Today’s task is never to write a book

This past weekend I read Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell. It is exactly what I need as I keep reframing my perfectionistic tendencies to overcome writer’s block. (Even though the book is aimed at novel writers, his strategies apply to writers of nonfiction as well.)

Here are my top takeaways, which I hope will convince you to add this book to your bookshelf.

Takeaway 1:

As promised in the subtitle, the book describes a three-draft approach to writing. I struggle with getting words on the page - the first draft. Bell recommends just getting words out, as opposed to starting at a beginning. 

This is a revolutionary concept for me. The words I put on the page don’t have to be perfect or even good; they don’t have to be coherent or cohesive or logical or linear. I can write bits and scraps and fix things later. I’m definitely a “start at the beginning and write towards a conclusion” kind of person, which inhibits exploratory, generative, forward-motion writing.

I do want to note that this is the kind of writing a reader or a coach can’t and shouldn’t evaluate - this process is just for you, the writer, to get words out of your head and onto the page. There will be subsequent passes and revisions that shape your stuff into a draft someone can read, don’t worry.

Takeaway 2:

The task of any individual day is never to write a book. 

Duh, but also, whew!

It feels overwhelming to say you’re going to write a book - and then do it. As they say, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Or, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. Bell gives tiny-but-practical suggestions that allow you to just get started. What a relief that it doesn’t have to look or feel like a book from day one/page one/word one.

Takeaway 3:

One of my mindset issues is, if I’m not working on “the book,” am I even working? This book proves that yes, the thinking and the drafting and the revisiting and the trying are all valid and necessary steps in writing a book. So again, the value is not in producing words or pages, but in spending time working on/through/with ideas. Shaping comes later; right now we’re just generating the raw material from which we will sculpt our books. This is a huge mindset shift for me that is helping me overcome blocks and fears.

I highly recommend this guide to anyone who wants to write a book.

Have you read it? Are you going to? Let me know!