We’ve all read books that were a serious drudgery to trudge through.
Honestly, I think the fear of writing a book like that is what keeps many potential authors from ever publishing their book. They think that their book might secretly be awful (if this is you, please check out this post on how to take care of that problem), so they hide it on their hard drive.
Worse yet, this fear can keep people from ever writing their book. They don’t know how they can decide if the book is any good because they didn’t work with a coach and they haven’t talked to an editor yet about how they can help.
Don’t let the fear of writing a book that might be awful keep you from writing. I believe that everyone can write a good book that helps a lot of people, but you need to figure out how to write vibrantly. It’s honestly not as hard as you may think.
What do I mean by “vibrant”? I mean “with life.” A book that moves well, that is interesting and captivating, that has good energy. When you read a book, do you want to feel heavy and dragged down? Or do you want to feel inspired and empowered to keep going, to succeed, to achieve new heights? I’d pick the second one any day of the week!
The biggest part of writing vibrantly is being in the right energy for writing. Check in with yourself before you write. What’s been going on in your life? Can you turn that off and tune into the magic? If not, then you might need to work through whatever is going on. Yes, it can be as simple as doing the dishes because clutter is distracting, but it could be as complicated as working through grief, frustration, or anger.
Next, look at the subject matter. Are you writing about something that you are excited about? If not, then you may need to rethink the book or some part of it. If it’s just one story that you are writing that is frustrating, then maybe you should pick another story. If it’s a whole chapter, reassess if that chapter needs to be in there. If it’s the whole book—i.e. you are upset every time you sit down to write—then you might need to go back to the beginning and think about your audience, purpose, and outline.
The writer’s energy always comes through in the writing. I’ve written scenes mimicking Victorian writers that I read and felt completely drained because it’s stagnant. I’ve seen them go into detail explaining what the tablecloth looks like, and it can feel draining reading it. But when I’m working with material that moves and is purposeful, my writing feels light. When the writing feels light, I write lighter, and what comes out on the page is smoother, more helpful, deeper, and ringing with my truth.
When I write blog posts, for example, I know I need to move quickly and get a lot of great info out at once. I tap into that inner truth and just start writing. I don’t pause much to judge myself. I just keep moving. Often, the results are what you see without much revision. I have my process down to an art.
Vibrant writing is huge for connecting. Make sure your energy is there, and you’re ready to share what you need when you start writing.