How to Write a Business Book – Continue Writing Your Initial Draft

How’s that first draft of your business book coming along?

Are things humming along nicely or have you hit a roadblock? Either way, it is completely normal. Writing a book can be a mixed bag – one week the words are flying from our fingers, and the next we cannot think of a single original idea.

Just remember. Now is not the time for comparing yourself to others or critiquing your work. Getting the first draft done is about getting it done. Everything can be fixed in the editing process.

All you need to do, for now, is keep going. But if you do find you’re struggling, here are a few tricks that I use, and some that my authors use as well to keep your bum in the seat and your fingers on the keyboard!

How to Write a Business Book – Continue Writing Your Initial Draft

Last month we began our initial draft. Now let’s keep the writing momentum going on writing your business book with these three basic guidelines:

1. Stick to your writing schedule
2. Find inspiration
3. Remember why you’re doing this!

Stick to your writing schedule

Remember that writing schedule we drafted up last month?

Have you been sticking to it? Or has it been lost under a sea of papers or internet tabs?

Now is a good time to yank it out again and assess whether you’ve been hitting your word count for each day / week / month.

If so, well done! If not, we now have two months purely dedicated to writing – so now is your time to shine.

Over these next two months, there is really only one task for you. And that is to maintain your writing momentum. Keep letting those words hit the paper. Hit your word targets and watch your total word count grow.

To be honest, this is where most authors fall down. It’s not the idea, or even the outlining, that causes an author to stall in their book writing. It’s the momentum. The consistency. Showing up each and every writing day, and chipping away at it.

This might feel like the boring part to you (or perhaps you’ve tapped into the flow and are LOVING it). But it’s only by being consistent that you’ll get your book done.

Find inspiration

Showing up every day to put in the work is hard. It can be monotonous. It can be frustrating.

But we’re not going to let it be the roadblock that ends this business book writing project. You’ve come too far to give up now.

As a writer myself, I also struggle with consistency at times. Sometimes I find it impossible to even keep my bum on the seat! So, I wanted to share some tried and tested ideas to keep the writing momentum going throughout your book-writing journey.

It’s important to note that what works for me might not work for you, and vice-versa. Simply choose any of the ideas below that that speak to you.

Turn on the tunes.

This is one of my personal favourites – I often listen to music (or even watch old sitcoms) when I write, as it keeps my mind from wandering off and my concentration on the task at hand! It sounds counterintuitive, and for some of you, this will be the last thing you need. But if you are struggling, see if it’s something that might work for you.

Develop a routine.

Making writing a daily habit is a great way to ensure consistency. When it’s simply part of your routine, you’re more likely to keep showing up. If you know you work best at a certain time of day, or in a certain place, make sure that it’s part of the routine.

Then smash that routine!

If your routine is feeling monotonous, it’s time to change things up. For example, if you usually write at night, try an early-morning morning session instead. Or if you write at home, try a coffee shop.

Ask someone to keep you accountable.

Whether it’s your partner, a family member, friend or colleague, having someone checking in regularly to make sure your writing can really help. You can even set prompts and reminders on apps and computer programs.

Remember we’re after progress, not perfection.

This is your reminder that we’re currently in the first-draft stage and our priority is getting words on the page – not prize-winning prose. Feeling the need to write great work can stall creativity. In fact, writer’s block isn’t usually not being able to write at all – it’s that we’re not writing in the way we were expecting to. Take the pressure off, and just keep writing.

Jump ahead.

Sometimes when we’re losing interest in one part of our book, it can help to skip to a part we’re feeling motivated to write. Structure and format can all be rejigged at any stage. The important thing is to keep writing.

Get moving.

A quick burst of exercise can help us to come back to our writing with fresh ideas and an improved mindset. Close the laptop and take a brisk walk around the block, do a few laps in the pool or get your heart racing with a workout.

You might not know this about me, but I do a little bit of filming (background work!) for a great online fitness group, called Team Body Project. There’s loads of free workouts on YouTube. But if this isn’t your cup of tea, a bit of stretching, or just a little walk can clear the cobwebs.

Check out.

Brain breaks can help too. Allow yourself to stop dwelling on your book for an hour, or a day, or even a week. Just do something else – anything else! A mental reset might be just what you need to get back into productivity mode.

Set a timer.

Have you tried the Pomodoro Technique? This is a time-management strategy where you work in increments, and then take short breaks between. It helps people to maintain focus on the task at hand.

Prepare.

Make sure you have everything you need at your desk before you start work. I sometimes catch myself getting up from my desk to grab a glass of water or a snack, as a way to procrastinate.

Turn off your phone!

This is my biggest time suck. And if it is for you as well, just turn it off. It’s not forever. Just until you get your writing for the day done.

Seek feedback.

Sometimes others can motivate us. If you need some initial feedback to keep your momentum going, you can start sharing early chapters with trusted readers for feedback.

Think outside the box.

We all work in different ways, and some writers may need totally different ways to maintain their focus. If it works for you, whatever it is, great! Embrace it. Just keep going!

Remember why you’re doing this!

Personally, I find this can be a huge motivating factor to keeping me committed to my writing tasks.

Remember why you’re writing your business book. Who will it serve? How will it benefit their lives? And think about what it will do for you, for your business and for your thought leadership. It will be worth it in the end. So, keep moving forward.

Well done for keeping that momentum going!

You’re right in the thick of it now and showing up every day is no small feat. This stage of writing the initial draft should keep you busy through most of April and May.

A great barometer of success here is if your initial draft is growing in proportion to the time you’re spending on the book. It doesn’t have to be sparkling, five-star prose. There will be plenty of time for editing later. For now, you just need to be doing the work.

Next month we will conduct the mid-book review and research! And if you’ve just found this blog, start with my first blog in the series, ‘How to Write a Business Book (and Get it Published) in 2024!)