 250 page work of non-fiction, but with the material I had at hand, I was able to write something closer to 200 pages.  This isn’t a failure, but rather a choice I made, because I wanted to have a stronger book- even then I can say I felt I was sometimes saying the same thing, but as with any non-fiction book, you cut out a lot, but the facts, the story, and the people don’t change.  There is nothing wrong with changing your mind when you write, as long as you are focused on getting the writing done.