Writer’s block is tougher than you.
It strikes when you’re tired, busy, and unmotivated.
But there’s a way to outsmart it and outmaneuver it:
Remembering the purpose of your book.
How does this work?
Read on to learn the truth.
What You Need
I recently wrote about how you might be scared away from writing your book by two things:
- Grammar fascists
- Shiny published books
To keep yourself focused and free from the bonds of perfectionism, you must start by pledging to avoid these two things.
But this is just the beginning.
Even with a workspace buzzing with positive vibes, it won’t be long before your writing efforts hit another wall: Strategy.
Growing up, I assumed all writers sat down, started typing out “Once upon a time,” and worked their way to the conclusion. As far as I guessed, they didn’t plan, outline, or strategize. Great writers could simply sit down and make magic.
What a fool I was.
While some great artists can create by the seat of their pants, most of us mere mortals need a plan.
What To Plan For
Yet you’d be surprised to hear how many aspiring writers hate the idea of plans.
It’s intimidating, some say.
Dry and boring, others claim.
How can I know where the whole book is going?
These are all valid concerns about planning, but they miss one of the most crucial aspects of book writing:
The point of doing it at all.
You aren’t writing your book as a vanity project.
You’re not doing it just for personal fulfillment (though that’s nice, too).
You’re not doing this for fun.
(LOL)
You’re writing a book to bring about redemptive transformation in individuals and organizations.
You’re a visionary for a better world, and your book is the manifesto that will lay out the process for your crowds of fans, followers, and customers.
So where should you start?
Start with the ultimate point: The One Big Thing that achieves transformation more than anything else.
Should you start writing this point on page 1?
Not necessarily.
But you should start your planning with it.
Why the “One Big Thing” is So Important
To make your writing time matter, start by planning your One Big Thing and going from there.
It took me 20 years to figure this out.
I’m an only child, and I grew up believing it was my responsibility to prove myself to everyone. I had to prove that I was good, smart, and talented.
Inevitably that led to me being a bit of a show-off and know-it-all.
After numerous disappointments and crushing rejections (in spite of what I thought was inarguable talent or ability on my part), I finally paid attention.
Yes, I was “good enough.”
But I wasn’t paying attention to my audience.
It was only after I lost a job thanks in part to this lack of judgment that I began to realize something.
When I write, I have one responsibility: Take care of my reader.
Nothing else matters. Only the reader’s experience will determine whether or not your book is a success or failure.
Why is it imperative that we as writers do our utmost to care for our readers?
Because the reader is everything.
They are our audience. Our customer.
And our readers are the ultimate judge of whether or not our words matter.
I can kick and scream all day long that what I write is good and important—but if my ideal readers disagree, they have to be correct.
They must be.
This is a great adaptation of the infamous adage “The customer is always right” for writing.
Notice that I said “ideal reader.”
This is crucial: If you’re writing a book about intermittent fasting for postpartum women, your ideal target reader is… drumroll please… postpartum mothers interested in losing pregnancy weight.
Your ideal reader isn’t me, a married man in his forties.
While I may have some productive input about core ideas, structure, pacing, and phrasing, I’m not the ultimate judge of the book’s effectiveness.
Only your ideal readers can know for sure.
When I realized this truth, it completely transformed my sense of self. I no longer had to try so hard to write great material.
In one way it allowed me to relax and stop worrying so much.
Writing for your reader contextualizes all the rules and witty phrases like “Show, don’t tell.”
If a rule will help you serve your reader, then you should follow it.
And if a description won’t hook, entertain, teach, and persuade your reader, you need to find a way to make it better.
Writing for your reader helps you channel your energy into pleasing the one person who needs your message most.
No one else.
Not even yourself.
And definitely not your high school English teacher.
How to Plan the “One Big Thing”
Every aspect of a book plan hinges on its One Big Thing.
At The Workshop, we spend a great deal of time helping authors identify their book’s One Big Thing and building the entire structure around it.
If your book doesn’t work toward this key, singular concept, then it will feel lost, meandering, and pointless.
If it does, however, your book will be a weapon for change that makes the world an infinitely better place.
The trick is to focus your book on your reader’s pain and problem.
If you’re writing an impact book to support your business, your target reader IS your ideal prospect.
That means your book research should overlap with your market research.
So start with this: What pain is my customer suffering?
Flesh this out by naming the emotions your reader feels.
Then answer, What problem can’t they solve that I can help them with?
Make sure your answer is a Process and not just a Product.
Impact Books don’t work for products, like health supplements, workout equipment, or even books themselves.
They sell processes, not products.
Finally, consider how your story acts as motivation/inspiration for your ideal prospect.
How did YOU overcome this problem?
What did the pain feel like for YOU?
And, most importantly, what sacrificial process can YOU help them complete in order to resolve this pain and problem in their lives?
This is the One Big Thing: The connection between your reader’s pain and problem, your story, and your ability to bring them resolution.
Your “One Big Team”
Figuring all this out on your own is quite difficult.
Unless you have extensive writing experience, you may find this frustrating and even discouraging to the point of giving up.
Why?
Because selling your offer is different than writing a book. They are two unique and distinct art forms.
Yet the evidence is clear: Impact Books sell high-ticket offers.
Just ask millionaire entrepreneurs like Donald Miller, Russell Brunson, Ryan Levesque, and more.
To turn your book idea into a sales machine, you need to draw up the best possible blueprint before building the factory.
That means getting your One Big Thing absolutely right.
You need a team.
On your own, you will try and try and try, spending innumerable weeks and months trying to come up with the perfect framework for your book.
But in The Workshop, I guide each of my clients through a 30-day Book Plan process that shows you EXACTLY how to:
- Identify your IDEAL READER and their pain, problem, and dilemma
- Articulate the specific SACRIFICIAL PROCESS at the heart of your offer
- Generate PERFECT ANECDOTES from your own story that illustrate, entertain, and inspire
- Apply TIMELESS STORY STRUCTURE that integrates the Hero’s Journey into your customer journey
- Establish a schedule and practical plan supported by the UPLIFTING ACCOUNTABILITY of the community
When you begin your journey with a plan that is perfectly tailored to your book idea, your goals, and your day-to-day life, success is practically guaranteed.
I’d love to show you what I mean.
There are 3 ways to connect with me and show me you’re interested in The Workshop and whether it’s a good fit for you: