Is Writing a Book Hard?
Yes.
Let me just begin this by saying, yes. Writing a book is hard.
But wait!
It’s also awesome.
Writing a book is completely thrilling, tremendously rewarding, and so. much. fun.
So let’s break this down with two questions:
What makes writing a book hard?
What makes writing a book worth it?
We’ll start with the hard part.
Writing a book is hard because novels have so many moving parts.
There are SO many things to juggle in order to ensure that your story is cohesive and effective.
Character arcs, including things like aligning need with theme and seamlessly taking your character from their want and lie to their transformation.
(To see this in a simple, straightforward plug-and-play template, check out the Story Map.)
Plot, including setting up your structure so that the proper plot beats mirror, impact, and logically lead to one another. You’ve got foreshadowing to think about and prose. Genre conventions, character relationships, the list goes on.
Writing a book truly feels like a juggling act. One in which you’re constantly dropping the balls.
So what do you do? You pick them back up and keep going.
Writing a book is hard because it requires a lot of knowledge.
Going along with the first point, to properly balance all of a novel’s moving parts you first need to have a working knowledge of what those parts are.
I believe that the more you learn about story structure and theory, effective writing techniques and practices, and how all of these pieces apply to great stories, the more your skills will improve technically and emotionally.
(I am ALL ABOUT story mechanics combined with deep emotion.)
Writing a book is hard because it takes a lot of time.
I know that some people fly through their writing process.
I am not one of those people.
Not only is the initial writing process time intensive, so are each of the revision steps and ALL of the other parts that go into writing and publishing a book.
Writing a book is hard because it causes you to question yourself.
If you choose to write, you will doubt yourself.
You’ll wonder if you’re good enough or if you can do it.
You’ll wonder if anyone will care. You’ll become discouraged when you read an incredible story written by someone else.
Writing a book is about being able to push through all of those lows and bouts with self-doubt and come out stronger on the other side.
Writing a book is hard because it makes you strip yourself bare.
To write a great story, you need to not only understand the intricacies of writing, you need to understand the intricacies of humans and, let’s face it, the entire world.
Stories are about universal truths and themes. And to get there, you’ll have to be willing to dig deep. To be vulnerable.
To write great characters, you’ll need to think about what makes someone tick—probably yourself. The more vulnerable you’re able to be as you write, the better of a storyteller you’ll become.
Now let’s move onto the fun part.
Writing a book is worth it because it has so many moving parts.
It’s fun to learn about all of the pieces of a story and then to put them together like a puzzle.
You’ll have incredible insights and a-ha moments. And, best of all, sometimes things will just come together perfectly.
Your subconscious will do the hard part for you and after straining and trying to fit square pegs in round holes, you’ll discover that perfect little groove in your story.
It will turn out that your subconscious was preparing it all along.
Writing a book is worth it because it requires a lot of knowledge.
I don’t know about you, but I love learning.
I especially love studying subjects I am passionate about. I spend time every single day reading and watching videos and analyzing stories I love. And it fills me with joy and wonder.
(Psst - I pass on that knowledge here on this very blog.)
Writing a book is worth it because it takes a lot of time.
When you’ve put not only your heart and soul, but the most precious resource you have—time—into something. It’s so rewarding to see it come to fruition.
Writing a book is worth it because it causes you to question yourself.
Life is about growth!
It’s about learning and insight and discovery. Writing will cause you to push yourself, yes. But it will also lead to some of your most rewarding insights into the mysteries of life and people and the way the world works.
Writing a book is worth it because it makes you strip yourself bare.
I love getting to know myself better. Everyone does! It’s why personality quizzes are so popular. If you really want to get to know yourself, to uncover the deepest parts of what make you you, then write.
So there you go! The answer to the question, is writing a book hard?
Hopefully, I haven’t scared you away. I LOVE writing. And the payoff of writing an entire book is something well worth the effort. So go do it!
The fastest way to write a strong story is with an effective outline that plots your novel’s beating heart.
In Outline Your Novel, you’ll learn exactly what these beats are, why they matter, and how to outline them effectively to make your story sing.
