Julie Broad says writer's block isn't mysterious, it's a clarity problem. Define your hook, know your ideal reader, and do the prep work: research your category, check what's already out there. Commit to writing instead of seeking reassurance.
When you're writing a book, staring at a blank screen or a blank page can be so painful it can actually get worse the further into your book you get. You might call this writer's block, but I've got another word for it. If you've ever struggled with writing or you're in the middle of a book that you haven't published, this video is for you. Hey there. I'm Julie, the book broad from Book Launchers. We're your professional self publishing team helping you write, publish and and sell a business and brand boosting nonfiction book. We've had the absolute pleasure of working with some fantastic authors like Rob Berger, Alison Robertson, Lynnae St. John and Tony LeBlanc. Pretty awesome looking books, right? When you see a finished book, you don't see all the emotional turmoil that went into it. You are looking at the COVID thinking, that's cool, oh, I want to read that book, or what's that book about? But you're not seeing all the moments where an author suffered from severe writer's block, or at least that's what they thought they were suffering from, or even when they quit their project. But that happens. Writing a book can be very hard, especially when you care about creating a great book. So what can you do as a writer? How can you prevent or overcome writer's block? Well, first you need to realize there's no such thing as writer's block. You have a mindset problem or a clarity problem. Not being clear is a pretty big issue that will stump you as an author. It's why I have so many videos about defining your hook, knowing your goal, figuring out who your ideal reader is. When you're clear on check why you're writing this book, and it's more clearly defined than I want to help people, you will be more motivated to finish. And when you're clear on check who you're writing the book for. And again, this is so clear, you can visualize the person and you're clear on check what's in it for the reader so you know the content fits and what content doesn't. When you know all that, you are set up to be so much less likely to hit a block of any kind of karate. But we still see it with our clients. And one of the biggest problems comes in when clients are constantly seeking reassurance from us that their book is good and they want us to tell them it's going to be okay and that they're going to sell a lot of books and make a big difference. The problem is that People who need constant reassurance never seem to get enough, and all it takes is one negative review or one friend saying a snide remark and they're thrown off course again. And the reality is we, and nobody else actually knows if your book will sell really well or not. Of course, we do everything we can to set a book up for success, including category and keyword research, competitive assessments, and just working hard on the book itself so that people want to read it and those that do get massive benefit from it. But that's not always enough. Some books are actually mediocre, but sell really well because the author is great at marketing and networking and getting their book in front of readers. And sometimes I'll think a book is lousy and other people will love it and vice versa. So you can't worry about that. You have to commit to your book, your idea and your message. Now I'm lucky enough to have a copy of a book that Seth Godin never published. It's called Footprints on the Moon. And on page 24 he talks about reassurance. And he says reassurance is futile. And he basically talks about how looking for reassurance doesn't work because you're always looking outward for approval and comfort. And he states unequivocally, reassurance doesn't scale. So he says, don't seek reassurance. When you accept that you and you alone are going to produce your work of genius, you have set the proper hook and you're on the hook to make change happen. Seth Godin gets it. Writer's block or creative block isn't real, it's your mindset. And if you set out to create something great, you work hard to make it as great as you can. And you do that with a clear audience who will benefit from your work in mind. And you commit to doing this, no matter the roadblocks or the fears, then you will succeed. And you won't ever have to watch another video on overcoming writer's block because you're going to be watching my videos on how to hire an editor, how to plan a book launch, and how to market your book because you're going to have your book done. Do you think writer's block is real? Let's chat about it in the comments below. And when you comment, the day a video is released, you'll be entered to win some sweet book launcher swag. And you'll be one step closer to being one of my beloved YouTube besties, joining the ranks with fabulous folks like Gabby Gilbert, Kevin McGuire, Latonya and poetry from the heart. Big virtual hugs for your thumbs up comments and shares. Now that your book is going to be underway, let's make sure you know how to create a killer table of contents and make sure you don't write a boring introduction. You'll find those fabulous videos right here and here. Go ahead. What are you waiting for? I'm over there anxiously awaiting your arrival so we can keep hanging out. So click on one of them.
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