3 Reasons You Should Write Your Nonfiction Book Today -

Do you want to write a nonfiction book but can’t seem to get started?

Do you have something you have overcome and lived through that you want to share with others in the form of a nonfiction book?

Do you put off your dream of writing a book because you don’t know how or where to start? Then you’re in the right place.

In this article, I’m going to share three reasons you should start writing your nonfiction book today plus offer you some resources to help get you started!

Fear, Anxiety, And Limiting Beliefs

When I was growing up, I had a lot of fear and anxiety from early childhood trauma. Some of that trauma included not being able to do anything right. There was a lot of punitive correction in my home, but not a lot of praise for doing well. I didn’t know what well was and had no idea how to achieve it. Add to that, the rules for what was good and right behavior changed from day to day – all thanks to being parented by an alcoholic.

When my mother divorced and eventually remarried, parenting techniques changed drastically. My step-father, But, a military colonel, gave praise where it was due and didn’t accept fear as an excuse for not trying something. I entered this new parental relationship with my stress-shaped brain intact. I faced new challenges with an inner mantra – I can’t do it so don’t try. But was a patient and loving teacher. When I said, “I can’t.” His response was – “You’ll never learn any younger,” and then he proceeded to show me exactly how to do the new thing – whether it was scrubbing a pan full of oatmeal goo or looking up something in an encyclopedia.

This article is about writing a nonfiction book, so why begin with my early childhood? Because we all have limiting beliefs formed in our childhood. These beliefs can follow us into adulthood and boss us around. When we are born we have two fears – fear of falling and fear of loud noises, the rest of our fears develop through our nurture- or experiences with the world. With my “I can’t” attitude, I limited myself and what I could achieve in my life. Bud challenged that belief and gently guided me to success by instructing me.

Not sure you can write a nonfiction book? We can help with that. This checklist will confirm five reasons you CAN write a nonfiction book right now!

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What’s holding you back?

Take a moment and think of what’s holding you back from putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard and writing your nonfiction book. Is it fear? Lack of education? Not knowing where to start? I get it. My “I can’t” limiting belief still rears its ugly head daily. I have to hammer it down like a game of whack a mole. If you have limiting beliefs like this, you shouldn’t let them determine whether or not you write a book. A month from now, six months from now, a year from now, if you haven’t started writing what will you tell yourself?

Three Reasons You Should Write Your Nonfiction Book Today (and how to get started)

You’ll never learn any younger. If lack of education, i.e. not knowing how to start, you can learn. You have the ability to start today. You can read books – I’ll suggest a few in the resources at the end of this article. You can sign up for a course. You can grab our resources. You’re not too young to learn, nor are you too old. You can learn today and get started. I strongly suggest you start writing while you learn. Don’t wait until you have learned everything there is about writing a nonfiction book because learning is not doing. Don’t make the mistake of getting stuck in a cycle of continual learning and thinking it is mastery. Mastery includes doing. If fear is holding you back, as Ruth Soukup says, “Action is the antidote to fear.” Take a moment before you read the rest of this article and brainstorm the idea you have for your book. I know you have at least one or you wouldn’t be reading this article. Write down what it is that you want to share with the world. A transformation you experienced, something you learned or overcame.

God has prepared you to write a book. If you have a desire to write a book, it is likely that God placed the desire within you – God gives us the desire of our hearts. If he has given you the desire, he will empower you to do it. It’s very likely that He has been preparing you all along. Do you know who wrote the first five books of the Bible?

Mosaic authorship is a traditional Judeo-Christian belief that the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, were written primarily by Moses. Some rabbinical traditions posit that the contents of the Torah were dictated to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
Answersingenesis.org

Moses. Ever think about Moses’ early education? He was raised in the palace and had the best tutors in the entire kingdom. I imagine him sitting on a rock on Mt. Sinai and God saying (in Adrian Monk style) “Here’s what happened,” and Moses writing it down. You may have not been raised in a palace or had the best tutors, but I guarantee you, God has prepared you to write a book. In some way, shape, or form, he has prepared you. Before moving on, take a moment… ask God to show you at least one way he has prepared you. Write it down. Keep it in your journal or Bible. Add to it when He reveals more ways He has prepared you.

Regret is worse than dread. This is a tough one to accept. No one intends to get to the end of the month, quarter, year, or life and not have accomplished their purpose. But it happens. Here’s something important to remember – regret is worse than dread. If you approach writing with the “I can’t” like I used to and then get into the habit of putting it off for a more perfect time you may never do it . Regret is obliterated when we take the action and write the book. Dread doesn’t leave us alone. Even after you publish a book or even multiple books. It’s still there. This is why it’s important to do it afraid. Fear doesn’t go away. Dread hangs around waiting to taunt us. For instance, yesterday I was preparing to ship a copy of A Positive Adoption Story to Jillana Goble, author of A Love Stretched Life. I had recently interviewed her for the Helping Writers Craft Authentic Stories With Courage Podcast. We had a connection while chatting. She had sent me a few copies of her books for giftaways, so I wanted to send her a copy of mine. As I was writing the note to accompany the book, I hesitated. Suddenly I was overcome with dread. What if she thinks it isn’t well written? What if she doesn’t like it. Maybe she doesn’t want to read MY story.

I’ve written nine books and I still dread people reading them. Dread is always going to be there, taunting us. It doesn’t go away. Regret can be dissipated by action, so write your book today!

Not sure you can write a nonfiction book? We can help with that. This checklist will confirm five reasons you CAN write a nonfiction book right now!

Grab my Checklist

Summary

To recap, here’s the problem we solved- You should start writing your nonfiction book today because you’ll never learn any younger, God has prepared you and given you the desire to write a book. Regret is worse than dread. You don’t want to get five years down the road and still be wishing you had written that book. Start today.

One – You’ll never learn any younger. In other words- you can’t go back in time. Now is the time to start. Don’t make the mistake of getting stuck in a cycle of continual learning and thinking it is mastery. Mastery includes doing. Start writing your book today. Check out our resource – 6 Step Roadmap For Crafting Your Nonfiction Book HERE to know the exact steps in the right order to take to write your entire book.

Two. God has prepared you to write a book. If God has given you the desire to write a book, he has equipped you. He’s been preparing you all along.

Three. Regret is worse than dread. Dread will always taunt us. Don’t let dread be your guide, instead step out and write your book today. A year from now, you’ll be glad you did.

Conclusion

One of my “Isms” is owning the fact that you are a writer. I say it over and over on the podcast. I challenge you today to say “I am a writer.” Write it down. EVERY DAY. Schedule blocks of time to write. Take some time after you read this, write down the idea for your book. Journal it out for fifteen minutes. You can do this on your phone. Take that fifteen minutes you were going to scroll mindlessly on social media and write instead. You should start writing your nonfiction book today! You can do it!