9 reasons you're not writing - and how to fix it (+example actions)

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If you’re curious as to who I am,?here’s more about me. I’ve taught writing at Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, and the University of Florida and organized two of my own book tours across the US. My writing led to chef Chris Kimball interviewing me for his Milk Street Radio Show, and I’ve published 40 issues of a nationally known literary magazine.

The challenges my clients face with writing include finding the time to write and not knowing how to structure their writing or what services would be most beneficial to them. This is difficult to figure out with a busy schedule, which many of my clients have. I hope today’s article sheds light on the types of editing available to you.?

I host a free book class.?Enroll in "How to Publish Your Book," and you can get coaching when you attend live.

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"Why can’t I write more often?" people ask me. As writers, we’ve all wondered this at some point or other.?

Your ideas could be the cream of the cream yet, if you don’t share them, someone else will. And, when someone with an idea doesn’t write about their topic, they can feel exasperated when they see that someone else strode ahead and wrote about the same topic in a book or article.?

That doesn’t have to happen to you (or again), because this article shares what’s likely to stop you and how to fix it.

As an editorial service who helps people craft nonfiction books, we are often asked:

• How do I find time to write?
• I have so many ideas (or no ideas) so what do I do?

After working with 1,000+ writing students – at George Washington University, the University of Florida, Johns Hopkins University, at conferences or through 1-1 work – I’ve uncovered 9 main reasons people don’t write. And I have the solutions for each.?

Avoidance

This is the Chief Stopper and common thread between all the issues at the heart of not writing.?

If you’re dealing with this, please don’t feel bad. This is part of being human. We can tame this and gain mastery over our actions.?

What to do:

For now, think of 3-5 tasks you are avoiding. They do not have to be related to writing. Ask yourself which is the easiest to complete and the most important. Go do it.

In my own non-writing example, I’ve been wanting to hang a painting I bought a few years ago. I haven't hung the painting, because I couldn’t get the hanging tools I'd bought to work properly. Finally, I sat down and researched new picture hanging tools, bought one, and the picture is going up!?

The act of taking steps to avoid avoidance (see what I did there?) will help you build your muscle and prevent avoidance in the future. As you work on this over time, sitting down to write will become easier.?

Lack of clarity

When writing a book, the central idea can be called a throughline, a red thread, a key point, or a main idea. This main idea is the spinal column if we consider the book the “human body.” This spinal column holds the central pieces together and creates a cohesive reader experience.

If we’re not clear about our main idea or the supporting topics and stories, we can feel uncertain and confused. After authors told me of their struggles to structure their books, I developed a system and VIP Book Incubator that directly supports and fixes this issue. My suggestion for you comes straight from my work with authors over the years.?

What to do:?

Create a list.

To gain clarity on your topics, list out any potential ideas you have. Allow every idea to be written without letting judgment ask you if the idea is “good enough.” Your job here is simply to write down ideas without judging.?

Too many ideas

This “problem” can be more beneficial than you might think, because the ideas can be untangled and sorted.?

What to do:?

Use a mind map tool, such as Coggle, or plain pen and paper to capture and jot down your ideas. If using software feels clunky, use the pen and paper method.

A mind map tool helps you capture ideas without worrying about structure or sequence. This can open up your brain to more creative thinking and bring forth surprising and unique ideas and angles for your audience to swoon over.?

The Doubter

At some point, our brains will trick us into avoiding the very actions we want to take in order to succeed. The Doubter works closely with Worry and Avoidance to prevent creativity.?Are we doing to let them stop us? No way!

What to do:?

Let doubt inspire you to action.

Each time you doubt yourself, write something. By doing this, you’ll be turning the doubt into progress.

The Worry and The Fear - related to the Doubter

These like to masquerade as questions, including:

• What will my colleagues think?
• Does the world need another book/article on this topic?

These can also hide in "research" that never ends. If we find ourselves asking others, reading more articles than necessary, listening to others more than ourselves, then we might ponder if Worry or Fear is at play.

What to do:?

The solution is the same as for The Doubter. Each time you feel worried about your project, write. You’ll be surprised at how much you’re accomplishing!

The “No Time” Timer

When we want to learn how to do something new, we look to experts. Some experts may say we need to write an hour every day or share other rules around writing. I don’t believe in that at all.

What will work best for you is what works best for you.?

Maybe writing an hour a day is the solution. Maybe it’s not.?

What to do:

Find your own way.

Experiment with different methods. For example, write an hour a day and see if you think that works well. If not, try writing 2, 4, or 5 hours in one day. Which feels better and more productive to you?

The Judge

This term comes from Shirzad Chamine’s labels for what he calls “saboteurs." He writes that humans all share The Judge as a saboteur that works in connection with more individual “accomplice” saboteurs.

The Judge tells us we can’t do something or that we’re bad and is usually that "Mean Brain Voice" in our head. If you find you have a mean voice in your head, that is probably the Judge at work.

What to do:

You can take Chamine’s assessment to see which of your saboteurs might be causing you issues. This can be a helpful way to diagnose a solution. His book Positive Intelligence contains more on each of the saboteurs or you can read about them on his website.?

Unclear Purpose

A mission keeps you going when the going gets tough. If we don’t know why we’re writing, we might not keep going.?

That’s why I cover the “why” when starting work with my students and clients. We identify their purpose for wanting to get a message out into the world. Why do they want to share their ideas and wisdom? Why is their writing, book, or article important to them to share? What do they hope to gain or accomplish personally or professionally??

Some reasons can include:?

• leaving a legacy,?
• sharing knowledge,?
• creating a smoother path for others, and?
• growing business while positively impacting more people.?

What to do:

Clarify your reasons for wanting to work on your writing project.

I invite you to post your reasons above your work space, so you can see them every day. Doing this will offer you a reminder of why you’re working through the steps to write what you want to write.?

I Believe in You.

They say the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The next best time is to plant the tree now. Your dream relies on you in order to exist and requires you to plant and care for it.

You probably can't travel back in time to plant the dream 10 years ago (unless you are magic!) so now is the next best time. And you have the power to make that happen even with the smallest of steps.

What will those steps look like?

• Choosing to let doubt inspire you by writing when you feel doubt?
• Writing in a marathon session of 2, 3 or more hours?
• Scheduling an hour to write?

Get Free Help to Publish Your Book

I publish a free email newsletter on writing effectively to raise your profile and grow business. Each newsletter usually offers resources, and the content isn't the same as here. Here’s the link to sign up:?

https://www.radiantmedialabs.com/letter

I host a free Book Publishing Class, so you can get answers to your nonfiction book-related questions. This includes a brief lesson on a topic related to publishing, and you can bring any questions you have about writing or publishing.

Enroll in the next free?Book Publishing Class?here:?

https://www.radiantmedialabs.com/radlab