SO, YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK … learnings, truths, tips and tricks from a Ghostwriter
Earlier this year I finished writing my very first part memoir/part personal development book as a ghostwriter.
PHWOAR, it was a B-I-G project. A big two year project, in fact.
Many women I know, who have been in the biz game for some time, toy with the idea of writing a real-life-hold-it-in-your-hands book as a way to expand their reach, impact and credibility.
But it takes a lot to turn an idea into a printed product that sits on people’s bookshelves, and it can be easy to feel weighed down by the enormity of the task.
In this article I want to break the process down the writing process for you and share …
How I came to ghostwrite a book, and what that process looked like
What I found hard about writing a book (no sugar coating, just truth!)
What I, and my client, found to be deliciously rewarding about the journey
My tips and tricks.
Let’s dive right on in …
HOW I CAME TO BE A BOOK GHOSTWRITER
After having the pleasure of copywriting for a super-dooper successful babe in her biz for a number of years, and her seeing my rad writing skills in action time and time again (hello: trust building), it seemed like a natural progression that I would be the one to support said babe to bring her long-dreamed-of book to life.
You see, while my client is a freakin’ killer multi-million dollar earning biz woman who knows her sh!t and has an epic story to share, writing long prose just isn’t in her zone of genius (we can’t be awesome at everything, right?) And so, I happily took the task off her hot little hands.
She came to me with a title and a concept, and using interviews (in-person, but mainly via voice message) and independent thinking (which, may I just say, is one of the geniuses of writers!), we began to bring her words to life.
I didn’t write her book full time and we had a long break during the initial throes of COVID, but within around two years I had a full draft completed.
THE HARD BITS
I want to preface my sharing of the hard bits by saying that I actually did love making my client’s book dream a reality (despite how the things may soon sound - HA!) It is, hands down, a highlight of my career that will stay with me forevermore.
I’m all about being real though, and the truth of the matter is - writing a book isn’t a leisurely walk in the park (despite what ‘great’ marketing from some book writing and editing helpers/teachers/guides/coaches might have you believe).
I kind of liken it to being 16 and thinking that being an Air Hostess would be the funnest job in the world - full of adventure, partying, sight-seeing and glamour! Then you grow to become an adult and you realise that it’s actually one of the most taxing jobs out there!
Writing a book takes guts, grunt and a whole lotta perseverance!
So in saying all this, here’s what I found to be particularly challenging …
Hard bit #1. Hello: mindset fuckery
For me as a writer, the act of actually putting words to paper (okay, screen - we are living in the 21st century after all) was relatively easy. I mean, as easy as writing tens of thousands of words, in a way that takes people on a journey and is logical, captivating and sellable could possibly be - lol.
The hardest part for me? Managing the mindset fuckery of it all.
Now THAT was tough.
I don’t care what anyone says - bringing a book to life brings up a whole gamut of sh!t ...
It’s one thing for your sign ups in your webinar to be low, or to miss the mark on your online course’s enrolment numbers … but for your book to flop after infusing it with years of TLC? That feels ... big.
Something you invest so much time, creativity, energy and money into, comes with a certain amount of pressure to be bloody good.
And that pressure can lead to perfectionism and, at its worst, paralysis.
My mind wrestled with all sorts of crazy (but very human) thoughts during the writing process …
“I’m not good enough/qualified enough/skilled enough.”
“I CAN’T DO THIS! I’ll never get this whole huge book written!”
“If my client isn’t happy my career is going to go down the drain, and then I’ll be homeless.” (Okay, admittedly that one was a little dramatic and OTT).
Yep, let’s just say the mindset fuckery was real.
THE REALLY GOOD NEWS?
As a biz babe, you already know full well that running a business comes with it’s fair share of challenges. And you’re still standing. AND you’re probably more resilient and strong and bloody good at what you do because of it.
Writing a book offers yet another opportunity to grow, be your own best cheerleader and step more fully into the human you want to become.
And I think that’s pretty darn cool.
Hard bit #2. Big projects are a lot to hold
I don’t know about you … but I’m of the opinion that thinking about something, every damn day, for years, can take its toll.
As someone who thrives off of list ticking and completions (preferably at the end of each day!), having the open endedness of a book looming over me often felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders.
It’s kind of like that newsletter you know you need to send but keep putting off, day after day after day …
Or that workout you know you r-e-a-l-l-y should do, because it’s good for your health and all, but don’t …
Multiplied by a hundred million trillion.
The weird thing about bringing a book to life is that no matter how many consecutive days you work on it - it still doesn't get done.
There is no daily gratification and it’s a constant work in progress.
As entrepreneurs, it’s already hard enough to switch our minds off at the end of day, let alone when we have something big like a book hanging over our heads!
THE REALLY GOOD NEWS?
Having to hold a lot often forces us to take care of ourselves and be devoted to our self care.
Daily self care practices can sometimes feel hard to be disciplined about when things are coasting along swimmingly, but feeling stressed/overwhelmed/‘switched on’ can light a fire up our backside to actually do-the-damn-thing and love up on ourselves a bit.
THE YUMMY BITS
For my client:
Creating a life-changing resource that will, hands down, change people’s lives (mmm, yummy). Having the weight of a creative project she’s dreamed of creating for years and years taken off her shoulders. Ticking something monumental off her bucket list. Adding something to her portfolio that will get her seen as an expert in her field (even more) and support her to take her biz to the next level.
For me:
The satisfaction of finishing a big project, and doing a darn good job at it. Supporting my client to share her story - a dream that had been hot on her heart for years. Growing as an individual, and as a writer.
TIPS AND TRICKS, BABY!
Just start!
You don’t need to have the perfect outline in place to get cracking. In fact, if you strive for this you may well find that you’re just putting a self imposed hurdle in your way.
Just begin and get in the energy of creating. I always find that things become clearer when I take action!
Commitment pays
If I can impart any piece of sage advice, it’s to show up to your book - every. damn. day. - EVEN WHEN you don’t want to, or you feel like your creativity isn’t flowing.
Just like going to the gym, it can be v-e-r-y easy to lose momentum and motivation if you skip a few exercise sessions.
Set yourself a realistic goal, stick to it and write baby, write. It doesn’t have to be ‘perfect’ (there is no such thing by the way) or final - there just needs to be words on your screen and a building of momentum.
This momentum is what will keep you focussed, connected to your book and showing up long term. It is essential!
Don’t be a hero, get support
As you may have gathered from my share, writing a book ain’t no easy feat, my friend.
While everyone’s budgets differ, I highly recommend getting yo-self a support team.
Whether that be recruiting a book writing coach, ghostwriter, editor, personal cheerleader, mindset coach or fellow book writing accountability buddy - your book, motivation and wellbeing will thank you for it!
Let go of your perfectionism
It’s one thing to want a 2000 character social media post to be ‘perfect’ but a book that’s tens of thousands of words? Good luck.
A truth to come back to time and time again (as I said above) is that ‘perfect’ doesn’t actually exist.
The fact of the matter is, your book could come to life in a million different ways. Writing a book already comes with its intrinsic challenges - don’t be the one to put another hurdle in your way.
Trust how your book flows out of you!
You are more than enough. Trust that what you have created is more than enough too.
You’ve got this!
Have a deadline
Lemme tell you, having a deadline with an editor r-e-a-l-l-y lit a fire up my arse in my writing journey … which I LOVED!
Just like some of us need a visit from in-laws booked in before we will clean the house, or the fuel light in our car to be on for an hour before we even consider refilling, I found it extremely helpful (in a scary but thrilling kind of a way!) to have a non-negotiable must-be-done-by date imposed on me.
Go deep, go hard
About midway through my book writing journey, I booked myself into an AirBNB on a creative retreat (mind you, it ended up being all creative, with very little retreating to be seen - lol).
For three days I went hard, using the Pomodoro technique, writing for hours and hours on end and drinking a s-tonne of coffee.
It was a hard slog (of the mindset fuckery kind, that I spoke of earlier) but my goodness, I got so much done which felt so good (again: momentum works wonders!)
Where at other times I’d sit down to write for a couple/few hours a day (which is still great!), this three-day-writing-bender allowed me to see a depth and breadth of progress that I wasn’t privy to during my shorter writing sessions which excited and motivated me.
If I could turn back time, I’d do more of these intensive writing sessions, for sure!
Celebrate!
OMG - celebrating throughout the book writing process is oh-so-important! Celebrate each session you sit down to write. Each chapter you finish. Heck, even each sentence if you want to (HA!).
Waiting until your book is signed sealed and delivered to actually take a breath and celebrate your journey and the incredible accomplishment you’ve achieved sucks the joy out of the process.
Celebrate, celebrate celebrate.
In full transparency, I did a terrible job at this and I wish I’d celebrated more!
And there you have it, lovely human! A little insight into my book writing journey (to be honest, I could go on and on and on!)
Keen to find out more about this topic? Yeah you are!
THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF JULY I’M GONNA BE TALKING MORE ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING A BOOK TO LIFE.
Join me over on Instagram for live interviews on:
Monday 12 July at 12PM as I speak with soon-to-be-published author Nicole Mathieson about her journey writing her book, ‘The Beauty Load’ (I’ve had a sneak peek - it’s awesome!)
Tuesday 20 July at 12PM as I speak with Editor Kris Emery about the common mistakes she sees aspiring authors make, and her tips for getting your book written and published.
HERE’S A LINK TO THIS GREAT CONVO! PACK YOUR PEN AND NOTEBOOK!
Happy writing beautiful,
Che. X
I want to leave you with some beautiful words I stumbled across that I feel so accurately represent the mind fuckery of the writing process (haha) and how one might approach it with grace …
“I’d had a few bad days of writing, and I was tempted to go back a chapter to fix it, but I could not. I just needed to move forward, get to the end. Painters, I told myself, though I know nothing about painting, don’t start at one side of the canvas and work meticulously across to the other side. They create an underpainting, a base of shape, of light and dark, layer after layer. It’s not supposed to be good or complete. It’s okay that nothing feels like a liquid not a solid, a vast and spreading goo that I can’t manage, I told myself. It’s okay that I’m not sure what’s next, that it might be something unexpected. I need to trust.”