“This is the year I’m going to write my book!”
I hear this sentence at least once a day, usually from people who, in fact, will not publish a book this year. Or even write one.
On the contrary, when I tell people that for most of my clients and for me, it takes 24-48 hours of actual writing time to write a book, they scoff and assume we must be writing some terrible books.
This cracks me up, since a truly terrible book, to me, is one that isn’t written and isn’t making a difference. In the course of history some of the best books in the world were written in a month or less including:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens in 30 days
Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle in 21 days
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess in 21 days
Glory Road by Robert Heinlein in 17 days
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs in 11 days
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in 10 days
Rasselas by Samuel Johnson in 6 days
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand in 3 days
On The Road by Jack Kerouac in 3 days
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley overnight
Kazuo Ishiguro, the British novelist and the latest winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote his bestselling book, The Remains of the Day, in just 4 weeks. The reason it worked for him is the same reason it works for our authors. When you create an environment where finishing the book is inevitable and the book and the author essentially become one for a short period of time, you create space for mastery.
I call this focusing your author mojo and freeing your inner author but Ishiguro explains exactly what it took for him.
Ishiguro says “I wrote free-hand, not caring about the style or if something I wrote in the afternoon contradicted something I’d established in the story that morning. The priority was simply to get the ideas surfacing and growing. Awful sentences, hideous dialogue, scenes that went nowhere – I let them remain and ploughed on.”
In The Author’s Way speak, we say “Keep Writing Forward” – no matter what “Keep Writing Forward.” I say it so often, that several years ago one of my clients insisted all my #incubatedauthors get tattoos saying it. So now when you join my program, you get one for each week you are a member. No excuses allowed!
I was a ghostwriter for 17 years and I’ve written dozens of books, often on topics I knew nothing about, in 8 to 12 weeks. As a professional book writer, you can’t really run a business taking a year, or two, or three to get a book done. The job just doesn’t pay well enough; and herding an often busy and high-profile client for more than a few months is untenable.
Writing quickly for me was a necessary job requirement, but what I didn’t realize at the beginning of my journey was that it was also the key to my success.
Why? Well first of all, it’s much harder to write a book in 9 months than it is to do it in 9 weeks.
The longer a project would go on, the more the scope of the work would change. I realized if I could bang out a draft and get sign off quickly – often within just a few days – then I could do the manuscript clean up without having to deal with the topics and chapters and concepts shifting beneath my feet.
The same is true if it’s your own book. Every day that passes, your book idea will shift a tiny little bit, just like the time of sunset will shift a minute or two each day. Within a month or two, the difference is minor, but in 9 months or a year the book will have changed so much you will almost certainly be tempted to give up or start over.
When I tell people I write my books in a week or less, I know to a lot of people this sounds like a crack-pot idea. I know it, because they are not shy about sharing their opinions. And look, it’s definitely not the only way to work, but for my clients and I, I’ve found it to be effective and most importantly, it gets books into reader’s hands in just 4 or 5 months.
So here’s the down and dirty of what it takes to write a book in 9 weeks or less. The good news is, it’s simple:
Total commitment and a willingness to suck
Why a willingness to suck? Because the only way to get to a refined edit of a manuscript is to have a first draft manuscript and a great editor. Editors can’t edit air, they need a manuscript to work with. There is simply no way to get your book published if you don’t write it. That is just one of the required steps.
If you are lucky, a writer’s workshop produces some pages – not a manuscript. And book coaches? Don’t get me started on book coaches! Most of them will let you pay them for the honor of talking about your book.
No, to get a book done, you need to focus on completing a manuscript in 9 weeks or less. It’s the simplest, most efficient way to make a difference with a book and get your message to the masses.
In the history of literature there has never been a finished book that didn’t have a completed manuscript draft. Not once ever.
There are other steps to write a book of course. For our books, we require our authors write about an area of expertise they have already mastered, so they don’t need to prepare research in advance. And there are processes and systems that can make creativity and connection to inspiration much easier and more likely.
All the authors who wrote their famous books quickly had those systems in place, whether they knew it or not. There also can’t be a loop hole for not finishing. Finishing has to be absolutely inevitable. That’s why we have such a crazy-high success rate with only 1.47% of authors who participate in The Author’s Way failing to finish their books.
Literary geniuses like the Mary Shelley’s and Jack Kerouac’s of the world might have the training and discipline to do it on their own, but mere mortals need help. And that’s cool.
If you are one of those people who has said “This is the year I’m going to write my book,” the truth is, we are running out of time. The year is half done and the authors who start with us right now will have manuscripts done in 9 weeks, but then the editing and design phase will put their publication date out to November. If you want your book written and published this year, the window is a’closin’. It’s doable, yes, but it requires a commitment and action.
Most people would rather talk about their someday-book, or worse, criticize those who have figured out that actually writing a book just does not take that long when you have the right support in place. #Incubatedauthors, for sure, are not “most people.”
Id lobe to take all the things in my head and get them out quick amd. E a published aithor and speaker and feel fulfilled in this area and world. A menotor woukd help. I love to write and reseac any topic and help others. Esther Christina Frieburg aka Star
Hi Esther,
Thank you! Start with a topic you are already have expertise in. Identify one person who would read it and WHY they would read it —if there is one —there are more.
I have a book to write well 4 total.but I don’t know how to start.
Hi Irene, I’ll repost my earlier reply to Tammy.
Hi Tammy,
Just start writing! See the Ishiguro quote in the post. Maybe you don’t necessarily start at the beginning of the story or some other way of just getting pen to paper to get your mojo going. Here at The Author Incubator we don’t actually work with fiction as it is a completely different process, but watch this video on YouTube for inspiration…
“I’m not ready – I’m not good enough – I don’t have time”: https://youtu.be/XLBfsUSkbnQ
I ve started mines, life happened to be happening, i get busy with work, hubby, dogs, bills, church..I have written on napkins pieces of paper. I just final got two empty journal books. Now fear has creeped in.. What am I afraid of… I have the draft and pieces to it done already… I need to finish.
You are so direct, clear, real, supportive and honest. I do appreciate all that you are saying here. I also know that I have some fear and belief that I still don’t know enough. Or too much, too scattered. I am going to move forward. One day at a time.
Hi Laurie,
It will never feel like “the right time” to get started, but the time to act is NOW. Watch this for inspiration…
“I’m not ready – I’m not good enough – I don’t have time”: https://youtu.be/XLBfsUSkbnQ
I have an amazing novel idea but I get writers block. How can I get through writers block
Hi Tammy,
Just start writing! See the Ishiguro quote in the post. Maybe you don’t necessarily start at the beginning of the story or some other way of just getting pen to paper to get your mojo going. Here at The Author Incubator we don’t actually work with fiction as it is a completely different process, but watch this video on YouTube for inspiration…
“I’m not ready – I’m not good enough – I don’t have time”: https://youtu.be/XLBfsUSkbnQ
I have been the person saying I will write, then I go to how will I publish, then I go to I cant afford it……….
Hi Kia,
Budget is a concern for many authors. Check out Tamara and Majeed’s stories here: https://www.theauthorincubator.com/results/ to see how they committed and found a way to make it work.
I would like to begin writing. Please help me move forward.
Hi Andrea,
Start by identifying one person you want to reach with your message. If there is one, there are more!
I have a topic for the book, but I need help to focus on one thing and really perfect that
Hi Rosie,
I understand. Most people get this wrong and end up writing the wrong book, then fall flat. I have my authors actually test out their message and how it resonates with their audience before finishing their book, to make sure they’re on the right track to making the difference they want to make.
I love this! Thank you again Angela!
Thanks Miesha!
Laurie .I have admired and adopted some of your teaching in into my first published book.but it really needs to to revised asap! I’m so thankful for this website because discouragement was trying to show but with prayer and encouraging , Authors such as yourself.. There’s hope!..I need help!! Asap ..Do your team offer revising services?
Hi Cassie, We don’t work with finished manuscripts – but I’ll let you in on a secret. Most first-time authors really don’t know how to write a book that makes a difference, which is why there are hundreds of thousands of books behind unclicked links on Amazon, while only a few really help the authors make the difference they were born to make.
If you choose to apply to work with us and we accept you it’s very likely that we can help you recreate your book in a way that ensures it will help you make the difference you are on this planet to make. You’ll be able to use a lot of what you’ve written. But you’ll also have to be willing to start from the beginning.
Girls and Guys. She ain’t lie’n. I finished my book (manuscript) in just a tad over 4 weeks. So let’s say 5 weeks. That was the easy part. The key for me is the place of The Mojo! I for one believe it can’t be your home. If it is, God love you. I’m lucky. My spot is in the main library on the campus of “THE” Ohio State Universty – where a kid can be a kid. I’m 57 years young and I promise you… I hit a zone one day where the walls faded away. I still don’t know how in the world I wrote that anecdotal sidebar in chapter 8; or how in the world I got that thing to “hook!”
After a two or three day pause, I was sure the anecdotal sidebar was a total waste. Those were my thoughts but I had not dared to read what I wrote.
You talking bout “Mojo!” The looped tie-in was (is) masterful. I’m sure it’s because of where I was… The Place of My Mojo!
Five weeks y’all. I didn’t even realize that until I read this piece. Graphics, charts, editing, a few additional ideas to fill in the content in order to make it sing. But the bones – the structure – Five weeks. “How to Master the Art of Getting Amazing Five Star Reviews” – Triple Your 5-Star Reviews Every 90 Days Without Fail Using This Easy 3-Step Guide.
Thanks for sharing, Darryl!
I know what I want to write about (it’s a nonfiction), but am struggling to come up with content. How do I get over this obstacle?
Hi Elizabeth, start with identifying the problem you are helping people to solve. Then think about what you would have wanted to hear when you were in their shoes.
Where can we get help on what a manuscript should look like? Is there a certain format one has to follow?
Great question, Jeannett! Initially, the format is less important than getting started! Don’t use format as a reason to delay. Remember, “Keep writing forward!”
Great question, Jeannett! Initially, the format is less important than getting started! Don’t use format as a reason to delay. Remember, “Keep writing forward!”
So… I just start writing?!
Try it, Tori!
So I have spent the last few years writing a novel. Have had several different test readers, all from different demographics to get feedback, leading to multiple changes, re-writes, and edits. My problem now is I have no idea how to go about getting it published and how to protect the work of words I have created from being stolen. (Paranoid I know) Any insight?