The 5 Most Important Things That Every Writer Needs
Becoming a best-selling author has been by far one of my greatest accomplishments to date. But I'll be honest, on the journey to becoming an author, I wasn't sure that I had what it took to actually see the vision through.
Can you relate to that?
Where you question if you have the right strategy?
Where you question if people will want to read your book?
Where you question if you can actually even follow through with it?
Well, if you're struggling with wondering some of those same things, you're in the right place. Because today I'm going to walk you through the 5 top things that I feel every single author needs. So let's go.
1. Every Author Needs a Strong “Why”
The number one thing that I feel like every single future best-selling author needs is a strong "why". And the reason that this is important is because your "why" makes room for the “how”. Let me explain.
On the journey to writing your best-selling book, you're often going to find that you don't know how to make it happen. You don't know how you're going to find the time. You might not even know how you can invest in it. But the truth is, when you have a powerful "why" that you have anchored, you'll notice that you just naturally make room for the how.
My "why" was to leave a legacy for my daughters, and this “why” gave me so much momentum. When I didn't know how I would find time to write my book on a busy schedule, I immediately made room in my schedule. When I didn't understand that I really had what it took, I remember that my vision was so much greater than me and what I saw in the here and the now.
What is your “why” and how can you keep this “why” in the forefront of your mind?
Because, again, when you have that strong “why”, you'll make room for the “how”. And you'll notice the dedication and thee consistency increase. And then you'll notice that you have what it takes to actually see the entire process through.
2. Every Author Needs a Healthy Mindset
The second thing that I feel like every future best-selling author needs is a healthy mindset. We are all often bogged down by negative thinking. Research shows that we have somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts a day, with 80% of them being negative and then 90% of them being repetitive.
We're essentially on this hamster wheel of negative thinking over and over and over again. And the truth is, what we focus on is what we find. If we're focused on all the reasons why we can't write our book, if we're focused on all the reasons that no one will ever want to buy it or read it, we're going to find that to be true. If on the flip side, you focus on all of the reasons that you're called to do this, all the things that light you up about it, and all of the future possibilities, you're going to notice that you find that as well.
In the process of writing your book, I want you to consider what are some ways that you can strengthen your resolve and your mindset so that you can see the entire process through.
Some of the ways that I really worked on my mindset were affirmations, hypnotherapy as well as EFT. And all of these tools combined have been extremely powerful in helping me to reprogram my mind to create the success that I really wanted to call in. And it can do the same for you.
3. Every Author Needs a Stable and Consistent Routine
The third thing that I feel like every future best-selling author needs is a stable and consistent routine. We are creatures of habit and so we often go through our day in a ritualistic way. But when you're trying to do something different, things have to be tweaked to align with what it is that you want to call in and create and do differently in your life.
One of the things that I started to do is I looked at my schedule. I determined what was working and I determined what wasn't working and I started to adjust and alter my schedule accordingly. Far too often we wait for our day to happen and then we end up resentful that we didn't get the things that we wanted to be done. When instead we should be proactive instead of reactive and actually plan out our day.
What I committed to early on in the journey was 1 hour of uninterrupted time on my writing journey. And this hour looks different every single day.
Sometimes it was me writing - that was the majority of the time. Sometimes it was me reading because reading informs our writing. Sometimes it was reaching out to editors or cover designers and the like to be able to have a full picture of what the book writing process took. It's funny because an hour may not sound like a lot, but the truth is an hour adds up.
At the end of a week, that's 7 hours.
At the end of the month, that's 30 hours.
And so 30 hours of focus on your vision can get you really far and definitely can move that needle. On the flip side, an hour may sound like a lot. And so what I'd love to challenge you with is can you find an extra 30 minutes in your day that you can dedicate to your writing process?
30 minutes, much like an hour, definitely can add up. Research says that the average American wastes over 2 hours every single day doing meaningless things such as scrolling social media, mindlessly watching one too many Netflix series and things like that. I'm pretty sure that you can get creative with finding at least 30 minutes to dedicate to your dream. This may look like waking up earlier; this may look like going to sleep later; this may look like taking your writing or your computer to your children's practices, or this may look like working and writing on your lunch break at work.
Again, when you have that powerful “why” and you start to create a crystal clear and consistent routine, the two combined are just so transformational on the journey to getting your book written. In addition, that stable routine that is really powered by that "why" that you have actually will help you to create that habit of writing consistently.
4. Every Author Needs a Consistent Writing Routine
This leads me to the fourth strategy that I have for you, which is to find a consistent writing routine.
We've already talked about having a routine in general where you build writing into your schedule, but a consistent writing routine actually helps you to fall into the habit even better.
So what this may look like is having a place where you write that really stirs those creative juices for you. It may look like you setting yourself up with certain steps that lead to that writing process. Because the cool thing is, when we have it stacked (meaning we do one thing plus another thing) we trigger those habits to really relate to each other. So for me, one of the things that I would do is I would often like to read for a little bit, and then I'd like to jump right into free writing and processing what it was that I was reading. And as I got into the habit of just free writing and journaling, my writing started to flow as well.
I've also found it to be extremely helpful to have a consistent writing center. So if you know that you're going to be writing in your office or in your bedroom, make sure that your space is clear of clutter. Research says that when we have a cluttered space, it's actually representative of our mind. And so if you need to clear your mind to be able to write, you need to make sure that your space is cleared off as well.
Also, a part of my consistent writing routine is that I made sure that I was eating healthy and drinking a lot of water. This made sure that I was nurturing my body so that when I sat down to write, I wasn't bored, I wasn't tired, I wasn't irritable, and in turn, distracted from what it was that I came to do.
So in what ways can you create a consistent writing routine that contributes to your success with getting this book written?
5. Every Author Needs a Strategy
Finally, the fifth strategy that I feel every future best-selling author needs is a strategy to light the way. All right, the truth is, we cannot approach the book writing process all laxy-daisy. We cannot approach it by trying to throw spaghetti at the wall hoping something sticks.
We need a strategy that will help us to see the entire process through. The good news is you don't have to YouTube university or Google your way to creating a strategy. You can literally allow my footprints to become your blueprints because I have an amazing complimentary training called Write Your Book in 30 Days.
In this training, I walk you through the exact process that I use to write, publish and prosper off of all of my books and become a best-selling author. So if you are ready for a foolproof formula that helps you to bring your book baby to life, you got to join us there.
Check out the link below where you'll get all the details, and trust me when I say you do not want to miss it.
Before You Go
I just want to give you a word of encouragement. I'm a firm believer that what's desired by you is available to you. You do not have the dream to write and publish a book laid on your heart in vain.
It's there for a reason. And someone somewhere is waiting on you to do what you are called to do. So this is your official call to stop playing small.
