Most writers I know struggle with motivation when it comes to writing a new book. There are many questions that plague them when they start considering working on a new piece. From what to write about to the reception of the end product, many second guess themselves and sadly many potentially good books go unwritten.

It all starts with you deciding to risk it all and just begin. Wayne Huizenga once said, “Some people dream of success, while others wake up every morning and make it happen.” The difference between potential and success is action. Think about it, it took all the great authors you know to push past their fear and write. Like them, you need to start. Do not wait to get inspired. Just start and watch inspiration follow.

As you progress, you will continually question your style, development, and creativity. On top of that, many ideas will fill your mind and sometimes you may be overwhelmed. The easiest and most practical way to overcome this is to come up with a plan and stick to it. As additional ideas come to you, consider varying your original plan a bit but still remember and keep to your original plot.

In between writing your book, consider joining a writing class or getting yourself an accountability partner. In this way, you will have someone to support you and cheer you on and someone you will have to report to. It is one thing to let yourself down, but I am sure you do not want to let down someone else too, not forgetting the embarrassment of accepting you failed because you could not put in the work.

When you are not writing, think about your book. The scenes, the different characters and their roles, the themes you want to expound on and the final punch, which is what you want readers to take away from reading your book. This will quicken the process of writing when you really get down to it. Make your writing fun and laugh at your own humorous statements. Create deadlines that you can achieve and reward yourself when you do. Consider also writing a particular number of pages per week. You can start with one page per day and in six months you will have one hundred and sixty pages. Still, the most important thing is that you get to enjoy the process.

Many writers start books, but only the determined complete them. You can’t sell an incomplete manuscript, only a full story and the complete package. Still, this is not the worst thing. The most discouraging part will be remembering the time you spent writing a book that you only got halfway through. The grueling work, the time spent on brainstorming, the intricate planning, all for nothing.

At least when you get to complete it, even if your book is not received well, you will still get a lot of helpful feedback and something you can build on in your next book. In a nutshell, starting then leaving halfway will just waste your precious time and discourage you from starting and completing another. You not only need to begin writing, but above everything else, you need to finish and congratulations when you do because you deserve it.