Reading time: Less than 1 minute
This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post on how to write a book….
Are you trying to write a book? I’ve always said that long-form projects are marathons not sprints and you need to be careful to preserve enough energy to get past mile 18.
Recently, I read an interesting blog post on what it takes to write a book. The poster, Nicole Gulotta, pictured above, argues that two skills are essential for book writing: patience and persistence.
Citing changing publishing schedules, budget alterations, illness and even weather (!), Gulotta says: “the writer’s job is to try to ignore these external factors as much as possible and get on with the work.” (This is the “patience” part of her formula.)
Furthermore, Gulotta argues, writers also need to employ persistence. Here is how she puts it: “You must believe writing is a calling, not a choice. You must believe you will write your book. You must believe your words are meant to encourage and inspire others. When you embrace these ideas, it will be much easier to persist, even on days when you doubt your ability to write another word.”
None of this is meant to suggest that writing a book is easy. But it is possible.