An Easy Trick to Get Writing
What’s an easy trick to get your book from your head to the page?
Writing is a lot harder than Netflix or Disney+. If binge-watching The Mandalorian was as easy as writing a book, you wouldn’t have signed up to receive this email. The truth is writing is hard. It takes a lot of work! This simple trick is going to help shift your mindset and make the work of finishing your book that much easier.
Are you letting distractions keep you from writing your book?
When it comes to writing books, there are a million things that are easier to do. Everything becomes a distraction. Do you know what’s easier than writing your book? Talking about your book. Complaining about not having time to write your book...well, there might be as much time spent doing that as it would take to actually write the book.
That’s why we often share this easy trick to help writers shake off distractions like Netflix or Disney+, etc.: “Butt in chair.” It’s that commitment to showing up that makes all the difference.
Listen, we have nothing against Netflix or Disney+; we have subscriptions, too! And maybe it’s not Netflix or Disney+, maybe it’s scrolling on Instagram or fantasy baseball. What’s your Netflix? What’s the thing that you do when you should be writing? Let’s replace it with “Butt in chair.”
Writers often ask, How do I write my book? The simple answer is: Butt in chair. That’s where the work gets done. Showing up is half the battle! That book isn’t going to write itself. When we replace our Netflix with butt-in-chair, the writing gets done.
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For every Netflix or Disney+ show you watch, there are a dozen pages left blank.
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Recently, we saw one of those “Keep Calm” signs slightly modified for our use: “Keep Calm and Butt in Chair.” This is a great mantra, one that can help you overcome your Netflix when it so generously offers to auto-play the next episode.
Remember: Butt in chair = success.
Take Action: Learn the Process for Developing a Good Book Idea
Before you spend countless hours writing a book proposal or fleshing out chapter summaries, you need to know if you actually have a good book idea. We’ve got an awesome course that’ll help you strengthen your book idea. It’s called “How Do I Know If I Have a Good Book Idea?” Through these videos, you will discover the essential elements of a strong, marketable book idea. Whether you’re just getting started or revising a current manuscript, this course will help you focus your efforts for the best possible result!
