I’m learning more about myself than I ever cared to know in the process of creating my own eBook, Creating eBooks that Create Fans (a.k.a. The Kickstart Kit), which launches early next month. (Pssst, sign up here to get the first two chapters for free!)
I coach clients through the wordy ups and downs of eBook building — fighting off unclear arguments, strengthening and shaping structure. They have taken and run with ideas we’ve forged together, with amazing results.
So imagine my surprise when I set the goal of completing my eBook in a month, only to come down with a colorful selection of eBook-eating maladies. Here are some treatments I’ve devised for them on the bumpy road to eBook fame and fortune.
Diagnosis: Thinking you’ll get work done on vacation.
It stands to reason that when it’s 70 degrees in February and you’re in Austin for SXSW, the last thing you care to do is sit in front of your laptop. I had friends to make, places to go, mini-high school reunions to attend. I have made this mistake twice in the last three months. No more, amigo. Vacation time is off the list in terms of writing goals.
Cure: Build a timeline that works.
Ambitious deadlines are good, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t adjust for real life. Shoot for a date, but evaluate when you’re a week away if it still works for you. There is a fine line between moving your date and procrastination, so I recommend some accountability from a helpful friend, the Traction Coach, or an accountability group, perhaps on a forum.
Diagnosis: Undervaluing your knowledge.
When you’re writing about something you know inside and out, it’s easy to take it for granted or think everyone knows the basics. Let’s just say that even the best writers suffer from attacks of insecurity. Sometimes our minds start the old record of “oh there’s so much out there on this topic already” or “I’ve only been working in this field for X years.”
Cure: Feedback.
It’s critical to find trusted friends and colleagues, ideally who have some business sense, to look at your working draft. Most likely if you’re worried if you’ve delivered enough value you may have even over-delivered. (More on that next week).
Diagnosis: Running on empty.
For the last six months or so, writing has been my full-time gig for the first time in my life, I was a moonlighter. It’s as if I decided to start weightlifting by trying to bench 300 pounds. Yeah, fail. Creativity is limitless, but like an athlete, our ability to perform consistently takes a lot of self-care.
Cure: Filling the well.
For me, slowing down when I feel that the word-well is low and going for a walk, taking a nap in the hammock or cooking dinner all recharge my batteries. As indulgent as it may seem at the moment, I keep reminding myself that my productivity and performance depend on me being well-rested and excited about what I’m doing. Keep the passion in your writing by backing off the gas now and again.
Next week, we’ll talk about common writing pitfalls when it comes to eBooks: Throat Clearing, The War & Peace Problem and Figuring Out Where to Start.
