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Why You’ll Never Succeed at Creativity

Some people think I succeed at creativity because I talk about it and write about it all the time. If I’m being honest, I’ll tell you that creativity is as much a struggle for me as it is for most anyone else. In fact, sometimes I feel like I’m not at all creative. It’s not easy to come up with a creative way to preach the Gospel every week, let alone write blog posts three times a week with at least some kind of creative bent. I certainly don’t think I’m anywhere near the most creative person in the world, let alone in my own family.

Creative Struggle

However, my interest in the subject has helped me put things into place that will bring more success to my creative pursuits. They’re not foolproof unless I actually put them into practice. Succeeding at creativity is more a choice than it is a gift. You have to work at it. You have to put time and effort into it. You have to have the desire to be more creative and bring more creativity to your job, your work, your art, and even your play.

I’ve discovered that you’ll never succeed at creativity if:

    1. You don’t read books about creativity. You won’t succeed at creativity if you’re not reading Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace or The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life or Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative or The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, or other books like these. Reading most anything is sure to light your creative spark. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity don’t read these books. Reading fuels too much creativity, so if you want to avoid creativity, don’t read.
    2. You don’t set aside time for creation. You won’t succeed at creativity unless you schedule it into your calendar. That’s right: make an appointment with yourself to think, to doodle, to study, to read, or to write. Your creative time will pay off with benefits that will surprise you. When I actually do this prior to the time I set to write a sermon, I find myself connecting far more creative dots than I do when I fail to schedule some creative time. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never schedule any time for it.
    3. You don’t take walks, run, or ride your bike. You won’t succeed at creativity if you don’t move. One of my favorite times of the day is when I get to ride my bike. I try to do so most days of the week. I do it in the morning to get my creative juices flowing right at the start of the day. When I ride, I don’t listen to music or podcasts (first of all, it’s too dangerous!). I let my mind wander. I think about how I can ride faster. I try to make up stories about the people I pass as I ride. I ponder the things I’ve been reading or studying. The neurons in my brain are firing faster and in far different ways than they do when I’m just sitting at a desk or in front of a TV. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never use physical activities to get away from your daily grind.
    4. You don’t welcome others into your creative pursuits. You won’t succeed at creativity if you don’t learn from others. The times when my sermons have been the most creative were the times I had a creative team to help walk through texts, come up with main ideas, and put those ideas into the concrete form of some kind of visual or object. When I had all of that in front of me, my sermons simply flowed onto the page. Letting others into your creativity help sometimes distant ideas become connected in new and interesting ways. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never let others brainstorm with you.
    5. You don’t tell stories. You won’t succeed at creativity if you don’t listen to people’s stories, find them interesting, and learn from them. People love stories. They love the conflict, the climax, the denouement, the conclusion. They love following along. Just take a look at the success of all the new shows and series’ on Netflix. People love a good story. Use stories in your writing, in your art, even in your business. They will draw people in. People will see you as more creative when you tell good stories. Keep your eyes open for them. They are all around you in your everyday life. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never pay attention to, or use, stories.

What are some other reasons that people will never succeed at creativity?

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Setting Up Your Own Creation Station

A Creation Station is a helpful place or space for you to do your best creating. Recently, a friend of ours was cleaning out their home office to make a nursery for their soon-to-come new addition. As she was doing so, their young daughter decided to make her own Creation Station filled with idea notebooks and recycled materials. While she was creating the space, she hung up the “Heart for Art” award she got from school. It was “for displaying great enthusiasm and passion for visual arts.”

PARIS, FRANCE - November 23, 2014: Artists in Place du Tertre. Many artists set up their easels each day for the tourists in this famous and picturesque square in Montmartre

As the little girl was putting together her Creation Station, complete with an award for her art, she said:

“Whenever I think I can’t make something I’ll just look at this and know I earned it because I can do it; just be creative!”

You can do it, too. Just be creative. And it’s easier to do so if you create space for you to do it. Space isn’t just an area or expanse where you do your creating. It is also space on your calendar. And it is space in your brain.

Here’s how to make your own Creation Station:

  1. Make a space. Your Creation Station should be a place that inspires and motivates you. One of my least motivating places is my office at church. I find that there are far too many interruptions to get much time for deep, creative thinking. I need a place that inspires and motivates me, so I do most of my writing at a table in our eating area at home. I like to have the door open, and often have instrumental music playing. Music with words is too distracting to me. Another place that I create well is in a public place like a coffee shop or a Panera restaurant. You’d think the noises in those places would distract me, but they don’t. They energize me. If your creativity involves painting or other messy pursuits, you’ll probably have to make your space at home. But when you do, you are more free to surround yourself with art, pictures, or quotations that inspire you and motivate you to create. Creation Stations aren’t just for kids.
  2. Make time. Your Creation Station needs to be on your calendar. Creativity takes time. Sometimes it takes “empty” time, where you just do some thinking, or even something unrelated to your creative pursuit. Doing things unrelated to my writing are often the times I come up with my best ideas. But when I have the idea I need the time. I don’t want to just find the time. I want the time actually scheduled into my calendar so that it becomes an appointment just like anything else on my calendar. When it’s there, I take it seriously and use the time for making and creating.
  3. Make room in your brain. Your Creation Station starts first in your brain. You know that cluttered closet way back in your brain, with the door shut and dust collecting everywhere? It’s time to open that door, clear out the clutter, remember the times from days gone by when you were creative (because we all were), and make that old closet a Creation Station in your head. Watch a movie. Read books both inside and outside your area of creativity. Go to a museum and spend an hour taking it in. Attend a concert. In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron says that you should take yourself on “artist’s dates” at least once a week, by yourself, to fill your creative reserves with material. You never know how these dates and times will inspire you or give you material when you most need it.

It doesn’t take much to make your own Creation Station. So when you do, remind yourself to “just be creative,” like our little friend. You can do it.

Where is your Creation Station?

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3 Questions to Ask as You Start a New Year

Happy New Year! You’ve made it. The past year is but a memory. The new year is but a baby. You finished last year strongly by reflecting, retracing, readjusting, reaffirming, and reconciling. You’re set to go; set to hit the ground running; set to get off to a fast start…

…Or are you? Whether you’re stumbling into the new year, rudderless heading into the new year, or fired up to get going, there are three good questions to ask yourself as you kick off the new year. Grab a pencil or pen, a piece of paper, and a cup of coffee, tea, or soda.

Happy new 2016 year card. A girl standing on a beach, watching the sunset, standing as a part of 2016 sign

Now ask yourself these three questions:

  1. Where do I want to go? If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re never going to get there. I love the Waze app GPS for my car because it helps me get to places with which I am unfamiliar. I’ve lived in Orlando for three-and-a-half years now, and am still having trouble getting around. It’s a big city. It takes time to learn roads and communities. I could spend all my time getting lost…or I could get precise direction that helps me arrive with an economy of time. Waze knows where I am starting and where I want to finish. That’s the key for my personal life, too. As I enter the new year, I want to know where I am going, so I’m going to set my personal GPS to a number of different “places.” These “places” will be my specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely goals. How do high achievers set and accomplish goals? Check out this FREE PDF that shows you how. Take a moment right now to write down your goals for this year.
  2. When do I want to get there? When I have an appointment I always want to make sure I arrive on time. I’m funny like that. I can’t stand being late. I often have people comment on my timeliness. So I put the address into my Waze app and find out how long it will take me. Then I leave with enough time in order to arrive in a timely manner. I want to do the same thing as I set my goals for the new year. If I don’t set a deadline, a specific date when I want to accomplish my goals, they will pass me by. That happened to me this past year. I didn’t set a deadline to finish the first draft of a book I’m writing. In the end it took me longer than it should have. I have learned my lesson. This year I will arrive on time. Take a moment right now to write a deadline next to each of the goals you wrote down.
  3. How am I going to arrive? When I head to an unfamiliar place, I need to know how I’m going to get there. That’s how my Waze app really helps me. It gives me turn by turn directions. It even warns me of speed traps, hazards on the road, and construction zones. When I set my goals for this new year I’m going to make a plan. To the best of my ability, I’m going to map out my direction for each goal. I’ll try to foresee hazards and bumps along the way so that I can try to avoid them. I’m going to give myself “turn by turn” directions in the form of steps that I will need to take in order to accomplish each goal. I’m going to map it out so that I know how I’m going to arrive. Take a moment right now to write down the steps you will take to achieve your new goals.

If you want some really great help in making this your best year ever, join me as I follow Michael Hyatt’s goal setting program called “5 Days to Your Best Year Ever.”

What questions will you ask as you start the new year?

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How to End the Year with a Strong Finish

Before we take a dive into the New Year, let’s conclude this year with a strong finish. There’s a great deal of information out there helping you kick off your new year. But let’s not rush it. There are still a few hours left in this year. Let’s use them to the fullest.

First, shoot for a strong finish. Then we can turn our sights to the new year.

2015

Here are five suggestions for you as the year winds down and you bring 365 days to a strong finish.

  1. Reflect. Try this exercise: without looking at any calendar or journal, take moment to think through the past year. What things stand out? What are the highlights? What are the lowlights? What are things that you never again want to experience? What were the things that brought you the most joy? Where was there sorrow? Write them down. After you write them down, ask yourself what lessons all of these things have taught you. In what way will these lessons help you as you finish strong and turn the calendar? Post those lessons in a prominent place.
  2. Retrace (your steps). Before moving ahead with any project or goal, let alone a whole new year, it’s wise to retrace your steps. Prior to the year ending, I like to scroll through my Google calendar to see the many events and activities that took place. Now, instead of remembering off the top of my head, I’m drilling down to specifics. I feel a sense of accomplishment as I see all that has taken place. I also see things that could use improvement, or mistakes that I don’t want to make again. In the new year I want to take it to a new level. I received a great daily planner for Christmas called the New York in Art 2016 Engagement Calendar. It’s filled with great art of my favorite city. Since I already use an electronic calendar, my new planner is going to serve as a simple journal for the coming year. At the end of each day I’m going to write down the highlights. Then at the end of the year I’ll have a way to reflect on blessings and learn specific lessons.
  3. Readjust. After the first two steps, it’s time to readjust. From the blessings I received and the lessons I learned, I want to readjust my mindset for the new year. This past year I wrote the first draft for a book I hope to publish in the first part of this upcoming year. As I reflected on all the work that went into it, I was thankful that a huge task was accomplished, but I also wished that I would have finished the first draft sooner. Heading into the new year I’m readjusting my thinking to buckle down better, work harder, and use “free time” for better purposes.
  4. Reaffirm. As human beings, we all need a little encouragement…even if it comes from ourselves. Reflecting on and retracing the steps of the past year is a great way to bring intrinsic encouragement. You’ve seen the things you have already accomplished. You’ve acknowledged all the goals that have been completed. You have finished strong. Pat yourself on the back. Reward yourself. Instead of finishing the year with a whimper, feeling sorry for yourself, recognize your accomplishments. You really made stuff happen this year. You are finishing strong.
  5. Reconcile. The end of the year is a great time to reconcile with your own guilt and shortcomings, and also to reconcile with those with whom there have been fights or fallouts. It all starts with forgiveness. All those who are baptized begin each new day with a clean slate, made that way by the forgiveness of a grace-full God. Why not start the new year in the same way? Forgive yourself. Forgive others. Let forgiveness fall like new and clean snow. Finishing the year on a strong and forgiving note will set the stage for conquering the challenges, receiving the gifts, and knocking down all of your goals for the new year.

What do you do to conclude the year with a strong finish?

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How to Extend Your Christmas Holiday

Raise your hand if your Christmas holiday went too fast. You can’t see me, but I’m raising my hand. My Christmas holiday went far too fast. It always does. Our son, Ben, came home the Saturday and left the day after Christmas. While he was here he got engaged to his girlfriend, Emily, who had also flown in for a couple of days. Her family surprised her by flying into Orlando the night they were engaged. My parents came in the day after Christmas. In the midst of it all our daughter, Ashlyn, and her husband, Josh, were at our home Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA

For weeks we had anticipated this time together with our family. More than that, we had anticipated everything the entire Christmas holiday stands for. Advent worship services prepared us. Devotional time got us ready. We did our shopping (mostly online) for Christmas gifts. We had a party. We cooked and baked things that we seem to have only this time of year.

We didn’t want it to end. But now Ben and Emily have gone back to Nashville. Most of the food and baked goods have been eaten. Wednesday Advent services are finished for another year. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when we sang, “Glory to the newborn King,” are but memories that will linger for a long, long time. The gifts are opened. Some have already been returned. People in our neighborhood are inexplicably taking down their outdoor lights.

Now it’s all over.

Or is it? Though it may seem the the Christmas holiday is over, there are certainly ways to make sure that it is extended. I’m not delusional enough to say that the “Christmas spirit” can last the whole year. But it can most certainly last far longer than the radio stations or retail outlets will lead you to believe.

Here are three ways to extend your Christmas holiday:

  1. Count to twelve. There’s a good reason for the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The church has always celebrated Christmas for twelve days. It’s the number of days between Christmas and the day of Epiphany (which is the remembrance of the visit of the Magi). Even though most of the world has already moved past the Christmas holiday, thousands of years of tradition allow us twelve good, long days to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, as well as the love of family and friends, and an extra measure of peace. Be intentional about using all twelve days to celebrate. Keep cooking the good food. Make one more batch of cookies. Give a few more surprise gifts. It doesn’t all have to end quite yet.
  2. Record your memories. Every Christmas Eve since Tammy and I have been married, we have taken a picture of our family on Christmas Eve. Each picture now resides in a little photo album that comes out each Christmas holiday. It’s a great way to extend the season as we look through it these days after Christmas. There are other ways to record your memories, as well. You could start a journal in which you write the memories of the season. Then bring it out next year and write in it again. In this video age you could put together a Youtube “trailer” of this year’s events. It would be a great project to bring you into the new year and leave you memories to cherish in the future.
  3. Be counter-cultural. Keep the Christmas spirit. Despite the lack of Christmas music on the radio and in the stores, keep playing it in your home and in the car. Don’t give in to our throwaway culture that wants to immediately move on to the next thing. Linger a little while. Bask in the warm glow of Christmas. A new year may come and go, but Christmas lasts until January 6th. Keep it going. If we all do this, maybe we’ll start a movement.

How do you extend your Christmas holiday?

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3 Things to Remember as You Open Your Christmas Gifts

When do you open your Christmas gifts? For our family, the tradition has been to open our Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. Since we are a pastor’s family, we’ve always had to work our gift opening around Christmas morning worship. That meant that when our kids were little they would come bounding into our room at the crack of dawn so that we could open our gifts and have some traditional Christmas breakfast before we would head to church.

Christmas Gift Giving

In the mad dash to get the Christmas gifts open on Christmas morning (…or Christmas Eve), sometimes it’s difficult to remember the purpose of gifts. If we really admit it, we can tend to be selfish about our gifts, whether it’s what we wanted, whether it fits, whether it’s money or just a “trinket” that we’ll just end up throwing away. But there is a deeper purpose behind gifts. And there are numerous reasons for us to be appreciative of the time, thought, and effort people put into giving us gifts.

When you open your Christmas gifts this year, try to remember these 3 things:

  1. Someone loves you. I am a notoriously difficult person to shop for — at least that’s what my family tells me. I guess it’s because I’m picky about things, and I tend to get myself most of the things I need. I don’t deserve the time and effort they put into the gifts they give me. But I know that very fact that they have put time and effort into getting me — a very difficult gift-receiver — shows that I am loved. It feels good to be loved.
  2. You’re not worthy. The very nature of a gift is that it is something “undeserved.” Chances are that over the course of the past year you did something to hurt, offend, or betray the very person who is now giving you a gift. I know that I certainly don’t deserve any gifts from my wife. I have far too often been frustrated or lost my temper when she didn’t deserve any such treatment at all. Face it, even if it was a minor infraction, you don’t deserve any gifts. But a gift carries along with it offenses smoothed over and sins forgiven. For me, that’s a comforting thing to know.
  3. Christmas Gifts are a reflection of the Greatest Gift. There is some dispute as to the origin of gift giving at Christmas. Some say it reflects the giving of the gifts of the Wise Men. Others say the origin comes from St. Nicholas who lived in the third century and was known for helping the poor. But the origin of gift-giving doesn’t come from human beings at all. It comes from God Himself. In the very beginning God gave the gift of life itself to Adam and Eve, and subsequently to each of us. But they, and we, turned against Him through our sins of thought, word, and deed. As you open your gifts, remember that God loves you though you are not worthy. In fact, He loves you so much that He gave the gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, who would sacrifice Himself on a cross for every last one of your sins. The small gifts you receive this Christmas are but an infinitesimal reflection of the world’s Greatest Gift, and the Gift you have been given in the forgiveness of your sins and the assurance of eternal life.

As you open your Christmas gifts, remember that you are loved, you are unworthy, and those gifts are but a small reflection of the world’s Greatest Gift.

What does the act of gift giving bring to mind for you?

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A (Joyfully) Blue Christmas

It’s going to be a blue Christmas. But despite what Elvis sings, it’s not because I’m going to be without you. It’s because of the joyfully blue Christmas one of my favorite artists, He Qi, portrays in his Nativity. He Qi uses blue Christmas tones to portray the deep of the night on that Night of all nights. Everyone is “blue” that Christmas night except the virgin Mary, meek and mild, and her tender child who’s holding (of all things) a red apple in His hand.

The red apple symbolizes the reason why your Christmas and mine should be truly blue: like Adam and Eve we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But because Jesus came into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior, our spiritual night has been turned into day, and we have been saved. The angel tells it. the shepherds stand in awe. And Joseph stands watch. The Light of the world has come.

Here’s something I wrote a number of years ago, reflecting on this piece of art, and on the Nativity itself:

Nativity, He QiNativity, by He Qi. Used by permission. Go to www.heqigallery.com to view and purchase prints and posters.

The hue is blue, but the mood is not. Into the pale, dark depths of a broken and fragmented world, a Star falls and lands into the waiting arms of a young lady, pink and pure. Faceless angels spread their arms in blessing, while sheep and goats bow their heads in praise. A father’s lantern wants to lend some light, but the Star provides a beam that will not be overcome. Lost in wonder, rag-topped men can do nothing else but crane their necks and gaze into the sky. From whence this light? From whence this love? From whence this Beaming Babe?

A Star has fallen into the waiting arms of a young lady, pink and pure. And in His tiny hands, Eden’s fruit that, this time, will not be consumed. Spread your arms in blessing. Bow your head in praise. Bask in the light that will not be overcome. Lose yourself in wonder and crane your neck in eager expectation. The hue is blue, but the mood is not! The Morning Star has come to bring His beaming brightness into the pale, dark depths of a broken and fragmented world. The hue is blue, but the mood is not.

What’s the reason you celebrate the joy of a “blue” Christmas this year?

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Managing Expectations at Christmas

It’s difficult to manage expectations at most any time, but it can be even more difficult at Christmas. Kids expect certain gifts under the tree: exactly what they wrote down on their Christmas list. Parents expect the perfect family gathering when everyone comes home for the holidays: no arguing, no fights, no misbehavior. Families expect the coming Christmas to replicate the treasured and cherished ones of the past: when the perfect moments came together, everyone got along, and the gifts were those once-in- a-lifetime, well-thought-out possessions.

Broken Ornament

In my experience, every church has at least one family that has exceptionally high expectations. They expect their pastor to be a mind-reader, to show up at the exact moment they want him, they want a phone call immediately after church wondering where they were if they have missed just once, and they are furious if their unrealistically high expectations aren’t met. It’s a tough standard to live up to.

The experiences I’ve had have taught me a bit about how to manage expectations, and how to manage those who have high expectations. My more than fifty years of Christmases have, as well. This holiday season, consider these five suggestions as you navigate potential land mines and find your way to a truly merry Christmas:

  1. Lower your expectations. The lower your expectations, the easier it will be to have them exceeded. It’s very difficult to replicate the past, so don’t expect things to be the way they were before. Recognize and understand that with time, things change. Accept that change with lower expectations of the way things will be and you will have a much happier holiday.
  2. Go with the flow. If things go in a direction that make you uncomfortable or uneasy with family members, do your best to go with it and salvage the situation. Instead of digging in your heals, go along for the ride. Be the bigger person. When our kids were little they didn’t want to ride roller coasters. When we finally got them on the rides their fears turned into laughter and exuberant screams. Roller coasters are scary, but in the end they’re actually fun (for most people). There will be ups and downs this holiday season. Turn your terror into laughter. Go with the flow. Have fun.
  3. Retain your sense of humor. When you go with the flow you can find humor in things that otherwise might make you mad. Put a smile on your face to help diffuse the situations that annoy you. Your heart and mind will follow the smile on your face, and the whole situation will be better for it. Some well-placed humor will diffuse most any tense situation.
  4. Create new memories. Since we can’t replicate the good times of the past, go into the holiday expecting to make new memories. Come up with some new games to play, places to go, or traditions to create. Introduce them to your family and friends with a positive attitude and set the tone for the time together.
  5. Get some “me” time. If things get out of hand (from your perspective), use your common sense to remove yourself from the situation. Instead of allowing things to escalate, your “me time” will put out a lit fuse. Take some time, some deep breaths, read a book, or listen to some music. Then reintroduce yourself with a better attitude. You will feel better, and your family and friends will be thankful that the gathering has a preponderance of Christmas peace.

Make this year’s holiday a season to remember…for all the right reasons.

How do you manage expectations during the holiday season?

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5 Things To Do the Weekend Before Christmas

It’s the weekend before Christmas, and the Holiday is just around the corner. If you’re behind on your holiday shopping this could be a stressful weekend. If all your gifts are under the tree, maybe you have some baking to do. If everything is set you’ll have extra time on your hands. Whatever your situation this last weekend before Christmas, here’s some encouragement to do five things.

computer generated background image with christmas theme.

On this weekend before Christmas:

  1. Experiment. When you’re out and about do an experiment: put a smile on your face. This tradition comes from my wife and her father. When Tammy was just a little girl, she and her father would go out Christmas shopping and experiment by putting a smile on their faces and and see if anyone would smile back at them. Their experiment wasn’t always successful, but it most certainly made an impact. You can, too. Smile.
  2. Give. Be a little generous this weekend. Drop something in the red pot. Make a donation to the local homeless shelter or thrift shop. Give a couple of bucks (if only this once) to the person asking for it on the street. There are needs all throughout the year, but needs are especially urgent at this time. At our church we are collecting brand new pairs of socks because it is the least donated item to homeless shelters, and helps people at this time of year with comfort and prevention of disease.
  3.  Rest. If you’re like me, you’ve got a great deal going on in the next week. There was a pastor I worked with years ago who got sick every Christmas. I’m convinced it was because he was worn down and viruses were able to take hold in his system much easier. There are parties, family gatherings, traveling to do, places to go, people to see. Use this weekend to bank some rest and get ahead of the game. A well-rested you will be much more pleasant to be around and you hopefully won’t miss out on any of the holiday fun due to illness.
  4. Listen. I find it difficult to listen to Christmas music until late in the season. If you’re like me, this weekend is the time to break it all out. Blast the carols (or the first A Christmas Album by Amy Grant) in the car and sing at the top of your lungs. Then listen for the music you can only hear at this time of the year at the mall, on the radio, in people’s homes. Let it wash over you and bring you the joy, hope and peace of the season.
  5. Worship. This Sunday is the last Sunday in Advent, the Sunday when the church’s focus is Mary and her waiting and expectation of the Nativity of Jesus. It is a Sunday of great joy, great expectation, and great hope. If you haven’t been to worship recently, now is a great time to get back to it, feel the joy, and receive the gifts that only God can give. They are gifts that far exceed anything you’ll find under the tree.

What would you suggest people do the weekend before Christmas? 

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10 Things I Learned from Writing the First Draft of a Book

The first draft of a book is a major hurdle toward getting a book published. I recently finished the first draft of the book I hope to publish in the first quarter of 2016. It was exactly 35,800 words and felt like a major accomplishment. I know that there’s a great deal of work left to do in the editing process, but I felt a true sense of accomplishment as I wrote those last few words of a first draft.

Gadgets and supplies necessary for modern business

The process of writing the first draft was fun, frustrating, and frightening. I suppose it could be compared to labor pains (although I have thankfully never had to have that experience). As I reflect on the process, I have learned some important lessons this first time around. I hope to apply these lessons for my next book (I hope this book is the first of  many), and am happy to share these lessons with you. Whether or not you are now, or ever will be writing a book, I hope these lessons will be helpful to you.

  1. I need guidance. I found my guidance in the form of an online “course” that helped me, called “Author Launch.” Author Launch is a series of weekly materials and videos that walk writers through the process of becoming authors of books. I can’t recommend Author Launch highly enough. I would never have written a first draft without the things I learned.
  2. I need encouragement. It’s tough to spend the hours and days writing a book without encouragement. I found it in three places: My wife who constantly encouraged me to sit down and write; a Facebook page set up by Author Launch where all those in the program encouraged one another; and a team of four people I put together who held me accountable and applauded me for my milestones. Encouragement is a nearly essential ingredient in getting a first draft written.
  3. It is good to get away. About two-thirds of the way through the process I was able to spend a week in a cabin the North Carolina mountains thanks to the generosity of some friends. I was at the point in the writing process where things had come to a screeching halt. The time away was just what I needed to dig deeply down and accomplish a great deal toward getting the first draft complete.
  4. It took me far longer than it should have. I began writing the first draft in February and didn’t finish it until December. I let too many distractions and “life” get in the way. I used too many excuses not to write. Had I really buckled down I probably could have finished the first draft in about three months. That will be my goal in the future.
  5. I enjoy interviewing people to learn from them. The book I am writing is largely based on the interviews I did with people. As I did them early on in the process, there were times when friends or family would listen in on the interviews. After I was finished with each one I wondered whether the people who listened found them as fascinating as I did. To a person they all did. As a result, I hope to launch a podcast in the new year that will be patterned after the interviews I did with the people I questioned for the book. I’d also like to use this tool for future books.
  6. I need a team to surround me. As I said, Author Launch encourages writers to create a team: 1. An Ideator; 2. A Writer; 3. An Editor; and 4. A Marketer. These people were kept apprised all along the way, and will now serve very important roles as the book moves from the first draft into the creation of a book that will be edited, published, marketed, and read.
  7. I love Scrivener software. Many authors use Scrivener software. It allows a writer to jump from one place to another (for instance, from chapter to chapter) as you write, instead of having to scroll through an entire document like you have to with a Microsoft Word document. It helps with organization and even publication. You can even use the software to publish a book to Kindle platforms. It’s a powerful tool.
  8. The best way to write is to sit down and do it. It may sound obvious, but you won’t write unless you’re sitting in front of the computer with a blank screen and an idea in your head. You have to commit to writing. It takes dedication. It takes effort. It takes time. It won’t happen unless you make the commitment to do it, and then…do it.
  9. The best time to start writing a book was yesterday. Finishing a first draft showed me that I can, indeed, write a book. It’s something I always wanted to do. Now I have. I have learned that I wish I would have done it a long time ago. I should have started writing “yesterday.”
  10. You can write a book, too. If I can do it, you can too. Trust me. There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about me or my ability. I simply sat down and did something I had always dreamed of doing. I have no doubt that you could do the same. Really. Start writing now. You won’t regret it.

If you would write a book, what would be the topic?