Yesterday, we stopped by Western Pleasure Guest Ranch where we will be holding our Cabin in the Woods Writer’s Retreat in September. The owner Janice is the fourth generation to live on this property. As we were wandering around the lodge, she showed us a bunch of old pictures. One was of her father and a number of other men “raising” one of the barns that’s still in use at the ranch.
We agreed those guys really had to be a little nuts.
The photo showed many men clinging to rafters way up high. I can report that this barn is huge and it’s a “gambrel” style, which means it’s extra tall. The last time we talked to Janice’s father, he pointed out that when they were building the various ranch buildings like the barn, they had to figure it out themselves because they didn’t have ready-made plans and they needed shelter now.
Given that the barn is still standing more than 50 years later, they obviously figured it out well enough, even though they weren’t “professional builders.”
Now, I’m not suggesting that you should run out and build a building. It’s not 1942 and these days you’d probably end up with a lawsuit, since people require things like building permits. And if your buddy fell off that rafter from 100-feet up, he’d sue you too (assuming he survived).
However, the example did make me think. How many book projects never get anywhere because people need to “have all the answers” before they get started? At what point, do you need to stop and just do it?
Empirical evidence shows that the folks building the barn at the ranch knew enough about how wood can be joined together to make a structure that wouldn’t fall down, even during nasty North Idaho winters. In much the same way, if you’re a writer, you do know something about writing.
Are you ready to write your book yet? Or do you need more information?
People are at different places in their publishing journey. We offer products and programs that relate to writing, publishing, and promoting a book. Some of them are free and some are paid. (As an aside, I just created new writing, publishing, and promoting FAQs, so people who are just getting started can learn incrementally in bite-sized chunks.)
Obviously, I’m all about sharing information, learning, and growing, but at some point you (and I) have to get out of “information-gathering mode” and focus on the “doing” part.
I can teach you how to publish a book using the methods I’ve used on our 10 books. My methods may work for you, or you may want to combine them with information from other sources, so you create a book that meets your current goals.
At some point, you do have to sit down and write something though. Much like the guys hanging off the barn rafters, if you really want something bad enough, at some point, you have to be a little nuts and take a few risks. Your book may not be the best one ever written. Accept that, get out there, face your fears and insecurities, and just do it.