how is writing a Book like Quitting Smoking?

How is writing a book like quitting smoking?

It’s all in the timing. Quitting smoking is a huge struggle for people for whom it’s not quite the right time. That’s why they try to give up and fail. But when the time is right, they can accomplish it without a second thought.

(The right time came for me 30 years ago, when a lost weekend left me in bed with a hacking cough and the feeling that death was squatting on my chest.)

It’s the same with starting your book. Sometimes the stars just aren’t in alignment. You start making notes and get overwhelmed by how much you want to say. You write a few pages and they don’t read the same way you sound in your head. Worse still, you show them to other people and they seem pretty indifferent. An emergency blows up at work so you’re busy firefighting. One of the kids gets sick and you’re distracted. Or it suddenly seems like everyone is celebrating their birthdays in the same month.

Sometimes the only thing to do is to accept that the timing’s off. Close the file, switch your computer off. Take a walk, listen to some music, cook some food. No-one has to spend every hour writing – not even those of us who do it for a living.

The key is to try again. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe on a date you mark in your calendar. If it’s too hard to write in the evenings, try writing in the mornings. Or vice versa. If it’s hard sorting through your ideas yourself, find a book coach to help.

Bad timing is sometimes inescapable, so don’t beat yourself up. But remember: it’s only ever an excuse to delay. It’s never an excuse to quit.