Is Writing a Book Hard? – Yes? Is it? Really? NO? Let’s Find Out

Is writing your storybook hard?
Yes.

But wait!

It’s also awesome.

Writing a book is absolutely thrilling, extremely rewarding, and a lot of fun.

So, let’s split this down into two questions.

1. What makes writing a book difficult?
2. How do you get over the hard part?

We’ll start with the hard part.

Writing a Book is Difficult

You’ve probably heard someone claim, “I have an idea, and I’m going to write a book about it,” and then watch as they never did. Many individuals avoid writing a book because it is challenging. Forcing oneself to sit down, brainstorm, write, edit, rewrite, edit, cut, add, rewrite, workshop, rewrite, and rewrite until you have somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 words is exhausting. Most people cannot accomplish it. When you’re one of the few who can, it helps you feel great about yourself.

Editing is Painful

The effort and time spent writing a scene can be in vain if it does not fit perfectly with your story. It doesn’t matter if it’s your favorite scene; if it’s unsuitable for your book, it must be removed. Deleting your writing, especially words you worked so hard to create, may be pretty heartbreaking. But you do it despite the pain because, deep down, you’re tough as nails and know your book will benefit from it.

It is Impossible to Know When You are “Finished.”

Is your Chapter 1 strong enough? Are you doing enough showing rather than telling? Should your primary character walk or stroll in this particular scene? You’re on draft #17, and after rereading it, you believe an 18th draft is necessary. Finished may be a definitive term for the end of a baseball game or a Broadway show, but it is relative to writing. After all, there is no obvious sign that your manuscript is perfect. At some point, every writer must take a leap of faith and believe in their writing. It’s not easy to do, but you have to do what you have to do.

Cold-querying Agents are Scary

Cold-querying agents are like going door-to-door in an unfamiliar neighborhood and convincing people they should admire and invest in your haircut. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself (and your manuscript, which you’ve been working on for who knows how long) out there for the public to judge. Only a few people have the confidence to do so.

Rejection is Everywhere (yet you still keep going)

Whether the rejection comes from an agency, a publisher, a writing group critique partner, your inner critic, or a family member who does not think writing is an effective use of your time, you continue to work toward your goal of finishing a manuscript and having it published. Persistence and determination are essential qualities for a writer.

Getting Paid for Your Work is More Challenging Than Ever

We all fantasize about seven-figure advances and splurging on something we’ve always desired, such as a luxury car. However, the truth is the majority of advances are so small that they are insufficient to buy a used car that was popular nearly a decade ago. If you’re writing a novel, you face the challenges of writing a book with little reward—but you press onward because writing is what you were destined to do. Sounds like the motto of a superhero.

Achieving a Dream is Rare—But Awesome

Many individuals attempt to write a book, but only a few succeed. Whether it’s because they didn’t put in the time, make the necessary sacrifices, were too afraid they weren’t good enough, gave up when things got tough, or whatever, they didn’t do whatever it took to make their goal a reality. If you’ve finished your manuscript (or are on your way to finishing a manuscript), you’re one of only a few people in the world who have. And when you fight hard to attain a difficult dream, you are undeniably a great writer… and no one can ever take that away from you.

Other factors that make writing a book difficult;

• Writing a book can be hard because it contains many moving parts

There are many factors to consider to guarantee that the story is cohesive and effective.

Character arcs, such as aligning needs with the theme and smoothly taking your character from their want and lie to transformation.

Plot, including setting up your structure so that the appropriate plot beats mirror, impact, and logically lead to one another. You have to consider foreshadowing to think about the pros. Genre traditions, character relationships, and the list goes on.

Writing a book feels like a juggling act. One in which you repeatedly drop the ball. So, what do you do? You pick them back up and continue.

• Writing a book can be challenging since it demands a wealth of knowledge

To follow up on the previous point, to effectively balance all of a novel’s moving pieces, you must first have a working knowledge of what those parts are.

The more you study story structure and theory, effective writing strategies and practices, and how these elements relate to great stories, the better your technical and emotional skills will become.

• Writing a book is difficult since it requires a lot of time

Some individuals can fly through their writing process, but not everyone is one of those individuals. The original writing process is time-consuming, as are the revision steps and other components that go into writing and launching a book.

• Writing a book is difficult because it requires you to question yourself

If you decide to write, you will doubt yourself. You will doubt if you are good enough or capable of doing it. You may wonder if anybody cares, or you may become discouraged after reading an outstanding story written by someone else.

Writing a book is about persevering through lows and bouts of self-doubt and emerging stronger on the other end.

• Writing a book is difficult because it requires you to reveal your true self

To write a great novel, you must grasp not only the complexities of writing but also the complexities of humans and, let’s be honest, the entire universe.

Stories are about universal truths and ideas. To get there, you must be willing to delve deep. To be vulnerable. To write unforgettable characters, consider what makes someone tick—most likely yourself. The more vulnerable you can be while writing, the greater storyteller you will become.

How Do You Overcome the Hard Part?

Even with all of the challenges that will come up (you have to trust this), you can write a novel—one to be proud of. You can submit it to the publishing houses and perhaps print it for everyone to enjoy. What you need to remember is that this is a marathon, not a race.

Take Small Steps

Rather than attempting to write as much of the story as possible, dividing your novel into segments is better. First, write down all of the characters. Then, put down as much of their personality as possible to anticipate how they would react to a situation. Then, you can outline each chapter and write down what happens. In the end, you have a summary of your novel, which makes it easier to write the dialogue and scenes.

You Don’t Have to Write Your Novel as Fast as Possible

That is the beauty of this process. It is a plan. You now have a great blueprint for your novel. You can take your time and truly craft it. You are no longer mindlessly writing a book.

All You Have to Do Now is Finish

Those worries and fears will still exist, but you can easily set them aside because you have an outline to work with. So, just write your novel. Editing always comes next.

Do Not Give Up on Writing Your Story

Create a plan for your novel, then write it. You understand what each chapter is about. All you have to do is fill in the gaps. The best part of a marathon is reaching the finish line. Finishing a race might take many hours if not days. But crossing that finish line is worth it.

Finish it

We need your voice, and we need to hear your story. Don’t hide what you’re thinking from the rest of the world. It just makes it easier for you to share with us.

Cheers!

FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions