Do you ever find yourself stuck when you’re writing about your journey, your story, or your expertise?

Sometimes getting stuck is a sign that we’ve meandered off the path. It happens to everyone, and it can be pretty easy to fix once you pinpoint what’s going on.

Look at the direction you’re taking with your story, and determine if you need to get back to the root of why you’re writing this book anyway. One of the best ways to get unstuck is to focus on your why: the reason you want to get this story out there in the first place.

Though you might have started writing down notes and pieces of the story because it’s therapeutic, the fact that you’re here reading this tells me that you have a bigger purpose in mind.

It’s likely that you want to reach other people who are going through what you just did, whether it’s a journey you want to take or not. Even if we want to take that journey, it can still be difficult, challenging, heart-wrenching, or painful. Getting gastric bypass surgery, putting a child up for adoption, or quitting your job to become a ninja are all things that a person may want to do, but the road could have numerous obstacles, so sharing your story with others could be what helps get them through the toughest times. Conversely, going back to school later in life, adopting a puppy, or redoing your kitchen DIY-style could lead the person to struggle as well, and bolstering their self-esteem or guiding them through the process could be equally beneficial.

Think back to the beginning. Think about the day you finally went with your gut (or the dozen people who keep poking you about it) and started writing that book. What do you wish someone would have told you to help you through? That’s probably why you started. You don’t want anyone else to deal with the feelings of being lost or alone or insecurity about the path or the future. You want to be a guide.

Now, take a look at a few questions that can get you back to your heart-centered reason for writing. Jot down the answers somewhere so you can refer to this any time you feel stuck or down.

• Why do I want to help people?
• What can my story do?
• How can I keep others from stress, difficulty, or heartache by sharing my story?
• Why does it matter to someone who is at the beginning of this same journey?
• What is the greatest challenge I had to overcome, and what difference would a book have made for me at the time?

Once you have this concrete idea of who you’re helping and why, you’ll feel recharged and ready to continue writing that book and reaching out to others.

Keep this information somewhere that you can easily access it. You may get stuck again or need some motivation, and since you’ve already done the work, you can use this as a reminder to keep you on track.