“Nothing is as easy as it looks.”
That’s Murphy’s first law, and it applies to just about anything in life. Whether it’s starting a business, cooking a meal, or making a jump shot, just about everything looks easy until you try to do it yourself.
That’s true for writing books and often creates unnecessary anxiety for authors. Here are three reasons why you may think writing a book is easier for other people than it is for you.
Writing a Book is Different
Writing a book is different than any other kind of writing. There are lots of new things that surprise you. Situations you didn’t expect lie in wait to trip you up. Bottom line: you’ll encounter lots of situations that are new to you.
All Beginnings are Difficult
A rabbinic maxim states that “all beginnings are difficult.” If writing a book is new to you, it won’t be easy. That’s because there are many new situations, and you must learn to do things you’ve never done before.
You See the End Product, not the Struggle
If writing a book is new to you, it won’t be easy. But you look around and see other authors and think, “Gosh, it seems so easy for them!”
Sometimes, it seems easy because that’s how the authors portray it. They want to project the image that they are talented souls and that writing just comes easily and naturally. They want you to think it’s easy for them.
Most of the time, you think it’s easier for everyone else because you don’t see the struggle. You see the end product. You see the interview with the glib author. You catch a little bit of an author’s social media presence. Those things make you think other people don’t struggle like you do.
Know this. Writing a book is hard work. It takes dedication, discipline, and patience to produce great work. It’s easier for some folks than it is for others. It will be harder if you’re just learning to write a book. But everybody struggles, especially in the beginning.