I Don't Want to Write, and You Can't Make Me

The statistic that writing coaches, book marketing coaches, and write-a-book-in-a-weekend programs love to shout to the world is that 80% of people say they want to write a book.

What do you think the key word is in that statistic?

"Want." They want to write a book. The number of people who actually start - and finish - a book is much, much lower. Why is that? If so many people want to write a book and that's on most people's list of what they want to accomplish in their lifetime, why doesn't it happen?

Because the fantasy is much more lovely than the actual doing.

It sounds so wonderful to say, "I would love to write a book some day." You put it out there in that wishful, far-away time frame, and that's where it stays. No pressure. No one screaming at you to get it done. No quota of pages or words per day. A lovely daydream to turn to when work gets boring or your mother-in-law/mother/pick-a-relative drones on and on about her latest cough/cold/itch.

The truth is that writing a book is hard work. I don't mean the actual putting on paper words and sentences. What's hard is taking consistent action, even when you don't feel like it.

And there will be those days, maybe many of them, where you - just - don't - want - to - write.

I'm a big believer in following your energy, as in you'd rather write now than clean the cat litter box, so do it. Or your soul is crying out for a walk around the lake. Do that.

But following your energy doesn't mean giving into that "I don't want to write" whine. Sure, there may be times where your creative and productive energy isn't there. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you establish that you're going to write four times a week, and morning #1 comes, and you're just not feeling inspired.

That whole "I can't write if I'm not inspired" is just part of the writing a book fantasy, too, by the way. It's something all writers face, and it's the successful ones who write anyway.

If you find yourself not wanting to write, try something new.

Open a book on writing. Anywhere. Read. You can't help but get ideas.

Apply those ideas concretely. Create a worksheet, timeline, storyboard, or a mind map.

Read a book in your genre or category. Pay attention to how it's structured. Think about how you can apply that to your own work-in-progress.

Rearrange your office. Change things around.

Declutter, clear out, organize, and throw away. You'll be surprised at what comes into the space you've just made.

Go somewhere (mountains, lake, park, Starbucks). It all feels fresh and exciting and makes you WANT to write.

"Isn't that just putting things off?" you ask. As long as you write, no. If you're planning and plotting the structure of your book, that's writing. Now, if you're rearranging your office for the third time this week, reading five books on writing, and still not writing a single word, then there might be an issue.

Not writing isn't necessarily procrastination. Think of it as energy management and helping to move your energy toward writing.

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.~ Jack London

I can't explain inspiration. A writer is either compelled to write or not. And if I waited for inspiration I wouldn't really be a writer.~ Toni Morrison

I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at nine o'clock every morning. ~ William Faulkner