If you want to write a book, you probably can. You can learn to do some things you don’t know how to do now, you can improve your writing, and you can hire people to do things you don’t want to learn to do yourself. What’s essential, though, is that you BYOD – Bring Your Own Discipline.
BYOD To Sharpen Your Ideas
You’ll need discipline to sharpen your ideas. Most ideas seem crystal-clear when they’re inside your head. But when you start trying to put them down on paper, either as part of a book, part of a book plan, or part of a book proposal, you’ll find lots to sharpen up.
It’s natural to think that you’re clear and the people around you “just don’t get it.” The sad truth is that you’re most likely the problem. You need discipline to listen and discipline to sharpen your ideas until they work.
BYOD To Get the Writing Done
Getting the writing done means that you’re probably going to carve out time in your already demanding schedule. You’ll give up on some things you like to work on your book. There will be times when you’d rather be doing something else, but you’ll turn away from that to work on your book. That takes discipline.
BYOD To Follow the Process
Most quality business books go through several revisions. That takes discipline. It takes discipline to revise one more time when you think you’ve got it “pretty good.” Beware the phrase “good enough” and bring your discipline to make it better.
BYOD To Hear Helpful Suggestions
Most of us don’t see our ideas clearly when we’re putting a book together. To make our book the best it can be, we need evaluation by others. That might mean a writing coach, a developmental editor, or a literary agent.
Beta readers will give you all kinds of feedback that makes you uncomfortable. Taking it all in, saying “thank you,” and using all that commentary takes discipline.
BYOD To Be a Good Teammate
We glorify the author, but every quality book is a team project. There’s professional help, like writing coaches, editors, and subject matter experts. There’s volunteer help, like beta readers and family and friends. No matter how many things you’re good at, you will need to be a part of a team to create a great book. That takes discipline.
Bottom Line
People like you write most of the great business books. You can do it, but it won’t be easy. You’ll need to Bring Your Own Discipline and put in the time if you want to write a great book.