The hardest part of every book is actually starting. Even as a professional ghostwriter, starting with a blank page and a whole book in front of you is intense. I think that’s a universal fact of writing a book.
What differs is the reasons for the blank page scaries. For first-time authors, starting a book is intimidating because they’re unsure if they can actually do it, how the process will work, if they’ll have enough to write about, etc.
For professional ghostwriters, we’re once again starting fresh. We once again have a whole book in front of us. But for us, each book is different. There’s a new author, new style, new stories, new voice, and new cadence to figure out.
No matter what type of pause the blank page gives you, don’t let it allow you to stay stuck. Here’s how I get past the blank page blues.
Create an Outline
There are two types of outlines, and both are helpful in the process of actually getting started.
The first step is creating an outline for the full book. If this sounds intimidating, let’s make it easier. The outline doesn’t need to have all the answers, and it doesn’t need to be set in stone. It just needs to act as a guide as you go through the process of writing so that you are putting something together that is cohesive and compelling. To put it simply, you’ll think of a theme, list out topics you want to teach on related to that theme, and list a few subtopics and stories related to each topic.
Once that’s put together and it’s time to start the actual writing, you’ll once again be feeling like you’re staring at a blank page. This is when it’s time for our mini outline.
Before I start any chapter, no matter where I am in the book, I always outline the chapter. To do this, I outline the high-level subsections I want to cover in the chapter, a few points I want to make sure to cover in those subsections, and where I want the stories to be placed within the chapter.
Voila! You no longer have a blank page.
You now have your structure in place and key ideas to cover. This frees up immense mental energy and allows you to devote that to the actual writing.
Start Slow
I’ve learned to start books slowly. Each book has its own flow, vibe, and groove. It takes some time to get into that.
By giving yourself permission to start slow, it’s an easier, more enjoyable, and more effective way to get into that groove.
Starting slow allows you to gain momentum. It’s normal to feel like you have to get large chunks of writing done when you have a whole book in front of you. But this is often what forces us to stay stuck. We think we need a lot of time, creative bursts of energy, etc. If we start with just a small amount at a time, we gain the momentum that allows us to find the groove.
Furthermore, starting slow allows us the time and mental space to focus on the details, like how we want to structure our chapters, the writing style, places we need to dig in further, etc. As we get further into the book, some of this becomes second nature. Giving ourselves permission to start slow early on allows us to devote more attention to these facets of the book, which pays off later.
Get Over Perfection
Part of why it’s hard to start is many writers’ tendencies towards perfection, or wanting to get it “right” the first try. This is definitely me and is something I need to regularly remind myself to get past.
No first draft of a book is ever perfect. It’s messy. The focus is progress, not perfection.
For any author/writer, we have to remind ourselves that the goal of the first draft is to get everything down on paper. The stories, the teachings, and the reflections. It’s literally about getting the words on the paper in a way that generally makes sense.
The manuscript gets refined in the next draft and polished further by editors later on. There’s plenty of time for that.
I think the need to get over perfectionism is particularly strong for ghostwriters for a couple of reasons. First, someone is paying us for the writing of their manuscript. We want it to be as good as we can get it before we hand it off to the client to review. But no matter how good we are, over the course of a whole book, the client will, and should, have feedback.
Furthermore, we’re often in the finishing stages of other books as we’re starting new books. The finishing stages of a project do require refining and polishing. We then have to shift our mindset to a project where we simply need to focus on getting the ideas and stories on paper in a way that makes sense to be polished later.
No matter if you’re a first-time author, a repeat author, or a professional writer, getting over perfection is the key to actually starting to eventually make it to the polishing part of the process.
If you’ve been struggling with the blank page and would love support in moving your message forward, a ghostwriter might be a great option for you. We are experts in getting past the blank page blues. If you’d love to bring a business or leadership book to life, book a free strategy session using the button below!
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.