Writing is harder than it seems. Besides finding the time and forcing yourself to actually sit down and write, you may also have some doubt bubbling up about your abilities and ideas.

If this is happening to you, the voice in your head may be on repeat: 

“Who am I to write a book?”

“Who even cares about what I have to say?”

“I’ll probably embarrass myself by writing this book.”

“There are tons of books on my topic. Why would anyone want to hear from me on that topic?”

Let’s turn off the negative thoughts and remember to start to believe that we are worthy of success as a writer. Fear can grab us and bind us so that it feels impossible to write even one word. But fear is a liar. The truth is that your message is important because it comes from YOU. You are unique; therefore, your IDEA will be unique, and you’ll tell it in a way that only you can. However, turning off those thoughts isn’t easy. Read further to discover some that may help.

1. Spend Time Reading!

Our CEO always says, “If you are not reading good books then you probably aren’t writing good books.” Reading fuels creativity! One thing that we encourage our authors to do is to conduct some research on other books in your genre. Again, that fear inside of you may tell you NOT to read books similar to your genre, just in case it influences your writing too much. But the truth is, what someone else has written will inspire you and draw out ideas, experiences, and memories that will apply to your book. Sometimes, the opposite will happen as well. You will read a book and know exactly what you DON’T want to put in your book. The other benefit is that you can look at different story structures that other authors have used and decide what you like and don’t like. Then you are free to write your story the way you want to write it.

You also may feel guilty about spending time reading when you should be spending that time writing. But the truth is, reading is a part of a successful writer process. They consider it part of their jobs to read and dedicate time in their day to be energized and nourished by great content.

You may still be afraid that you’ll read a book that you feel is better than yours and you’ll be discouraged instead of energized by it. But, I want to challenge you not to give into that fear, you can only be made better by a great book, and your idea will be different because it comes from you.

2. Understand Your “Why!” 

Vision is the key to finishing what you start. As nonfiction authors, a lot of what we write is inspired by our connection to the information. But we do not author books for ourselves, we write them for the benefit of an audience. This is why understanding your “why” is very crucial. Maybe part of your fear is that you aren’t exactly sure what your book will be about. If that’s the case, let’s start with the most important questions that only you can answer. 

• Why must YOU write THIS story? 

• Why are you feeling called to write it? 

• Who will this story benefit? How will it benefit them?
  
• What specific impact or change am I aiming to make in the life of my reader?

Take your time and dig deep for your answers. Write down every thought that comes to mind. Don’t second-guess yourself or edit yourself before you write it. Remember, you might think it’s not good but you are not writing for you, you are writing for your audience. Once you get to the heart of it, you’ll understand why it has to be YOU that writes that book.

Here are some other questions you can answer to guide you:

• What belief systems are you explaining or contradicting?

• Do you wish someone else already wrote it so that your younger self could have benefited from it? How would you have benefited? 

• What will your book have that other books on the market don’t have?

• Who is your target audience? What pain point do you want to alleviate for them?

• What is the journey you want your reader to go on?

• When did you first decide to write this book? What was the spark?

3. Use the “Why” Answer for More Than the Book

The other really important reason to understand your “why” for writing that book is that it will guide how you market your book in the future. This may sound like we’re getting ahead of ourselves, especially if you haven’t finished writing yet. But it is important—not for the paycheck but so your book has the chance to reach more people and serve your intended purpose (your “why”) by focusing on why they will want to buy it..

A great video on the topic of “why” is Simon Sinek’s TED Talk. His topic is inspirational leadership, which is fitting for writing a nonfiction book. Our goal is to inspire people through the written word. 

This is the key takeaway from the video: “People buy things because of WHY you do them, not because of WHAT you do.” If you know why you are writing your book and why it will benefit others, you will have a built-in marketing plan for your book after it’s published. Sinek says, “If you talk about what you believe, you will ATTRACT those who believe what you believe.” And once you have attracted those people, they will not only read your book, but they will also tell other people to read your book.

Why you need to write your book is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. When you know the “why,” you will share yourself through your book in a way that will appeal to your readers. By the way, we firmly believe that those readers have been searching for the exact book you want to write, and they will be relieved when they finally have it in their hands.

The other good news, you don’t have to be alone on this book-writing journey. Dream That Big Publishing can help you in every stage of the writing and publishing process. Contact us today to find out more. You can also listen to some of our relevant podcast episodes, such as “Building A 7-Figure Blueprint” and “How to Find Your Niche and Stay Focused” from our 7 Figure Authorpreneur podcast. Also, we host monthly events both in-person and virtual, and we have a Facebook community to provide you support when you get stuck. The resources are limitless with Dream That Big!