Let’s be perfectly honest: not everyone is born a writer. In fact, I would go so far as to say that no one is born a writer. We learn our craft, and when we realize it’s something we love, we work at it. We journal and make notes. We write letters and articles. Some of us even pursue higher education in writing.

So what happens when the opposite scenario occurs? We have a story to share, but we aren’t comfortable with our writing yet.

Some people uncover an urge to share something that happened to us, something we overcame or conquered, something we lived through, something we built.

So how do people in that situation get to the point where they can write an entire book when they might not even feel comfortable writing an email about the topic?

Pretty much the same way.

Having the idea first might make it a little more difficult, but there is certainly no reason why you can’t write a book, even if you think you’re a horrible writer. I think most writers have thought that about themselves at some point, you.

So here are a few steps you can take to hone your craft before you write your book.

• Journal—Write a little bit every day. Make it about your personal experiences. Because it’s something that no one else is supposed to see, you will find yourself getting comfortable with the writing way faster. It’s easy to pour out your ideas and feelings to a closed book, so pour away. Be open and honest and get a feel for your writing style. Within a couple weeks, you should find yourself falling into a groove.
• Write a pitch about the book—A summary of the entire book is good for several things. It gets you thinking about the project as a whole, focusing on the purpose and how you want the book to go. It gives you practice summarizing your book, which you will need to do every time someone says, “Wow! You’re an author? What’s your book about?” It will help you with the back matter for your book, even if it’s a super rough draft. And finally, it will help you wrap your head around the fact that you are actually writing this book. Sometimes we need a little nudge like this. And if you need an even bigger nudge, post it on Facebook and ask a few people for support!
• Start a blog—Though the writing style is different, it will certainly help you get comfortable with writing. Keep in mind that, when you first start out, you likely won’t have much traffic, unless you already have made a name for yourself in the field, so don’t panic about millions of people reading your questionable writing. Really, no worries. Not sure what to write about? Writing, of course! If you’re writing a book, you can talk about the writing process, throw out some ideas that you’re playing with, mention passages you are working on, etc. Ask for suggestions, opinions, and feedback. This is the start of building a following, so get cracking!

Confidence comes with practice, so start now! Once you feel a little better about your writing, start on your book. And remember that you don’t have to do it alone. Beta readers and professional editors are essential to getting through any writing project, so seek them out and find out what they think, too.