Best Book Possible: The #atozchallenge

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With the introductions out of the way, let’s talk about what every author wants to produce: the best book possible.

Some authors really are good enough to sit down, pound out a draft, go over it once or twice, send it to their editor, make the tweaks and fix the mistakes, and put it on the market.

Most aren’t.

Which means that producing the best book possible is going to take time. It’s going to involve figurative amounts of blood and guts and literal amounts of sweat. You’ll lose sleep over it. You’ll lose sleep because of it. You’ll take naps in the name of letting your subconscious work.

And you’ll sit down at the computer time and again and put down fresh words. And even more, you’ll sit down and craft the words you’ve already written.

You’ll push yourself to the point of being sick of your own words, your own story, the characters who chase you through your days and your dreams. And that’s when you’ll send your baby out to a beta reader, maybe, or an editor definitely, and hear words that always seem harsh and cold.

But you’ll dive back in anyway.

Because the best book possible isn’t going to hatch out of an egg. It’s going to take work. It’s going to take humbling yourself. It’s going to take pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do, into places you dream of going.

And once you’ve done it enough times, you’ll hit a groove. You’ll approach that process where you can pound out a first draft and have it be almost ready for publication. That’s experience talking. That’s learning your own process and if you need to start a book with an outline or if you need to simply sit and let the story unfold around you. You’ll learn which instincts to trust and which internal monologues to ignore. And you’ll learn to win the battle against Inherent Writerly Insecurity.

It’s a lot. Writing a book isn’t easy, and the avalanche of bad books that are being published — by ALL publishers — shows that all too clearly.

Fortunately for you, there’s help along the way. And we’ll delve into that help later in the month.

For now and for always, focus on writing the Best Book Possible.

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6 Comments

  1. Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

    April 3, 2017 7:17 am

    I’m currently working on the substantive edit for the final book in my fantasy series, so I definitely want the book to be the best way to conclude the story!

    Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, Science Fiction/Fantasy Author

  2. Isa-Lee Wolf

    April 3, 2017 10:51 am

    Some great advice! And I think it’s best if you go into each new book with no expectations that suddenly, this one will be easier. Happy A to Z!

    B is About Build-Up

    Isa-Lee Wolf
    A Bit 2 Read
    @IsaLeeWolf

  3. Crystal

    April 3, 2017 3:58 pm

    Great post. I can relate, as I am in the “most aren’t” category and I slave over edits in my writing. But we keep at it because it is in us! Can’t wait to read more.
    Crystal
    splendidfruition.com

  4. Team Operation Awesome

    April 6, 2017 2:07 am

    This is so very true. The road from inspiration to publication is meant to be a journey. Writers are supposed to learn and grow from it.
    Good post.

    operationawesome6.blogspot.com/

  5. Team Operation Awesome

    April 8, 2017 9:08 am

    This is so very true. Too many people think that a best-seller comes from a week of effort, or a month of effort. In reality, it’s a long haul. But it’s a wonderful journey for those who make it from that first idea to whatever goal they have as an author.

    Well done with this post.

    operationawesome6.blogspot.com/

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