GUEST POST WRITTEN FOR BIZ BOOK PUB HUB BY DAN JANAL
Dan Janal is an executive ghostwriter and developmental editor who works with business and health care executives. He is the author of more than a dozen books translated into six languages. His newest book is Reframing Cancer: New Perspectives on Hope, Healing, and Happiness.
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Who am I to write an inspirational article about how to overcome writer’s block and procrastination?
Sure, I’ve written more than a dozen books that have been translated into six languages. I even wrote a mini-book called “How to FINISH writing your book in a flash.”
But the truth is that I am now struggling to write my next book. I’ve written more than 30,000 words – more than enough to fit in a book. But the book isn’t coming together the way I want it to.
And I haven’t looked at it in three months.
In other words, I’m just like you.
Am I afraid of failure?
Will I be torn apart by critics who oppose my point of view?
We all come face-to-face with the devil that stops us from being our true selves.
How can we overcome this?
Prolific author Steven Pressfield says, simply, “Do the work. Treat writing like a job. We’re lucky. We don’t have to dig ditches. We don’t have to show up for a 9-5 job. But we lack discipline. Be disciplined.”
Easy to say.
Hard to do.
I can give you the standard prescription:
Afraid of failure?
That’s the brain’s self-defense mechanism to protect you from self-harm. Stay in your shell, and you won’t get hurt. That’s not going to help you write your book.
Imposter syndrome? Who am I to write this book? After all, Professor Smith at Harvard knows so much more about this topic than I do.
Yes, but you’re the only one who knows your story and your facts in infinitesimal detail. Professor Smith knows the big picture. You know the important details that can change lives.
Don’t worry.
I believe in what Anne Jantzer calls “The Celestial Librarian,” who says the right book comes along at the right time and gives the right advice.
And that actually happened to me yesterday.
I’m part of David Newman’s launch team for his new book, “Market Eminence.” These words inspired me:
“Just following trends won’t cut it. The brands people remember don’t just join conversations. They create them. Your ideas can change how people think about your entire industry.”
David’s words reminded me of what I ask all my clients when they sign up for my developmental editing program: Why are you writing this book?
When you focus on your “why,” everything becomes clear.
My why for writing “Reframing Cancer: New Perspectives on Hope, Healing, and Happiness” is to present the message “Cancer is not a death sentence. Thanks to modern medicine, many cancers are chronic diseases that doctors can treat so that you can live a full life.”
Imagine you have a friend or relative who desperately needs your help. Would you wait a week or a month to help? Of course not. You would help right now! Your book is the piece of help your friend needs.
That's what inspired me: helping the person who needs help now. I want to share how I reframed the journey into a positive experience that others can navigate. If I can do it, so can they.
There it is.
My why.
Why did I get stuck?
Because I know that some people don’t survive. I wanted to honor their memory without causing their families grief.
But I also realized I can help so many more people who are living with a diagnosis.
I knew a book could help them.
Now I knew my why: I knew my book could help someone.
I had to write the book now to help that person so that they wouldn’t give up hope. If I suffered a few slings and arrows in the process, so be it.
Of course, knowing what to do and doing it are two things.
Here is what I needed to do to get back on track.
- Know your why. I want to thank Robbie Samuels for asking me to write this piece; it was the kick in the butt I needed to get back on track. Thank you to David Newman for giving me the confidence to follow my instincts.
- Take a small step. When I look at the 30,000 words in my manuscript and the 10 separate files on my hard disk, I feel overwhelmed. So what will I do? I’ll do something simple. I’ll run each file through Grammarly for a first pass at spell check. It won’t be hard. It must be done. Why not do it now? A book is comprised of many small steps.
- Keep on writing. I noticed I had a few rough drafts. I need to finish those. As Anne Lamott famously wrote, “we all start with shitty first drafts.” But the perfectionist in me stalled me from writing this book. I needed to confront my own infallibility. I’m not perfect. I realized: You don’t need to be perfect. You need to be done. You’re the only one who will notice what is missing. If you don’t get your message out, you are serving no one.
- Create an Outline
Use AI as a starting point. Try this prompt:
“Write an outline for a book that helps [target audience] achieve [primary benefit].”
Then refine it. Cross out what doesn’t fit and expand what sparks ideas. I call this the 25-50-25 rule: 25% prompt quality, 50% AI research, 25% your insight. With an outline, you’ll never face a blank page.
- Get Feedback
Show drafts to trusted colleagues or hire a developmental editor. If you fear criticism after publishing, wouldn’t you rather receive it before it’s public, when you can still make it better?
After I wrote this article, I finished writing the first draft and sent it to my beta readers.
What are you waiting for? Someone needs to read your book. Get started now. Anyone can start writing a book. Now you know what it takes to finish writing your book.
