{"id":16510,"date":"2019-05-21T05:10:56","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T10:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=16510"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:56:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:56:37","slug":"heres-how-to-finish-writing-a-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2019\/05\/heres-how-to-finish-writing-a-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s How to Finish Writing a Book"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>How to Finish Writing a Book: My Breakthrough<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12488\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12488\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12488\" src=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"start writing\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/lisa-writing-tracy-640x480.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12488\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You don&#8217;t have to go far for a writing retreat. This is in my friend Tracy&#8217;s backyard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A few weeks ago, I attended a &#8220;deep writing&#8221; retreat with creativity coach <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ericmaisel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Eric Maisel<\/a> at <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/kripalu.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Kripalu<\/a> yoga center in the Berkshires, in order to finish writing a book.<\/p>\n<p>I came to class with less than a third of my first draft. In 5 days I completed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most of the first draft, with just a few details to add (which require research)<\/li>\n<li>A chunk of the bare bones of my book proposal<\/li>\n<li>Ideas for book promotion<\/li>\n<li>A rough query letter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>[bctt tweet=&#8221;What Gets in the Way of Writing a Book&#8221; username=&#8221;LisaTener&#8221;]<\/h2>\n<p>What gets in the way? How can you overcome that in order to finish writing a book? Here&#8217;s the magic I came away with from 5 days with Eric Maisel:<\/p>\n<h4>The Maisel Magic: &#8220;Manage Anxiety&#8221;<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>We procrastinate on our books (and other meaningful work) because of anxiety. Much of the anxiety stems from words in our heads that we tell ourselves (no one will read it, I&#8217;m not a great writer, it&#8217;s been said before, etc.). When we say such things, we need to notice. Then we can tell ourselves, &#8220;That doesn&#8217;t serve me or my book.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Replace the phrase with an affirmation, such as &#8220;I have something important to say and people want to hear it.&#8221; Choose an affirmation that specifically counteracts your self-talk. Eric offers many anxiety management techniques that can also help.<\/li>\n<li>It turns out that many of the exercises I do with my clients work to combat anxiety, such as &#8220;Meet Your <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2010\/11\/stuck-uncertain-meet-your-muse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Muse<\/a>.&#8221; This exercise bypasses the linear mind and critic, and helps you accesses your creative mind). A few deep breaths can also get you to write consistently and finish writing your book in due time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Make Writing a Morning Habit<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>A daily habit of writing for 30-45 minutes each morning (or every weekday morning) makes it easy to stay on track because you never have to decide, &#8220;Will I write today?&#8221; Writing is a given. Making choices causes anxiety, so if you&#8217;ve already made the choice to write each day, it will cut down the anxiety. You&#8217;ll still encounter resistance\/anxiety but it&#8217;s easy enough to tell yourself the self-talk isn&#8217;t serving. You can also use the phrase I suggest to participants in my <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/book\/\" target=\"_blank\">book writing classes<\/a>: &#8220;I can have my book or I can have my excuses but I can&#8217;t have both.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Avoid the 3 Day Slump<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16516\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16516\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16516\" src=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/matthew-payne-219008-unsplash-640x427.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Matthew Payne on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>If you&#8217;re on the 5 day\/week plan, just remember that more than 3 days of not writing (according to Eric Maisel) will make it harder to get back to it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Anticipate the Challenges<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>If you&#8217;re going to do this plan, it&#8217;s important to figure out:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>a) What will get in the way of finishing your book: &#8220;I have to take my son to school in the morning.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>b) How to solve that problem: &#8220;I&#8217;ll get up 45 minutes earlier and write then.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>On Fire with My New Writing Routine<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16473\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16473\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16473 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"writing a book\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/stil-1220500-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16473\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by STIL on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the two weeks since I returned from the retreat, I have not skipped more than one day per week of writing.<\/p>\n<p>As Eric suggested, I focus my morning writing routine (30-45 minutes) on one project\u2014my book or the related proposal, query, promotion ideas, etc. I can work on different aspects of it; yet, I am not working on other books, other blog posts, etc.<\/p>\n<p>While I&#8217;m almost done with the first draft of the book, some mornings a few more ideas come. When this happens, I dutifully capture them\u2014stories, exercises, etc.<\/p>\n<p>On the mornings I don&#8217;t feel the book coming, I allow myself to work on other aspects that will serve the book, such as the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>When I don&#8217;t need to drive my son to school, I often find myself writing for two or three hours in the morning, way past my committed time.<\/p>\n<h2>It&#8217;s Catching!<\/h2>\n<p>I shared this advice with my clients since returning and many of them, too, have reported breakthrough results. Several have almost finished writing their books since we spoke about this.<\/p>\n<p>Are you ready to make a consistent commitment to writing each morning? Can you anticipate what will get in the way and create a plan of action to address such challenges ahead of time?<\/p>\n<h2>Your Turn<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16515\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16515\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16515 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"writing routine\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-567726-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I&#8217;d love your comments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What&#8217;s working for you?<\/li>\n<li>What new commitments are you making?<\/li>\n<li>Identify any challenges you anticipate; share how you plan ahead to address them to finish writing your book.<\/li>\n<li>What shifts have occurred in your writing life since taking on such a commitment?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2019\/04\/curing-writers-block\/\" target=\"_blank\">Writer Derailed! Curing Writer\u2019s Block<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For a new perspective altogether, read <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2019\/04\/writers-block-maybe-youre-not-stuck-at-all\/\" target=\"_blank\">Writer&#8217;s Block: Maybe You&#8217;re Not Stuck at All.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to Finish Writing a Book: My Breakthrough A few weeks ago, I attended a &#8220;deep writing&#8221; retreat with creativity coach Eric Maisel at Kripalu yoga center in the Berkshires, in order to finish writing a book. I came to class with less than a third of my first draft. In 5 days I completed:&#8230;<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2019\/05\/heres-how-to-finish-writing-a-book\/\"><em>&nbsp; Read more<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16510","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-more","7":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16510"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278868,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16510\/revisions\/278868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}