Ep30: The Psychology Behind Writing Your Nonfiction Book

[00:00:00] Today's episode is a short episode about the psychology of writing a non-fiction book. Because we all have dreams. And one of those dreams that you have is to write and publish a non-fiction book. There's many reasons though, as to why. you want to write it.

[00:00:16] And for some of us it's to make an impact for others it's to grow a business. It could be healing from something there's many reasons. And.

[00:00:24] What stops us is how we view the task of writing a book. It's having direction and it's knowing what our next steps are to make that happen. Mentally how we view writing a book.

[00:00:37] We view it as something that's so far out of reach. We're always trying to search for that. next best thing. That's going to help us get closer to writing that book. But truthfully, how we think about writing a book? We think that it's too much of a task to happen. But

[00:00:53] it's not.

[00:00:54] Of course you need to put in the work, but it is not as far out of reach as you think it is. And that's why I'm a book coach. That's why I've created this podcast because you have a story to tell you have a problem to solve, and you have a book to write.

[00:01:08] Now, what are the four areas today that. Really involves the mental side of writing a book and it begins with the motivation to write. So, like I said before, you all have a reason. Why do you want to write your book? Is it to share knowledge, tell a personal story, help others. But there's more to it than just initial inspiration. You need to look at your intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

[00:01:31] So your intrinsic motivation comes from within. So it's the passion you have for the topic you share. The topic you want to write about it's the satisfaction of seeing your ideas in print. Extremely extrinsic motivation. Includes the external reward. So is it recognition credibility? Fame, you know, both play a role, but studies show that intrinsic motivation is more sustainable in the long run.

[00:01:58] And I can attest to that because when I wrote my very first book, the six pillars of a rewarding life. I then wrote a VAV. Your ski was, and it came a bestseller. And then I still had that intrinsic motivation to write more books. That's essentially now turned me into a book coach where I help other people write, publish, and launch their non-fiction books.

[00:02:17] So intrinsic motivation is something that I hope my clients with something that's really important to sustain. And it's really important to acknowledge as well. So how can you cultivate intrinsic motivation? Well one way is to connect deeply with the purpose behind your book. Ask why is this important to me? You want to find that personal meaning in your book. It's easy to stay motivated

[00:02:41] then through those challenges that are going to come up.

[00:02:44] The second thing we struggle with is writer's block. So. Writer's block. It's something that we all face at some point and it's really can be incredibly frustrating. It stems from fear of failure, fear of judgment on fear of just not being good enough. So what this looks like is we might show up for a writing session. We might sit down to go. This is what I'm going to write. And then you write a paragraph. And you don't know what to say next. But most of the time you think that that paragraph is not good enough to carry you on to the next sentence. So here's what I want you to do.

[00:03:18] Whenever this comes up, set a timer for 10 minutes, write whatever comes to mind without worrying about the grammar don't edit. This helps you get past the initial blog and to start that creative flow in your writing. You also want to set small goals, so aim to write 300 words in. Half an hour or whatever works for you, but set small goals.

[00:03:42] What I also recommend is changing your environment because sometimes a new setting can spark that extra creativity. So try writing in a different room, the cafe, or even outside. When I was writing my books, I wrote them in several different areas.

[00:03:55] I wrote them on a trainer on Europe. I wrote them in a cafe. I wrote them in my office. I wrote in that side, there's many different environments and. Don't believe that one certain environment you have to write in for the whole time you're writing your book. If you find yourself struggling, change it up a bit.

[00:04:12] Because ultimately you want to make sure you're comfortable in showing up in an area where you're going to write your book.

[00:04:20] The third area we struggling is the importance of having a routine and habit.

[00:04:24] So establishing your routine is what's going to get your book written, published in a quick amount of time. Now, here's some tips to really create an effective route writing routine. You want to set specific times. So whether it's early in the morning or late at night, you want to find a time where you're most productive.

[00:04:43] That means you're going to show up and you're going to have limited distractions. Your ideas are going to be more creative. You can flow? a bit better. You're not rushed. So figure out what's your best productive time is set your. Set your schedule and know that that's when you're going to show up for that session and like always say is to consistent sessions. That's what's going to get your book written in a quick amount of time. You also want to think about incorporating rituals. So. Something I do. If I'm writing in the morning, what I would do is I would always make a coffee. Then I would go and start writing something like making a cup of tea or a coffee. Listening to a particular playlist, it really helps you get into the mindset or it could be going to the gym before you, right.

[00:05:27] You have different habits and you have different behaviors that you have in your life. You want to incorporate those positive behaviors and habits, all those positive rituals. Prior to when you start writing. Because that's, what's going to make your energy and your focus more apparent when you start writing your book and each time you sit down to write.

[00:05:46] And finally, the fourth area we struggle in when writing your book is building the confidence to write. Confidence is crucial when it comes to writing. When it comes to writing your book, it's a real challenge to go at it alone, especially if you're not confident enough.

[00:06:02] And you feel like you're getting knocked back from your own voice, from your own writing. What I would recommend to anybody who's lacking the confidence to write their book is to find someone who believes in you find someone who's going to give you constructive feedback because that's, what's going to help you move forward. It's one thing to write the book, but it's another thing to write your book with confidence.

[00:06:23] And. what happens when you write your book with confidence, you write it quickly, you know, your way forward. So really find that right person find that right group. That's going to keep motivating you to get to that next point. Someone who believes in you? That's what's really important. So, like I said, whether it's hiring a book, coach finding a group, Facebook group, find someone who's going to keep you accountable to move forward.

[00:06:47] and that's going to boost your confidence. That's going to give you direction. It's going to give you a way forward. And that is the most important thing. because writing a book is challenging. It's going to be hard.

[00:06:57] You're going to have to show up and do the work, but that's why not. Maybe people write their book because they don't have the confidence to show up.

[00:07:04] And if you just listening to the published impact podcast for the very first time, your confidence is just around the corner. And if you've been listening to this podcast for a while, I hope I'm giving

[00:07:14] you that confidence inside these episodes, because the psychology of writing a book begins with the purpose for it.

[00:07:21] It begins with knowing how you can show up each day and write and give yourself permission to write your book

[00:07:27] because it's not as far away as you think. So thank you so much again for joining me on this episode. If you have any questions about how the book writing process works, or if you want to reach out. I look at the show notes and you'll find ways to reach out to me. Thanks again, and I'll chat to you on the next episode.