Why Do You Want to Write a Book, But Never Do it?

Sadly, many would-be authors won’t take the steps needed to become writers. Some find that the writing life isn’t what they expected, while others discover that there are quite a few distractions in their lives to writing. In the following paragraphs, a few of the most common distractions will be discussed and what you as a new author can do to combat them.

Distraction # 1: What Do I Write About?

This perhaps is the most frustrating and most discouraging distraction that most authors face, both beginners and experienced. Nearly every author has hit the wall or suffered from writer’s block. The experience is different for everyone, but most describe a knot in the pit of the stomach, a blank mind and a loathing of the paper or empty computer screen staring expectantly at us. Thankfully, there are things that you can do to breakthrough the wall and start creating again.

Distraction # 2: Budgeting Time & Accountability

Like it or not, there are only 24 hours in each day. (If you find another 10 please let me know!) Subtract from that approximately 12 hours for sleeping, eating and other normal everyday situations, and you are left with approximately 12 hours in which to work, write and live your precious and vibrant life. It is this realization that there is a very limited amount of time in each day that will cause many would-be writers to throw their hands up in frustration. They already live a full and complete life; every moment of the day they are running somewhere, doing something, or talking with someone. Where could they possibly find the time to sit down and write?

Distraction # 3: Friendly Distractions

Just like anyone else, writers will often welcome friends, family, even a favorite television show into their lives. While these distractions can be considered friendly and they often bring a smile to the face of the writer, they are distractions and need to be dealt with accordingly.

How they are handled depends greatly on what they are. There are some distractions such as a scraped knee or an overflowing pot of boiling water that have a sense of urgency about them that supersedes all else. Others, such as a phone call from a neighbor to discuss the latest church gossip, or perhaps a favorite cooking show don’t have to be handled with such immediacy. It’s best for you to use your best judgment on each distraction and act accordingly.

Distraction # 4: Feelings of Guilt

This reason for not writing the next best seller is perhaps one of the hardest to combat. Many writers, new or experienced will have pangs of guilt, feelings that by writing they are not doing what they should do. They think that perhaps they were meant to become a surgeon, a pilot or maybe they have been told that their purpose in life is to raise a family filled with beautiful children.

One of the most precious and wonderful things about being human is that people can be many things. A woman can be both a mother and a writer. A man can enjoy writing on the weekends while reconstructing knees during the week. The possibilities are really astounding. Being a writer isn’t about setting the rest of your life aside. It is about taking your life and making it that much richer and more fulfilling.

Remember, no matter what reasons, what distractions you can provide yourself not to write, there are ways to deal with them and still come out on top. So what exactly is stopping you now?