Hey there, and welcome to Nothing but the Words. I’m Your Book Coach, Candice L Davis.

I hope your week and your writing are both going well.

In this episode, I want to talk about some ways you can actually make writing your book feel less arduous and more enjoyable.

Before I dive into that, I want to start with celebrations.

First on the personal side, I’m thrilled to welcome a new grandson into the world. And I can’t wait to head up to New Orleans to pinch his little cheeks.

JK. No cheek-pinching, but I will spoil him.

And second, “Nothing but the Words” is celebrating 10,000 downloads.

That’s a wonderful milestone for me, mostly because I didn’t see it coming.

And it’s really a celebration of you. Thank you for listening, for leaving a review, for sharing the podcast with a friend—whatever you’ve done to get me here.

I appreciate it. And I appreciate you.

Last, I want to tell you that my group-coaching program for authors is having our bonus Virtual Writing Retreat this Sunday, May 7th.

I’m celebrating this retreat in advance, and I’ll celebrate it when it’s done because it’s one of my favorite events.

We’re writing from 9 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon for those who can stay the whole time.

I’ll be coaching in the chat for anyone who needs it while we write.

And we’ll have some live coaching between writing sessions.

If you want to join us, register for Authors Ignited by Saturday, May 6th, and you’re in.

Now let’s talk about what makes writing a book seem so hard and how you can make it a bit easier.

Writing a high-quality book is work, but it doesn’t have to be painful.

It doesn’t have to be one more chore on your ever-growing to-do list.

Instead, sitting down to write can be the manifestation of your vision and your dreams.

I coach my clients to embrace the effort required to write an exceptional book.

Shift your thinking to believe you’ll get out of your book what you put into it.

If you sit down and record some notes over a weekend and call that a book, that’s not the kind of effort that creates greatness.

If you want to write a book that moves people, affects people, has a positive impact on the world, then you need to fall in love with the effort required to do that.

When your brain tells you, “I don’t feel like writing. Let’s watch Netflix,” don’t just accept that thought.

When you think, “It doesn’t matter anyway. No one even knows I was writing a book,” hit pause.

You don’t have to just believe whatever your brain tells you about your book or anything else for that matter.

Instead, ask yourself, “Is this thought getting me closer to my goal?”

If it’s not, then it’s time to choose a new thought.

You don’t have to try to come up with the most helpful thoughts in the moment.

You can—and probably should—prepare in advance.

One way to do that is to envision what your life will look once you become an author.

But stay with me here.

The key to this method is to include in that vision not just the rewards of having written a book but also  the process you’ll take to get there.

So maybe you keep fresh flowers in your writing room or office, you play your favorite instrumental music, and you write 1000 words a day until you finish your book.

Maybe you light candles and brew your favorite coffee or tea and hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.

Maybe you check into a hotel for a couple of days every month to just focus on your writing.

Maybe you join a writing group or hire a book coach or take a writing class at a local extension program.

Maybe you attend a couple of writing retreats, virtual or in the real world so you can really focus without distraction.

In this imagined world, where you’re becoming a successful author, what do you think about your book?

How do you expect it to impact the world?

What do you think about yourself as a writer?

What thoughts motivate you to get up and write?

How do you feel when you sit down to write?

How do you feel when you’re done for the day?

Do you have regular writing sessions, fit writing into pockets of our day, or both?

What do you do when you hit an obstacle in your writing?

How will you respond when you’re interrupted?

How will you limit interruptions?

What milestones will you celebrate along the way, and how will you celebrate them?

Write that vision—the vision of how you will do the work. And then write the vision for how your life will change as an author.

Then remember this.

You have 100% control over that first vision. You can buy fresh flowers or pick daisies from the local park.

You can order gourmet tea or set up a coffeemaker in your writing room.

You can hire a coach or take a class.

You can get a new aerodynamic chair or a supersized beanbag, whatever floats your writing boat.

Come back to this vision regularly as you write your book.

And come back to the thoughts you included to support you.

Becoming a successful author requires you to think differently than most people.

You have to think more critically and more deeply about a topic or even a story when you’re writing it.

And you have to think differently about the process of writing a book.

Well, you don’t have to, but it sure makes the whole process more pleasant.

Writing a book requires effort.

If you’re listening to this, you’re probably a grown-up, so you know anything worth doing requires effort.

But if you can fall in love with that effort, you’ll enjoy writing your book a lot more.

Writing a book is hard. But it’s not too hard.

Also, I owe credit for the phrase “Fall in love with effort” to Maurya Kerr, the artistic director of tinypistol, a Bay Area dance company.

And one last reminder: If you want to join us for the Virtual Writing Retreat and have ongoing support from my writing community and me as your coach, join Authors Ignited by Saturday, May 6th.

Check it out at AuthorsIgnited.com

That’s all for this week’s episode my friends. Thanks for listening to “Nothing but the Words.” I’m Your Book Coach, Candice L. Davis. And I’ll see you next time.