You Told Someone You’re Writing a Book (and now you actually have to write it)
Greetings and salutations, Scribblers!
“I heard you’re writing a book, what’s it about?”
If your heart rate just doubled, my apologies. Being asked what your book is about is one of the scariest questions a writer can be asked. Especially if it’s by someone outside of the writing community. The non-writing population has always misunderstood how a book goes from idea to being something published and on a shelf. We did a video on it earlier in the year–Why does publishing take so long? It’s a great video to share with your family and friends when they ask when they can read your book–which is also the second most terrifying question you can ask a writer.
But that’s not the only reason telling someone you’re writing a book can be terrifying. It also means you’ve admitted to being an author. And that means you have to actually write the book. And if you’re like me and haven’t written anything in the past two weeks, then you start to feel like a fraud.
Alright, stop. Don’t spiral. First off, you are an author. The entire qualification is whether or not you write. It’s not how many manuscripts or poems you have, or if you have something published or not. If you put words down in an intentional way and are telling some version of a story, you’re an author.
There is a difference between saying you’re writing a book and actually having a goal and a system to accomplish that. And that’s what we’re going to talk about in today’s video.
Just saying “I’m writing a novel,” is empowering and bold. It makes the project real no matter where you are in the process. According to your brain, you're now accountable to whoever you told and you’re going to have to answer follow-up questions, possibly for the rest of your life, about how that project is coming along. You might be thinking the solution is just never tell anyone, that that’s not what you should do. Writing is best when you have community. And you’ll need community both in and outside your writing sphere. So, yes, you are going to have to tell someone. Be smart about who you tell, but definitely tell people.
When you say “I’m writing a novel.” Now you’ve opened the door to a million other questions that you need to answer. And these aren’t questions from the person you told. These are internal questions like:
“When am I writing?”
“What am I writing next?”
“How will I know I'm making progress?”
“Who will notice if I stop?”
Good intentions aren’t enough to get a novel finished. You need to figure out when you’re actually going to do that. Most of us are writing around everything else in our lives. Whether that includes a job, family responsibilities, health issues, or making sure we remember to go grocery shopping. No matter what outside factors exist, you need to find time to work on that novel. Sitting down to actually write it will always be competing with other things in your life that need your attention. Some of these you can push off to the side, but others, you can’t.
It’s not that you lacked discipline to write over the past two weeks, it’s that there wasn’t room while you juggled other priorities. This is where your shift in mindset needs to come in. You need to clarify your goals and then make a commitment. Your goal might be to finish the zero draft of your novel. Your commitment might be to write for an hour every Monday and Thursday and by the end of each month you’ll have three completed chapters.
Now you’ve given yourself a specific goal, a time frame, and the opportunity for accountability. By breaking the writing process down into smaller parts, you’re making smaller commitments that will be easier to accomplish rather than just saying “I’m writing a book.” We have a thirty minute writing routine that might help you on your way. You can find that on our channel. It gives you a repeatable routine for getting in those precious thirty minutes sessions that will help you finish your project.
Now, you’ve told people. You can use their interest in your progress to help you stay accountable in the process. You don’t have to wait for them to ask though, having an acountabili-buddy is the most useful when you can give them specific questions they can periodically ask you.
You could have them ask:
What were you hoping to accomplish?
What actually happened?
What got in the way?
What did you learn?
What's your next step?
That's the more supportive—and very Scribbler's Den—version of accountability.
Okay, I need you to answer four questions. I’m going to put them on the screen and you can pause the video to jot them down or answer them right now. Here we go:
1. What are you working on?
Don't say “my book.” Be specific.
“I'm drafting the first five chapters of my novel.”
2. What would progress look like this week?
“I'll complete Chapter 3.”
3. When will you work on it?
“Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7–7:30.”
4. Who will know whether you did it?
This is the key question.
Alright, now you’ve laid out a plan for actually getting that novel written. You can always make adjustments as needed if the days and times you want to write have to change or maybe you realize you’ve set a goal that is too big. Make those adjustments. Revisit these questions as needed.
Remember, adding a layer of accountability isn’t about adding pressure to finish your book. It’s about narrowing the gap between what you intend to do and what you actually do.
So, the next time someone asks you what you’ve been up to, don’t hesitate to say “I’m writing a book.” Speaking your intentions out into the universe is a way of making them come true. But don’t stop there. You need to make a plan to actually accomplish that goal. Break the process down, set small goals and commit. Build your writing community and welcome the accountability that comes with it.
At the Scribbler’s Den, saying “I’m writing a book isn’t the end of the conversation. It’s the beginning. We love helping writers figure out what they’re working toward or the next steps they should take. The Scribbler’s Den is here to offer accountability and celebrate all your progress!
If you’re writing a novel, we’d love to know what your goal is this month. Tell us in the comments so we can cheer you on!
Until next time, happy writing, Scribblers!
Gain access to the Scribbler's Revision Strategy, this course will include strategies for revising characters, plot, pacing, and worlding building. It also includes resources for copyediting and for gaining insight into your manuscripts theme and purpose
