“Moods are things for cattle and loveplay, not for fighting!”
~ Gurney Halleck, Dune
Almost any time I tell someone I own a publishing company, they tell me either they are writing a book or they want to write a book. My next question generally is either “how is the book going?” or “why don’t you write it?”
Then I hear about why they can’t write. The excuses are many and varied, but generally it often comes down to one of two problems: priorities or perfectionism.
In the first case, I’ve noticed that people seem to think that writing should always be fun, thrilling, exciting, stimulating, and a source of extreme joy. I’ve got news for you. Sometimes writing is not fun at all.
If I only wrote when I’m in the mood to write, I’d never manage to produce a weekly newsletter. Heaven knows I never would have finished a book (much less 11). What Gurney Halleck said about fighting goes for writing too. Moods are not for writers. To write a book, you need to, well, write.
Sometime writing is boring and difficult. Many times, the creative muse has flown out the window, sat on a tree, and flipped you the bird. Yet if you have made a commitment to your writing, you’ll write something anyway. When you truly make writing a priority, it happens.
The second problem I see is perfectionism. Not everything you write is going to be great. Some of it probably won’t even be good. If you wait until your writing is perfect to release it into the world, you’ll never produce anything. Sometimes you have to decide that something is done. I’ve seen many books that ended up being 1,000 pages long because the author simply couldn’t let go. Call it done, hire a good editor, and move on to the next thing.
Perfectionism also sometimes is related to a fear of being criticized. After all, if you never release that book or article, no one will tell you it stinks. The fact is that when you put something out there into the big world, a few people will like it and a few people will hate it. Pretty much everyone else won’t care. Most people are far more worried about what they are saying to worry about what you might be saying. Again, you need to just call it done and move on.
If you really want to write a book, there’s nothing stopping you, except you. No one wants to regret what might have been. We all have limits on our energy and our time, so be fair to yourself. Maybe it’s not the right time for you to write a book. In that case, don’t feel bad or guilty about it. But if you feel you have a book inside you and want to make it happen, examine at your priorities and rethink your perfectionist tendencies. Doing so may just set your creativity free.