What is the first stage in the book writing process?
I spent the weekend in Edinburgh with Sheryl Andrews, my client, mentor and friend. The purpose of the visit was to attend the book launch of Successful Business Minds by my client Helen Monaghan.
Whilst we were there, Sheryl and I found ourselves discussing the question “What is the first stage in the book writing process?”
When I wrote Your Book is the Hook, the first logical step was the actual decision to write your business book. As we listened to Helen talk about always wanting to write, and we reflected on our own journeys, we became aware that something happens before this decision. We have aptly named this the dreaming phase.
The Dreaming Phase
This is the period of time when you think about writing a book. You may have even started to write, but it is more likely to be in journals for your eyes only. But that desire to write is in your heart and it’s growing stronger and stronger each day. You may have even started blogging and you love writing. As a child you probably wrote letters to others when you couldn’t express how you felt by speaking. And right now you may be struggling to articulate what makes you different in business or how you do what you do.
You watch other people with their book in their hand and think ‘one day that will be me’. You know you want to write a book, but instead you write anything but the actual book.
You try to imagine your book in your hand but the picture is a little fuzzy. So instead you talk about writing. You tell everyone you are writing a book and you may have done this for years.
You know you’ve got a big message to share, even though you are not entirely sure what ‘that’ message is. You just know you are meant to write a book.
As Sheryl and I became curious about this dreaming phase, we recognised the voice of the critic, saying all kinds of things that could potentially prevent you from moving from dreaming to doing. Things like:
- I don’t have time
- It won’t make any money
- Who would read my book?
- What would other people say?
- I’m not very good at writing
- My spelling is terrible
- My grammar is poor
- I never finish anything
- Where should I start?
- I’ll do it one day when …
If you can think of any more then please list them below in the comments, and share your inner critic’s thoughts. Over the coming weeks and months, let’s tackle those thoughts and move you from dreaming to doing.
Doing and Celebrating
In the meantime, I would really like to celebrate the launch of Helen’s book and share the highlights from our trip to Edinburgh.
Helen found me through a Facebook advert just 10 months ago and she quickly moved from dreaming through decision to doing – to done.
She knew that she had to write and she knew she wanted support. The only question was which support would be right for her. I am so glad she chose me as her book mentor, and I have been able to share her journey.
As we (Sheryl, myself and a room full of people) sat and listened to Helen talk at her book launch on Thursday evening, we were very aware how she was able to articulate her message with clarity and confidence. She didn’t need a script and was talking from the heart. We watched as the audience tuned into her story, listened intently, and their nods of understanding were reflected around the room.
The Day After
We then met up with Helen again on Friday for a tour of Edinburgh and to take a moment to truly celebrate what she had achieved.
The tour of Edinburgh reminded me of the author’s journey. We had a rough idea what we wanted from the day, then plagued by a mixture of heavy snow and rain, we were forced to dodge the downpours by popping into cafes, shops and restaurants.
All the time, we asked questions and shared our experiences of writing. Myself an author of 4 books, Helen now a published author and Sheryl still writing her first.
We bathed in the realisation of how much more fun it is when you have written your book and when you have clarity of your message. Helen shared how much easier it was now to attract clients and enjoy the business that she runs. Writing a book is powerful and it makes a huge difference when you commit to your message in writing. Upon that realisation, 
the sun came out and we were able to enjoy a lovely walk through Princes Street Gardens – before having a well-deserved cocktail (or two!).
You may have noticed me mentioning Sheryl recently, and over the coming months we are going to be working more closely together. There are lots of reasons why this partnership has been formed and I will tell you more about that soon.
In the meantime, is it time for you to move from dreaming to doing?
Do you want to find an easier way to communicate your message?
Do you want to help more people?
Have you reached that point where your message cannot die with you, and you know you must find a way of preserving what you have learned?
Once you move from dream to decision, then it is time to do.
There are 3 phases of doing:
1. Structure and planning – where you structure your time and your book, and almost by magic this creates a beautiful structure in your business and your life. If you know you need more structure and more clarity on why you are writing, who you are writing to, and what your message is, then don’t miss the next Planning and Writing mini-retreat in Portsmouth or Edinburgh.
2. Writing and editing – then you have to write and edit. It takes many iterations and some people discover they have more than one book at this stage. You have to learn how to edit, which parts to keep, which to let go of and which will be your first book or next book. We have a number of ways we can support you through this phase. Either one-to-one mentoring and coaching for accountability, or you can join us for the highlight of my year, the beautiful Writing Retreat in Spain from 22-27 September 2016 or 21-26 September 2016.
3. Marketing and selling – our next Marketing your Book on a Budget workshop will be in May 2017. I am aware that this is a way off, so watch this space as I will be launching one-off 90 minute mentoring sessions with me where you can pick my brains and get whatever kind of support you need right now.
Where are you on the authors journey?
Are you dreaming or doing?
You matter, so does your message and your audience are waiting to hear what you have to say.