“Why do you think people hesitate?” Taylor asked me that question on the How to Start Writing Your First Book episode of Tales with Taylor. I didn’t have to think long for an answer: we are scared. Sharing your story means sharing part of yourself, and that’s scary no matter how successful or experienced you are.
I firmly believe my tagline: Everyone has a story. Yours just needs to be told. In this article, I share the fears I hear the most, and what to do to overcome them to start writing that book you’ve been meaning to write.
Key Takeaways
- Fear, not time or money, is the real obstacle. Sharing your story makes you vulnerable, and that feels riskier than any deadline or budget.
- You may already have a book and not realize it. Blog posts, client stories, and talks often form the bones of a manuscript. It’s why I am developing From Posts to Pages, a blog-to-book program by Agency Content Writer.
- A clear process shrinks the fear. The STORIES Framework gives you a starting point and a path through the hardest parts.
Why Sharing Your Story Feels So Risky
Nobody wants to be rejected. When you write a book, you’re sharing part of your soul with people, and that’s scary.
What if somebody reads it and doesn’t like it? What if they say, “Oh, I knew she was like that,” or “I never knew that about her”? For me, it was “Oh, that poor girl with cancer.”
I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) four months after I got married in 2016. I looked at my husband and said, “I know we said in sickness and in health, but four months?” We meant that for when we were older, much older.
Writing We Don’t Get to Ring the Bell meant putting all of that on paper. It started with the social media posts I was seeing from other CML patients. We were asking the same questions over and over, and my family hadn’t really heard our story.
It’s hard to write a book about something so personal. Even if you’re out there doing the work every day, putting it down on paper is scary.
Your Book May Already Be Started
As I reach out to more people, I’m finding quite a few of you have books you’ve already started. They’re sitting in drawers, on computers, all different places. Let’s get those done.
I was talking with a woman at a workshop who described her business. Later, she described the book she’d written. She works with kids and their behaviors and coaches parents. I told her, “This is perfect for you to give to your clients and to share when you’re networking.” Everybody who has kids probably wants to read that book.
She said, “Oh, I don’t know.” I said, “Yeah, but you’re already doing this. You’re just not opening yourself up.”
Then I asked her, “What’s your why?” She had a personal connection. Her family had been helped, and now she wanted to help other parents.
I told her, “That’s a beautiful story.” It doesn’t have to run through the whole book, and it doesn’t have to be like mine, where I spilled all the beans. A little something at the beginning connects you with your audience. Then you can crawl back into your hole and get into the technical part.
How to Overcome the Fear of Writing a Book
Taylor had assumed people hesitate because of time or the cost of distributing a book. For most people, it’s the overwhelm. Where do I start? Who do I know?
That’s why I keep the process simple and break it into little pieces. Honestly, the process I used to write my own book is essentially the process I use with clients now:
- We start with a conversation about your why and who your reader is, just like any marketing.
- We develop a list of 10 to 15 questions your book should answer. That becomes the outline.
- You get each chapter’s questions ahead of time, so you’re comfortable. We talk through the tactical piece, and then I ask for a personal story.
- I take those transcripts and edit them into chapters. It’s your words, put in an order that makes sense for publication.
That process now has a name: the STORIES Framework. It works whether you write the book yourself with book coaching or hand it to me through ghostwriting.
Take it one step at a time. Does your library have a writing group? Ours does, and that’s where I started meeting other writers. I thought, there are a lot of writers in this town. You might get a little confidence from a writing group, too.
I also have a Facebook group, The Book You’ve Been Meaning to Write, for people who aren’t quite ready to write the book yet. We share ideas and inspiration, and maybe you’ll pump out a paragraph or two.
Show the Fear Who’s Boss
When Taylor asked me for one piece of advice, I said: step into the fear, not away from it.
Step out of your comfort zone, because that’s where the magic happens. Full disclosure, my hands were sweating while I said it. I want to do more video, and that’s scary for an introverted writer. That conversation was my start.
When you open that door, there’s really nothing on the other side. We do so much damage to ourselves worrying about the what-ifs.
If your book is sitting in a drawer or scattered across content you’ve already written, Your Book on One Page is a low-pressure place to start. If you’d like to talk it through, schedule a consultation. If now isn’t the time, you know where to find me.
Related Links
- How to Write a Book: A Deep Dive Into the STORIES Framework
- Too Busy to Write Your Book? Here Are Easy Ways to Get Started
- Started but Can’t Finish Your Book? Here’s Your Next Step
- Memoir Ghostwriting for Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are so many people afraid to write a book?
Nobody wants to be rejected. Writing a book means sharing part of your soul, and that makes you vulnerable, even if you do that work every day. For most people, the fear isn’t time or money. It’s putting their story on paper.
Do I have to share everything to write a book?
No. A little something personal at the beginning connects you with your readers. After that, you can focus on the practical, technical part of your book.
Where do I start if I’m afraid to write a book?
Start with a conversation about your why and who your reader is. From there, a list of 10 to 15 questions your book should answer becomes your outline. Breaking it into small pieces makes the process far less overwhelming.
What is The Book You’ve Been Meaning to Write?
It’s Anne McAuley Lopez’s Facebook group for people who have a book idea but aren’t quite ready to write it yet. Members share ideas, inspiration, and a little more insider content than what’s on her website.
Agency Content Writer is Anne McAuley Lopez’s Charlotte, NC book ghostwriting, book coaching, and blog writing business. Anne is the author of We Don’t Get to Ring the Bell and the creator of the STORIES Framework for memoirs.
