In four years of book coaching, I’ve never had a client approach me with an idea that stayed exactly the same clear through the process. Whether I couldn’t give my blessing because something was off, life threw them some lemons, or something else, there have always been reasons to stay adaptable during the writing process.

Why do I suggest staying adaptable? Because scrapping the whole thing sucks. No one wants to have their idea thrown out, especially when they have put in work on it.

Here are some different scenarios where you would need to stay adaptable (yep, I’ve seen them all with my Brilliant Business Books clients!).

1. You discover that you were wrong. No one likes this on a regular day, but when it comes to a project, this can really sting. If you’re working on a book, you might discover that part of the process you’re writing about hits a hiccup when x happens. Or you might find out that something changed with social media, and now x doesn’t work anymore (incidentally, I don’t recommend writing a book about an industry that changes as fast as social media unless you don’t mind updating it every year to keep it current). Or, you might find out that something you’ve believed to be true for a long time suddenly isn’t anymore because something changed your belief or your understanding of it.
2. You need to change your book because your business changed. Especially if you’re taking a long time to write a book (Incidentally, I can speed up your timeline if this is happening. Contact me to schedule a chat.), you may find that your business is changing and getting farther from the concept you discuss in your book. You may be working with a different type of client or a more specific type of client. You may be shifting from B to C and now doing more B to B. There could be any number of things that change with your business, but that book isn’t a total loss.
3. Your coach tells you to rethink the whole thing. Especially when I first started coaching, I would have a private client jump off that first call with me and write a large chunk of their book because they were so motivated to write. The problem then was that they hadn’t gone through the education I prepared and gotten their purpose, audience, place in the market, etc. in place beforehand, so their idea or writing was skewed. Sometimes, even their tone was off. That excitement is great, but when it leads to tangents, missing the target, etc., it’s not what you need.

If something happens that causes you to stop in the middle of writing, like the instances above, then reassess your entire book. Chances are, you can keep parts of it that still are applicable. Then, go through it slowly and highlight pieces that you will need to change based on your new reality. You may be able to just replace one chapter or a few pieces of information that are scattered throughout that refer to a specific topic. Decide how you can most easily right the ship before letting it sink. Adapt, don’t scrap.

For the final, and most common, instance that you need to adapt:

• You suddenly don’t have the time. At least, you think you don’t. Someone got sick, school let out, you had a baby or need to learn a new language, your family is moving, wild buffalos trampled your car . . . tons of things happen that require you to redirect the time you had set aside for your book. The truth is, though, that you need to make that book a priority. Decide if you’re coming back to the book in a week when things get straightened out or if you need to carve out a little less time to work on it. Keep moving and adapt to what’s been sprung on you.

Changes happen. Things need to be reassessed. Make changes yourself and don’t lose the book that you’ve already written: bend and adapt to make the most use of the time you spent!