Brian Tracy’s YouTube video (spoken transcript) gives 15 practical tips to help people overcome fear of writing a book and writer’s block, with an emphasis on starting, maintaining daily writing habits, and separating drafting from editing. Key recommendations include: don’t expect perfection on the first draft; ignore others’ judgments; schedule daily writing time; define your target audience; outline before beginning; break work into chunks (one chapter or 1,000 words/day suggested); write often and save editing for the end; eliminate distractions; overcome fear of failure; stay organized with a chapter structure; know when a manuscript is finished; become an expert in your subject; craft a clear central message; and remember it’s never too late to start. The video ends with a CTA to download a 20-step Quick Start Guide and to engage via comments, likes, and subscriptions.
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Hello, I'm Brian Tracy and today I want to talk to you about overcoming your fear of writing a book. This is what you have a burning desire to tell people. You want to help people. You want your children to know about this message. Are you having trouble writing your book or struggling with self doubt? Maybe you don't know where to begin or how to structure your book or the steps it takes to get published. Here are 15 tips to help overcome your fear of writing and writer's block so that you can become a best selling author. The key to success is to get started and then keep going. So my first tip is don't worry if your book isn't perfect the first time. Try not to get caught up thinking about errors in your book. Your goal should be to get all of your ideas down and finish your thoughts before you go back and edit. Remember, all books are written in the edit, so don't worry about the first run through. This mindset will free you up to be creative and to enjoy the writing process. The second tip to overcome your fear is to stop thinking about what other people will think. Don't worry about what others will think of your writing or your book. What matters is that you get your message out and on paper. Tip number three is to create time for yourself to write. Some people will create an excuse that they don't have any time to write, but if you want to write a book, you must create a block of time every single day reserved for only for writing. Another important tip is to know who you're writing for. When you know exactly who your audience is and who you are writing for, you'll be able to speak to your ideal reader easily in your writing. First, define who your target audience is and then do your research if needed, to find out what their needs and interests are. Then appeal to those needs and interest in your writing. Tip number five is to outline your book before you begin. Having a strong outline gives you a clear sense of purpose and direction. It also helps you to see the end and know what you want the main takeaway of your book to be. If you're stuck, I offer book outline templates to help you get started. My next tip is to break down your writing into chunks. Don't think of it as eating an entire elephant at one time. Instead, break up your writing into bite sized portions. Write one chapter at a time or do a section every day. I have known top writers who have written one page a day for maybe two or 300 days in a year and become excellent writers as a result Also, keep in mind that you don't have to write your book in sequential order as long as your book gets done. You can write the beginning at the end and write the end at the beginning and then organize the material later on. My seventh tip to overcome your fear of writing is to write often, even when you don't want to. One of the best ways to overcome your fears of writing is to write 1,000 words a day. The key to writing a book is to just start. It's one thing that you cannot get worse at by doing. Tip 8 Save editing for the end when you edit during the writing process, it can hinder your creative flow. I will often write down my thoughts for my books without interruptions or editing all the way. Then get all the information out of your head and onto paper first. Then go back and edit later. My next tip is to free yourself from distractions. It's easy to become distracted, especially when you are nervous about how your writing will turn out. If you need to seclude yourself in a quiet area, you should do it. Free yourself of distractions and just write. Tip number 10 is to rid your mind of the fear of failure. Rather than focusing on fear and why you can't write a book if you haven't done it before, focus on the future and the rewards that writing a book will have in your life. Think continually about what you want, not about the things you fear. Another tip to overcome your fear of writing a book is to stay organized. Organize your material into 7, 10, 12, or 21 chapters each, following in a logical order from beginning to end. Thinking in terms of a number of chapters forces you to decide what will be contained in each chapter and how each of the chapters will be organized in relation or in connection to each other. My next tip is to know when you're finished. Know when it's time to put a bow on your work. You must be able to tell yourself that your work is as complete as it can be, rather than obsessing over small details. Tip number 13 is to become an expert in your area. Continuously expand your knowledge on the subject that you're writing about. If you have fears of becoming an author, expand your knowledge first. Buy, read and find out everything you can about other authors, books or articles dealing with the same subject. Make sure that your material is different and better than other people writing in your field. The more comfortable you are with your subject, the easier it will be to craft and write your book. In fact, they say that to write a good book, you need to know 10 words on the subject for every word you write. So continually be reading on your subject so that when you do start to write, you have lots and lots of material to work with. The 14th tip is to craft your message. First you must know what message you want your entire book to convey and then you can write it. This is what you have a burning desire to tell people you want to help people you want your children to know about this message. And my 15th and final tip to overcome your fear of writing is that it's never too late to start. One of the greatest books in history is the second part of Faust, written by Wolke von Goethe when he was 84 years old and it's still studied in all the universities. So if you're worried that it's too late to start writing, it's not. The first step is to just write to help you get started and keep going until your book is in publisher's hands. Download my 20 step author Quick Start Guide which will give you a recipe to write a book on any subject. Now I love to hear from you. So my question today is this. Which tip will you put into action to overcome your fear of writing a book so that you can become a a best selling author? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow it up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action. And take action now. If you enjoyed this video and feel it was valuable in teaching you about overcoming your fear of writing a book, subscribe to my channel. Like this video and share this video with your friends. Don't forget to click the button on the screen for a free gift. Thanks again for watching.
