Writing with Ease: The Secret to Enjoy Book Writing

Most authors think writing books requires strong discipline—forcing yourself to sit for countless focused hours, sticking to writing schedules, and praying for a miracle. And sure, if you’re writing a memo for work or a paper for a college class, a wing and a prayer will do just fine. But for deeply impactful books that resonate with readers and truly make a difference, writing with ease rather than writing from a place of fear is key.

Making bargains with your resistant self and keeping stern commitments is unsustainable. So how do you get to a place where you can write with ease? At Difference Press, we have a handful of tricks that have worked for nearly 2,000 bestselling authors. Get ready to learn how to write your masterpiece in a way that feels genuine, in a way that will leave your readers begging for more.

Focusing Your Author Mojo

When writing a book, most people think you need strong discipline and willpower to force yourself to write. But what if instead of sheer determination, you focused on connecting with your inner author, or your “author mojo”?

The first step is assessing when and where you are most productive and creative with your writing. Think back to papers you’ve written for school or maybe even blogs you’ve published. Where were you when the words flowed effortlessly? Were you in a coffee shop, a library, or outside? Did you have any rituals like drinking a favorite tea or using a special notebook?

Make a list of the environmental factors that have helped you get into a writing groove.

Next, pay attention to when during the day you feel most inspired to write. Are you a night owl who burns midnight oil? An early bird who rises before the sun? Or do you hit your stride in the afternoon? Test out writing for an hour during your peak time and compare the word count and quality to off-peak times. Knowing when you write best allows you to plan sessions accordingly.

Finally, experiment to find your optimal writing session duration. Some writers thrive in intense, multi-hour bursts. Others find short, frequent sessions keep their creativity flowing. Time yourself writing in different increments to determine what length yields your most usable content.

Tuning into these specifics for your author mojo—your ideal writing location, time, and session length—sets the stage for writing with ease instead of struggle. This inner authority and self-awareness is the secret to enjoying the book writing process. When you create the right conditions for your author mojo to emerge, writing flows freely and organically. Why force something that could happen naturally?

When Writing Doesn’t Flow

Sometimes you set the stage perfectly to tap your author mojo—ideal spot, a mug of tea, clear writing targets—yet that stubborn inner author refuses to emerge. Now what? One short-term fix is to consciously “white knuckle” your way through.

White-knuckling means deciding to force yourself to write anyway, even if you feel zero inspiration at that moment. Turn on your left-brain to pretend there’s a deadline from an outside authority. Give yourself permission for the writing to be terrible; terrible is fine. Often, just exerting raw discipline will shift your energy such that your inner author decides to come out and play. But the intention matters here; don’t try to threaten or manipulate that sensitive soul out of hiding. Come from an authentic place of honoring your appointment with yourself to write.

The other mindset shift when your inner author is missing in action is to patiently create conditions that feel safe. Experiment gently—no judgment allowed—with writing in new locations or at different times of day attuned to when ideas tended to flow in the past. Set clear word count goals and have small rewards, like a snack-sized candy bar, waiting as encouragement.

Most importantly, release any self-blame about “why can’t I just do this?” Meet yourself where you’re at with radical self-compassion. If your inner author needs space today, discuss rescheduling your next writing “playdate” and go do something kind for yourself in the meantime. Trust that while white-knuckling may work occasionally, your writing ultimately wants to come from joy, not fear. Pay attention for when anything you try starts to feel like struggle versus ease. Then recalibrate how to write in greater alignment—and watch your inner author creep back curiously.

Committing to Your Writing Self

A pivotal mindset shift for writing with ease is fully committing to keeping promises with yourself. When you regularly maintain writing appointments, even during low motivation, it builds trust with that sensitive inner author. They start to believe your writing intentions because your actions align.

This inner trust fuels consistency. So if the thought of a long book overwhelms you, commit to short sessions. Master regularly showing up in small increments first before expecting huge word count goals per sitting. Build enough psychological safety so your inner author dares to play more frequently at each “playdate” you schedule together.

Speaking of playdates, that concept offers a useful metaphor. Your inner author is like an imaginative kid who wants to enjoy writing together when conditions feel ripe. As the leader, you get to consciously curate those conditions—where you write, when, potential rituals—to set up playdates versus just hoping this kid randomly shows up often.

For instance, identify writing locations where inspiration struck you before. Gather preferred snacks or listening to particular music. Have accountability check-ins scheduled with a writing buddy. Stack the conditions where, even during brief sessions, your inner author happily plays versus avoids or cries in resistance.

Then after each playdate, notice what factors made it feel smooth versus choppy. What left you energized? Where did you struggle? Keep fine-tuning the conditions until ease starts emerging more regularly. And on the harder days, have self-compassion: would you be mad at a child for not attending a playdate due to their mom’s car breaking down? Similarly, stay gentle if your inner author doesn’t show up when you genuinely tried creating supportive writing space. Keep tinkering with the recipe until writing flows freely.

Writing with Ease

Ultimately, while determination has its place in finishing a book, too much forced writing can become unsustainable and draining over time. The alternative is uncovering how your inner author already wants to create if given the right circumstances.

There’s no universal formula to writing with ease. Customizing the environmental factors and session to align with your ever-evolving writer self allows writing from a place of joy to emerge. By staying committed to your writing through compassion instead of punishment, you’ll build enough safety for your inner author to show up reliably and fully. Give your author mojo spacious, creative room to play using the self-knowledge unlocked within.

Now go play.