3 Things You Need to Finish a Book
It's easy to start a book, but if you want to finish it and get your story out in the world, you're going to need these three things.
I once read a statistic that 80% of the population starts writing a book at some point in their life, but only 3% publish one.
As an author and story coach, that stat seems pretty accurate.
Every time I tell someone I’m a writer and creative entrepreneur who runs School For Writers®, 8 times out of 10, they respond with something like “I have a book idea” or “I’m working on a book.”
But when I ask them, with genuine interest and enthusiasm, where they are in the book writing process, I get crickets or a change of subject.
This got me wondering:
Why do so many people start writing a book but so few people finish?
From my 30+ of story coaching (yes, I started at 9, but that’s a story for a different post) and 20+ years as a professional writer, I have found three things that help people start and finish a book.
The three things you need to finish your book:
A solid WHY.
A proven plan. (I’ve got a free workshop to help you with that.)
An accountability team.
Most of the people I talk with start a book having no idea how to write one, what the process is, or even what software to use.
Without support, they get overwhelmed and quit halfway through the first draft, expecting it to be good (pro tip: your book is going to suck until about draft five).
And then they decide that if they can’t finish their book in a couple months (which they won’t because that’s unrealistic!) then they might as well not publish it and also nobody wants to hear from someone like them anyways…
And on…
And on…
Most people don’t finish a book because most people are set up for failure from the start.
Not you, though!
You’re a subscriber to School for Writers, so you’re setting yourself up for success.
Here are three steps to setting yourself up to successfully finish a book:
—> Before I get to the steps, I wanted to let you know that I have a FREE LIVE WORKSHOP for you on April 9, 2024!
PLAN YOUR BOOK workshop will help you with all three of these steps and give you direct live coaching from me!
One: Know Your WHY
I almost failed high school because I didn’t get the point of running around the same football field over and over again. Yet, mere months after graduation, I signed up to run a marathon to raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
What changed?
I tapped into a purpose.
If you want to not only start a seemingly impossible goal but also finish it, you’re going to need to tap into your purpose.
Why do you want to write a book?
Love writing?
Need a creative outlet?
Want to build a business?
Leave a legacy?
Love being in community with writers?
Tips for making your WHY even more powerful:
Be very specific. Name names. Give details.
Focus on what YOU want.
Not other people.
Not what you don’t want.
What YOU WANT.
Go deeper, what’s underneath that? What’s a foundational value this book is tied to.
Go bigger, what’s a larger dream you have that this book is a part of?
That why matters. It will be your North Star when things get hard. Write it down and put it somewhere you see often.
I want to know your why! Share it with me by leaving a comment.
Two: Get a Plan That’s Proven to Work
Don’t go making up your own plan. Don’t go to Google or Reddit. Find a plan from someone who has done it before – and many times over – not just for themself but also for others.
Sure, you could make up a plan for yourself, but that takes a lot of time and energy, especially when you’re starting your first book. Trust me, I did that myself. It took me ten years and multiple books to develop the process that I now teach in my Write Your Friggin’ Book Already® program.
I took courses for sure, but they all focused on craft, making my sentences lovely but never getting me to the final result of a published book. Google and Reddit just gave me shit advice from people who were louder than they were experienced.
Here are five things to look for when choosing a plan for your book:
Does the advice come from someone who knows what they’re talking about? In this post, I wrote in-depth about how to choose a mentor or coach that’s right for you.
Have they done it many times before?
Are they a practiced teacher?
Are they kind and empathetic?
Do they know the publishing industry?
Do they have testimonials or case studies?
Do you share values?
Does the plan include detailed practical advice at every step of the process? Do you have a step-by-step guide that helps you when you’re stuck or is it all general without the practical?
Does the advice fit your book goals? If you want to get a six-figure book deal for non-fiction, it doesn’t make sense to join a program just for amateur memoirists that are leaving a legacy for their kid, and vice versa.
Does the plan line up with the values you have for your book and the process? This is an important one that’s often overlooked. A plan that’s “best-seller or bust” is different than “your story matters.”
Does the plan work for your life? We offer lifetime membership in Write Your Friggin’ Book Already® because we know first hand that life likes to life. Just like resting days are important to athletes, breaks are important to the process, so we have them built in.
Choose a path that works for you, don’t try to fit yourself into the wrong program just because it looks shiny and FOMO is real. Asking those questions from the start will help make sure the plan you have actually works, and is aligned with your needs.
If you’re looking for a plan, I’ve got a free PLAN YOUR BOOK WORKSHOP that will help you decide what plan is right for you. Enroll here.
Three: Create an Accountability Team
You are 92% more likely to achieve a goal if other people know about it and help hold you accountable to doing it, according to the The American Society of Training and Development.
Writing a book doesn’t have to be a lonely process. In fact, it shouldn’t be! As the stats show above, you’re far more likely to actually write your book if you have people along the journey with you.
To finish a book, you don’t just need that one friend you text once in awhile about writing, you need a full accountability team with:
Peers – people on the journey with you at the same level you are.
Mentors/Coaches – people ahead of you who have walked this path before.
Courses/Books – ways to educate yourself and help you continue to grow that have inspiration and accountability.
Get yourself all three of these things, and you’ll get that 92% chance of making your book dreams a reality.
And yes, we give you all three in my Write Your Friggin’ Book Already® program.
So, those are the three things you need to start and finish your book.
A solid WHY.
A proven plan. (I’ve got a free workshop to help you with that.)
An accountability team.
What do you think? Anything you’d add? Let me know in the comments.
And don’t forget to enroll in my free Plan Your Book workshop.
Because the world needs your story now more than ever.™
Lauren
P.S. The Plan Your Book workshop is on April 9! Enroll today so you don’t miss out on the live coaching!