Congratulations! Deciding to write your first book is a bold move, and it takes courage to dive into something new. Having worked with countless first-time authors, I totally understand the challenges you’re facing.

1. Remember fear is often your biggest challenge

Keep in mind that it is absolutely normal to be scared, anxious, and even freaked out when you’re writing a book. Keep in mind that writing a book is a project. You’re not just writing a book, you’re editing a book, and publishing a book too. If you’re going on a journey you’ve never taken before, it’s absolutely normal to be nervous!

Fear is often a really tricky thing. Fear may show up as procrastination in your life. You’ll find yourself telling yourself things like, Oh, I’ll work on my book later. Or, I’ll work on my book after I take this course, read this book, or watch this movie. Research is REALLY easy to rationalize, but in many — if not most — cases, it is a sneaky form of procrastination.

That’s right, I’m saying research is just an excuse not to do the work. You very likely have everything you need to get started working on your book right now.

2. Look at other books for structure.

Please keep in mind that I’m not saying to steal from other books, but you can ABSOLUTELY learn structure from other books. My first book, Ready Aim Fire is a productivity book about achieving goals. It’s a short, punchy, helpful book. Looking back, I now realize that I was inspired by one of my favorite authors, Steven Pressfield. His books The War of Art and Do The Work helped me some with the tone of coaching the reader in the book and The War of Art is essentially a book of blog posts. But I didn’t stop there. I was also inspired by Seth Godin’s Poke The Box as well as Austin Kleon’s Steal Like An Artist. You probably wouldn’t even know I was inspired by these books unless I told you that personally. That’s a good sign. If you figured it out without me telling you, then you’re leaning too hard on another piece for inspiration.

Let’s say you want to write a thriller. You don’t wan’t to write a copy of Stephen King’s Misery. But you could use the tone or a couple ideas as inspiration. Personally, I would look at the structure more than anything. Is it written in first-person or third-person? When is the inciting incident? What language is being used? Just asking a lot of questions is a great place to start.

And don’t forget, look at more than one book for structure. Going to Misery isn’t enough. I’d recommend looking at three to four of your favorite books in the same genre. If you’re writing a book in a genre you don’t enjoy, that’s probably a mistake. You won’t know what the readers want — so how could you ever please them?

3. Just dive in!

While it may make the most sense to write your book in order — if possible — realize you can just jump into your book and get started TODAY. Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter or even a mix of both, you can start writing RIGHT NOW.

How do you do that? Go with with you DO know. Start at the end if you know what goes there. Start at the midpoint. Start at the beginning. Start wherever you want. Just know that you eventually will have to come back to the beginning in order to complete the project. Keep things as clear and simple as possible in a way that works for you. I prefer notecards myself. They make it easy to jump around and even shuffle up the order.

Don’t make excuses. Don’t tell yourself you need to do some research. You can get started NOW.

4. Your book may not need to be really long

Don’t assume that your book has to be several hundred pages in length. Readers often like short books and if it’s a very specific topic, a short book can be much more impactful.

A reader can read a short book in one or two sittings versus just leaving it on the bookshelf and not opening it.

Ask yourself this question: What’s the goal of your book? Is it to get people to go do something? If so, consider writing a shorter book. 130 pages is the number of pages you need to get your name and title of the book on the spine when self-publishing. If this is your first ever book, consider aiming for 130 pages. Keep in mind that longer books require more editing and formatting too. A short book may be a great fit for you.

5. Accountability is non-negotiable.

Lastly, you’ll want some support — in the form of accountability — as you write your book. I say this not just as a writing coach myself. I’ve worked with quite a few coaches now over the years. A coach is something to consider if you’re really serious about writing a book. If you’re just dabbling or not very serious, you can try using other writers for accountability. But I must warn you — your odds of finishing are not very great.

Why would I say that? Because even if you have good intentions, life often gets in the way. Most people want to write a book and very few people do. It’s a lot like keeping a big New Year’s resolution. It’s easy to just lose momentum. Accountability where you have an investment is one of the most powerful motivational tools on the planet. Think about it. You invest in what matters most to you. If you want to write a book, it is an investment of time, energy, and attention already. When you include a financial commitment too, don’t be surprised when you find yourself making some serious progress.

I truly hope these five tips help you with your first book. I still remember how hard it was to finish my first book over 12 years ago. One last word of encouragement: get committed and take your writing seriously. That’s how you’ll finish. If you need some help, feel free to reach out or leave a comment.