Monthly Archives: March 2021

4 Questions to Help You Set Realistic Writing Goals for Your Book

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By the beginning of March, most authors have given up on their New Year’s resolutions to write a book and publish their own book. Maybe you don’t think you have enough time, or that things have gotten too hectic at home or work, etc., but these are just excuses. Maybe the real reason that you have given up is that the goals you set for yourself were not realistic in the first place. How do you set realistic writing goals for your book? Getting answers to the following questions is an excellent place to start.

A woman setting goals for writing and self-publishing a book

1–Who Are You Writing For?

Figuring out who the audience is for your work can help you focus and identify what kind of information the audience is looking for (non-fiction) or what the reader expects to see (fiction). Thinking about every aspect of your ideal reader is essential. Here are a few things to think about when identifying the audience for your book:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Education level
  • Hobbies and personal interests
  • Favorite books and authors
  • Occupation/Income Level

Even if you are not sure who your ideal reader might be, take a guess—the more specific your ideal reader profile, the better. You can always refine your description as you write.

2–Why Are You Writing the Book?

This is a question that is often overlooked when beginning the writing process. Still, it is crucial because it closely ties to your motivation and the objectives you want to accomplish by writing the book. Here are a few examples of reasons:

  • For your personal satisfaction
  • To create a family history for a small group of family and friends
  • To share an account of your personal experiences so that others may learn from them
  • To reach #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List
  • To share your knowledge and build a platform for the professional speaking circuit

The reasons are as unique as each individual starting out on their book-writing journey.

3–What Critical Information Should Be Included in the Book?

For non-fiction books, this is easy. If you have a clear idea of what your project is about, you will probably know what questions need to be answered by your book. You will know the people, the places, or events involved with the book’s subject. You may also need to research specific information to help support the overall thesis of the book.

For fiction, this is a bit more subjective. But readers, especially readers of genre fiction, have certain expectations when it comes to story. Readers of science-fiction novels expect futuristic technology, aliens, robots, and spaceships in the story. Many types of romances need to include a “happily-ever-after” ending. For fiction, a lot of this information depends on the specific type of fiction you are writing. Read several books similar to the kind of book you want to write to identify these expectations.

4–How Much Time Can You Devote Toward Writing Your Book?

This is extremely important and one of the questions that writers often fail to answer realistically. It is unrealistic to say that you can write four hours a day, seven days a week, if you have a full-time job, four kids, and two dogs. But you may be able to dedicate 15 to 30 minutes each day for your writing project.

Another approach is to ask yourself: “What am I willing to give up to write this book?” This might mean giving up your nightly Netflix watching or reducing the amount of time you spend socializing with friends, on social media, or aimlessly surfing the Web. In order to take your writing seriously, you will need to make sacrifices to do so. If you are not willing to make these sacrifices, you may not be serious about writing a book.

Answer These Questions at the Beginning of Your Writing Process

Spending 15 minutes freewriting answers to each question is a great way at the start of your writing project to focus on it and give you direction on what goals you need to meet to finish your book. Getting this information down on the page is one way to clearly define what you want to write about and make your writing goals realistic and achievable.

Allow InstantPublisher to Publish Your Book Today!

Once you have written your book, reach out to us. We are a full-service self-publishing book printer, and we also provide a variety of publishing support services such as book manuscript formatting, custom book cover design, and bookbinding. For more information, call 1-800-259-2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com.

9 Ways to Beat Writers Block

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Every author has struggled with writer’s block at some point during their writing life. It is one of the most common issues encountered by both amateur and professional writers everywhere. In order to see your book end up in print, you must be able to smash through writer’s block.

1 – Establish a Writing Habit

Pliny the Elder said it best, “Nulla dies sine linea.” Translation: “Not a day without a line.” Even as far back as the early days of the Roman Empire, when Pliny the Elder lived, writers understood the importance of a daily writing habit. The only way to be sure that you find the time each day to write is to do it every day. And don’t miss days.

Breaking writer's block is key to self-publishing a book

In modern times this works just as well. Jerry Seinfeld, yes that Jerry, made a habit in his early career to write one new joke every day and had a calendar next to his desk where he drew a big red X over that day after he completed his joke each day. He did it the next day and the next day, creating an unbroken chain of days where he wrote every single day. The more days you write and keep the chain intact, the more pressure you have to keep your streak alive. This is the essence of creating a writing habit.

2 – Write at the Same Time Each Day

This method is related to method #1 above. Your brain is wired to love routine. Routines and habits mean the brain expends less energy to operate, and the brain likes that. So, writing at the same time each day reinforces that writing habit.  Having a daily writing ritual is a way to prime your brain and let it know that it is time to write. This is a prevalent habit for almost all successful, best-selling authors.

3 – Set a Strict Deadline

Nothing inspires creativity like a rigid, tangible deadline. Did you ever have a paper due that you knew about weeks in advance, and you couldn’t even think of a topic for the paper, let alone write the paper itself, until the night before it was due? Suddenly, fueled by adrenaline and panic, a great topic presents itself, and you plow through writing the paper in one marathon session. The problem with writing for yourself is that you do not have anyone giving you deadlines (most of the time), and you need to do this for yourself.

4 – Free Yourself to Write Badly

No writers write pretty first drafts. This is the truth about the writing life. So you need to permit yourself to write the worst crap on the face of the earth–just as long as you write something. Most of the hard work of writing happens when you fix up that terrible first draft.

5 – Warm Up Before Each Writing Session

An excellent way to start each writing session is by having a short 10 to 15-minute freewriting session where you write about whatever is on your mind or bothering you that day. This helps get those thoughts and worries out of the way so you can focus on the real work of writing.

6 – Write the Easy Parts First

Getting stuck in the middle of a writing project is never easy. Many people think you need to write sequentially, beginning with page one and not stopping until you reach the words “The End.” But who says that you must write this way? If you find yourself stuck and don’t know what you will write next, skip ahead to the next part where you know what you need to write about. There is nothing wrong with writing a story out of sequence. In fact, many–if not most–writers write out of sequence. So don’t be afraid to skip to the next part of your manuscript where you know what needs to be written next and go back and build the connections from the previous scene to the next scene at another time.

7 – Work in a New Location

Sometimes all it takes to break through a writer’s block is a change of scenery. Going to a coffee shop or the library might be enough to kick your mind into gear just because of the novelty of the change. You can do this at home by writing outside or in a different location within the house. If you are stuck, give this a try.

8 – Get Active

Sometimes the best way to deal with writer’s block is to move your body by taking a walk or working out. Moving helps wake up your body and mind, and doing something other than writing might be just what you need to get a breakthrough.

9 – Change Your Tools

If you usually write by sitting in front of a computer and typing into your word processor, try writing long-hand in a notebook or sketching out scenes in a storyboard format. If you usually write using a ballpoint pen, try using a fountain pen or even crayons to change up the process and approach.

Let InstantPublisher Bring Your Creative Ideas to Life

Once you have broken through your writer’s block and have finished your book, send it to InstantPublisher. InstantPublisher is a full-service book printing and binding company that has served self-published authors since 2004. We are an affordable option for self-published authors everywhere. To learn more, contact us at 1-800-259-2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com to get more information about our book publishing services.