You can write a book in 30 days… but should you?

30 days.

A month, thereabouts.

It’s a popular length for fitness challenges. It was once thought to be enough time to embed a new habit. (It’s now believed to be just over twice that.) It’s almost the length of Dry July. And it’s far less than the amount of time that Aucklanders have just spent in lockdown.

30 days is enough time to read plenty of books. But is it enough time to write one?

My initial reaction was “of course not!” But then again, it’s long enough for the moon to go through a cycle around the Earth so maybe lofty things are possible…?

Writing a book is something that many aspire to. When I first started working in this space (and talking to people about it), I was met with a chorus of, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to do that!” These people had passion, a story to tell, knowledge to pass on.

However, there’s also the perception that most people can’t. We imagine that, short of shutting ourselves in a secluded cabin in the woods for six months (or longer), writing a book is a gargantuan task that many simply never achieve.

I can see why a method that promises that you can write a book in 30 days is appealing.

Late last month, I joined an Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) event during which Aussie EOer Tracy Angwin shared her experience of following author and presenter Andrew Griffiths’ method to write a book manuscript in 30 days. My curiosity was piqued.

The method

The process itself seemed simple. Come up with the central question your book answers; so far, so good. Mind map your book and group the concepts into chapters on your page, before further mind mapping each chapter. The suggestion then was to write a pitch document to a publisher. You don’t have to have any intention of using a publisher but having the document – that covers who your book is for, a high-level look at what it will cover etc. – is a good thing to refer to when you get stuck. This was all advice I could get on board with.

Then you get into the gritty part: the writing. This is where the 30 days kicks off. The plan is to write 1,000 words a day for 30 days – landing you, at the end of that period, with a solid manuscript – before you move on to editing, design, print and marketing to leverage the book.

It doesn’t guarantee you a fully finished product in the 30-day timeframe, but the method does support getting the bulk of the heavy lifting done efficiently. I can certainly see some benefits.

The pros

It gets you started. Anyone who has every busied themselves with other (read: less important) tasks to feel productive, while procrastinating on a big project, understands how difficult this can be.

It encourages progress. A bit like laying out your workout clothes the night before (or sleeping in them) so you can get up for the gym without too much thought, committing to writing your daily quota every day removes the ‘Will I, won’t I?’ of it. You’re no longer waiting for inspiration to strike. You don’t have to feel “in the mood”. Progress is prized over perfection and you can virtuously tick something off your list.

It removes the pressure. You’ll have heard that you’re not supposed to edit while you’re writing, but – like many things we know are good for us – it’s not always easy to do. With this process your words don’t have to hit the page perfectly polished; that comes later. Remove the judgment and roll with the rhythm of it. You can fix a first draft, but you can’t fix a blank page.

The cons

It relies on what you know right now. A book – if done well – is the best representation of your knowledge and ideas at the time. This pace significantly condenses your thinking time. You deepen your thinking by doing, by living your ideas and there’s only a month here. ?it’s not a lot of time to test your thinking, or apply your ideas in other contexts if you haven’t already done that.

It depends on your ability to access and articulate what you know. Most experts can only articulate 30% of their expertise, because the bulk of their knowledge and skill has become automatic. Consider the clarity that comes from sharing your ideas out loud. This is what I refer to as thinking socially. Talking, and fielding others’ questions helps uncover the blind spots where you need to fill in more detail. Solo writing doesn't provide that opportunity.

It won’t be great. When you’re writing at pace, it’s unlikely that you’ll produce the best writing of your life. That doesn’t mean it can’t become something great, but be realistic that you’re unlikely to land at a bestseller list at the end of the 30 days. You will definitely still have work to do. Be prepared.

30 days to write a book isn’t unreasonable, but it also isn’t foolproof. Can an awareness of the cons overcome them? I’ve got experience writing books with a much longer timeline, but I haven’t tried this method. I believe in having the experience to back up our thinking, so that’s what I’ll do.