Why We Don't Write Our Books
Author: Suzanne Falter-Barns

In the ten years that I��ve taught people how to get on with their books, I��ve noticed a phenomenon that I��ll call ��Author��s Block.�� Would-be writers can, indeed, sit down and work when pressed to it. The problem is that they��re not so sure they want the pressure of being an author. But they do want to. But they don��t. And so on.
Ah, the agony of getting on with your book.
Well, I��m here to diffuse that situation with a list of what I think are the key reasons we don��t immediately set down to write. Perhaps this will help the next time you find yourself polishing doorknobs instead of sitting down to write.

�� We lie to ourselves about why we can��t write the book. We think our stalling is about lack of time, or too much pressure at work, or not enough solitude in the evening. But guess what? Chances are a deeper, darker reason may be at play, like ��I��m not supposed to be bigger than Mom�� or ��What if this thing really takes off?��

�� We fear the impact our book could have. Sometimes when I coach writers in my self-help author��s crash course, I��ll ask them what��s impeding progress. And after some probing, it will come out that they��re afraid of the big exposure a book can have if it takes off. I��m here to assure you that should that happen, (and chances are your book will not unleash wild mobs of millions) you will be able to handle it. How do I know? On that deep level where psyche meets karma, you won��t create a reader more than you��re ready to receive.

�� We think our book doesn��t matter, so why bother? One writer I know put this so succinctly: ��I��ve tried getting up at 5AM to write, and staying up late, and leaving my home, but none of it works. I have this tired feeling that none of it��s going to amount to a hill of beans.�� In fact, writing and publication can be an entirely self-determined activity these days. If the publishing pundits don��t go for your book, there��s always self-publishing and e-books on your website. In other words, your book does matter, and you really have no excuse. (Acid test: if the book keeps on patiently urging you to sit down and write it for months and even years, chances are you��d better do it.)

�� We think we don��t know how to write a book. Guess what? Neither does any other first time writer. And that may be a wonderful thing because you don��t com in with a carload of expectations and demands from your process. You��re just open, like�K well, a nice blank book. All you really need is your intuition, and the will to write your book as honestly as you can.

�� We have no support. You need someone in your corner, cheering you on, to get through the long and somewhat tiring process of birthing a book. That��s why my Self-Help Author��s Crash Course is not an e-book (believe me, it would be easier!) but a 12-week teleclass series. Because these writers need a place to show up and be accountable for their progress. They need someone to keep saying, ��Yes, you really can do this.�� That��s how tricky and difficult our minds are when it comes to big challenges.

�� We��re afraid we��ll run out of material. There isn��t a writer out there who hasn��t had this fear. And I��m here to say that if you just stay loose and open, and willing to receive the ideas, they will show up. All you have to do is commit �V really sit down, and begin to bring that book into being �V and the work will magically appear. Sometimes it won��t flow that easily, and sometimes it will scare you with it��s speed and power. But it will, indeed, show up.

�� We think ��Who am I to write a book?�� And yet, you are the perfect person to write your book, because you��re the one chosen to receive this material. (You don��t have to be spiritually inclined to believe this.) I personally believe that books are given to us when we��re ready to receive them�K and when we do, our lives are changed by that process.

�� We fear uncomfortable moments. Ah, but that��s the most exciting thing about writing your book. You will be given challenges and lessons that just seem untenable along the way. And if you��re committed enough, you��ll rise above them and so become stronger in the process. This is especially true for self-help books: we write what we need to learn.

I��m here to urge you to just get on with your book. Not only do you deserve it �V so do we.

For more information on how you can find the support to turn your book idea into a publisher-ready book proposal, go to http://www.howmuchjoy.com/selfhelpbook.html
Our next session starts January 20, and runs Tuesdays from 1-2PM Eastern. (Recordings available.)






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Suzanne Falter-Barns is the author of Living Your Joy (Ballantine.) She also publishes The Joy Letter, an inspirational ezine that gives you a fun, friendly nudge towards your dream every two weeks. Her website, www.howmuchjoy.com, has been featured in Self, Fitness, i-Village, Cybergrrl, and more than 100 radio and television shows.

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