Research has shown that the most popular time to start writing a book is at the beginning of the year, following the 'new year new me' trend. People take this time to reflect on the previous year and take the opportunity to do something they have always wanted to do, which in this case is writing a book!
Specialist book coaching companies such as The Book Midwife® see a regular surge every year during the first couple of months, as people feel motivated to start the book writing process, however a staggering nine out of ten people won't finish their book without some form of specialist coaching and guidance.
So, despite feeling passionate about creating their book, the topic and its origins, why do so many budding authors fail to finish writing their book?
For many people, writing a book is something they dream of doing, and so as the new year approaches, they are likely to feel more motivated than ever, to actually put pen to paper and make their dream into a reality. The initial decision to start the writing process isn't that hard, but the physical process of preparing the structure, setting out the key themes and ensuring that the book flows well from start to finish can easily put people off. Simply writing the book with little to no planning often leads to a disaster, as does spending too much time planning before getting any words on the page.
There is also the psychology which can get the better of anyone trying to achieve a goal, but especially one as ambitious as writing an entire book! The little voice inside your head starts saying 'What do you think you are doing? Who do you think you are? What do you have to say anyway? And will anyone actually want to read it?' All this critical chatter can sabotage an aspiring author and derail them completely.
As a book coach myself, I understand the true value of having a book coach on hand to provide that extra support and guidance when authors are struggling to find the right path with their writing or dealing with the psychological side of things. Coaches help keep authors motivated and able to meet strict targets. However, I also appreciate that some authors choose to go it alone and complete the journey by themselves to feel true self-accomplishment.
For those authors, I can't stress how important it is to keep writing. Even if it is just one page a week, these small steps are still progress and will take them ever closer to their end goal of finishing, and publishing, their book. Writing a book is so often done whilst juggling work, a family and social arrangements, as people can't afford to simply retreat on holiday somewhere to sit and write their book. The moment someone stops writing is the moment their book retracts to become a distant dream, so just keep going!