Millions of people want to write a book. They just don’t know how to start.
If you’re anything like them, then you’ve often felt frustrated by the feeling that there is a story in you just dying to come out, but you’re not sure how to begin.
What if I told you there was a secret to actually writing your book? A “special sauce,” so to speak?
There is, and you’re about to find out what it is.
What You Need
At The Write Practice, Joe Bunting has been teaching authors how to write their books for over a decade. He may not have been the one to come up with this method, but every year he teaches it to hundreds of men and women who are able to take their book ideas and transform them into first drafts.
So what is the secret to actually writing your book instead of “wishing” you’d write it?
A CONSEQUENCE.
Before I explain why, let me explain why other things aren’t enough.
Some people think that a deadline is what you need.
But a deadline can be skipped without any pain. Sure, there’s disappointment, but there won’t be any true suffering to come with it.
What about a great idea? Some argue that all you need to do is wait for the perfect book idea, then go crazy.
But that could take a lifetime, and the perfect idea is not guaranteed to instill you with motivation, discipline, or talent.
Trust me: What you need to actually write your book is a consequence.
Here’s why.
It’s Okay to Be Negative
Whether we like it or not, consequences help us get things done. They also help us avoid negative outcomes in life.
Do you like coming to a full and complete stop at every stop sign, even if no one else is around? Of course not. But you do it because of the fear, the negative consequence, of getting a ticket.
I’d love to be inspired by nothing more than pure, positive motivation. The problem is I’ll probably be dead in heaven by the time that happens, and so will you.
The truth is we spend much of our lives avoiding negative consequences to stay out of trouble.
What if you could harness that “negative” power for good?
Don’t be afraid of the seeming connotations with the word “consequence,” and rather embrace the possibilities that will come with it.
Make it Specific and Make It Hurt
When you choose your consequence, it must fulfill two criteria or else it won’t work:
- It has to be specific
- It has to cost you something, therefore hurting your wallet, pride, or both
Joe Bunting tells it like this. In 2016, he wanted to write his book but wasn’t confident he could do it. His friend (and brilliant self-publishing coach Tim Grahl) told him to write a check to the presidential campaign of the candidate Joe didn’t want to win, and then give it to Tim for safe-keeping. The amount on the check?
$1,000.
The idea was simple. If Joe wrote his book within the 100 day timeframe he set for himself, Tim would give him the check back to be torn apart or burned.
If Joe failed to write his book in the allotted time, Tim would mail the check.
Talk about a specific and painful consequence!
I chose a similar consequence when I wrote the first draft of Flood, my Great Smoky Mountains Adventure novel.
I grew up in Michigan and love the Wolverines of U of M; appropriately, I loathe the college football team from that school in that state capital of… oh, heck, I’ll just say it.
Ohio State.
Yeck.
So I declared my intentions to my wife (who is from Ohio herself), my friends, and my writing community: If I didn’t finish Flood within 100 days, I would buy an Ohio State jersey AND wear it to my in-laws’ house for Christmas.
Specific.
And painful.
Get Accountability for Your Consequence
Finally, this consequence cannot be administered alone. Make sure that others know what you have decided for yourself. Proclaim it to the masses on social media, tell your spouse/partner, and joke about it with your friends.
The more people you tell, the hotter the seat you’ll sit in when YouTube or Netflix or Twitter distracts you. Because they will, and they will do so without relent. You have to somehow become more relentless than social media, and the only way is to act like a rabbit fleeing from a fox.
To close, let me just share that mid-way through my journey writing Flood, I went through a rough spell of something akin to depression. I’d recently lost a job that I loved and really wondered what God was up to in my life. My motivation ran into a wall of anger and bitterness, and my writing ground to a halt.
Two things saved me: God’s endless mercy, and the fear of buying that stupid jersey. I’d like to think God should take most of the credit, but let’s be serious: The threat of wearing garnet and gray put the fear of the Lord into me.
So after some journaling, time alone, prayer, and planning, I rallied and wrote something like 50,000 words in just 30 days.
Anyone, Including You, Can Do This!
What consequence will help you write your book?
Remember to make it both specific and painful to your wallet and pride. When you have that in place, share it with people who love you and will encourage you to succeed.
Then write like you’ve never written before.
