Aspiring to be a published author while in college can seem like an impossible dream to achieve because of how much college students have on their plates. However, it’s possible to write a book while studying in college if you manage your time well.
Learning how to make the most of your free time ensures that you write a book without compromising your academic performance. Once you discover that writing is your talent, you should practice and sharpen your writing skills and writing a book is the perfect place to get started.
You can choose to write a novel or a book with short stories depending on what you feel capable of. While you focus on book writing, you can buy assignments to keep up with homework deadlines so that your academics don’t suffer because you’re chasing your dream.
The beauty of book writing is, you can use what you’ve learned in life so far as inspiration for your work. When you look at your first book as an account of your experiences, the idea that book writing is hard work ceases to be true.
Continue reading to learn how you can finish your first book before you graduate.
Think Like a Writer
Before you get down to writing your very first book, ensure you have the right attitude. Adopting a writer’s mindset ensures you move forward, believing that you’ve got what it takes to write an impactful book. Thinking like a writer pays off because you’ll approach your very first book as a successful author would.
Of course, you’ll learn more about book writing as you progress, but when you start right, you’re bound to outdo yourself. When you can get the words to flow naturally through your hands, the only task you’ll be left with is to organize your thoughts into a meaningful book.
When you perceive yourself as a successful writer, you’ll know what you have to do to make your book relatable to your target audience. If you don’t have a structure in mind, adopt one from successful writers you look up to without necessarily copying their style.
Many students wonder why their first books were not a success, and the answer is, they likely overlooked this first step. To become a published author, you’ve got to think like one, and this gives you the motivation to finish what you’ve started.
Find Your “Why” for Writing a Book
Before you let your mind drift to your perceived future success as a published author, you first have to define why you want to write. When you find your “Why”, you get the motivation to keep pursuing your dream even on days when being an author doesn’t sound glorious. Understand that writers don’t do what they do for fame and interviews because this is just a small portion of what it means to be an author.
As an aspiring author, the first thing you need to secure is your purpose because to be successful in any field, you need a driving force that keeps you moving. The fact that you have an inspiring book idea is not enough to keep you on this singular journey for years to come.
What is it that’s so inspiring about writing that you’re willing to make a writing career to pursue? If you can’t find the answer, you might just be able to get a single book out and stop there. When you know your “why”, you’ll be able to put in the physical, mental and emotional labour required to author impactful books.
Stop Making Excuses and get to Work
Now that you’ve articulated to yourself why you want to write and you’re approaching this task like a professional, you have no excuse to keep postponing the book writing process. Every published author will attest to giving excuses for why they’ve not started on their next project, so it’s natural to feel lazy when you know what’s required of you.
You need to snap out of the excuse mindset and get to work because the way you handle your very first book determines how you will deal with future writing projects. If you let the excuses overwhelm you, your dream to be a published author might die before you have the chance to prove to the world what you’re capable of.
Wrapping Up
Understanding why you want to complete a book before you graduate gives you the motivation to keep going until the last chapter is done. Ensure you believe in your ability to write because this is the key to becoming a published author.