I’ve wondered this for years…
Have you ever heard someone say, “Writing a book is hard,” and then wondered to yourself, what exactly makes them say that?
Over the years, I’d heard this sentiment from so many authors in interviews and conversations but never really understood why.
I could make assumptions (doing any kind of creative work can feel difficult at times for many reasons), but these authors never elaborated much on the process, so what goes into making a book remained a bit of a mystery to me.
I admit that when my publisher first reached out with the idea of working on a book together, I heard whispers of “writing a book is hard” in the back of my mind. It concerned me for a second, but then I countered that fear with the truth that hard doesn’t mean impossible.
So I said a nervous-yet-excited yes to my publisher and looked forward to finally solving this mystery for myself: why do so many people say writing a book is so hard?
If you’ve ever felt as curious as I have, here’s the behind-the-scenes recap of my experience and the conclusion I drew to the question that once echoed in my mind.
I know this doesn’t always happen for authors, but my book started with an email from my publisher. Very cool, I know.
At the time, I was writing a series on my blog that caught their attention.
They reached out with a suggested theme (art and faith) because it was something their community had been requesting, and they thought I might be a good fit. I said yes — not really knowing what I was getting into, but excited to embark on a new journey.
The first step was creating a book proposal.
Just because they presented the idea didn’t mean I got a free pass to write the book. I still had to pitch the vision.
So I created a proposal that included the potential title, an overview of what the book would be about, who it would be written for, some comparable titles, a little bit about me as the author, and a sample chapter.
It’s funny looking back on that document now. My sample chapter evolved quite a bit, and my vision became much more refined over time. But the proposal gave us a clear starting point and direction for the project.
Once the proposal was approved and I was given the green light to become an AUTHOR, I signed a contract and spent the next year working on my manuscript.
But I didn’t spend that year in isolation. Every few months, I checked in with my publisher to review what I'd written and receive feedback and support. I loved that element of accountability and collaboration.
Once the manuscript was complete, it was reviewed for theological accuracy because it deals with stories and scriptures from the Bible that I interpret through a very personal lens.
I enjoyed this part of the process because I’m not a Bible scholar, and it helped ensure that the heart of my writing aligned with the truth of Scripture.
Then came another year of editing, re-editing, and editing some more.
During that season, I frequently wondered things like:
“What am I even saying? Does this actually make sense anymore?”
“Is anyone ever going to read this?”
“Should I just give up? No wait, I can’t give up.”
Why is the creative process ALWAYS like this?!
All the while, throughout the many months of writing and editing, I was also creating the visuals for the book — a painting for each of the 20 chapters, along with all of the photography of the art.
And because of my background in design, my publisher was also kind enough to invite me to weigh in on the cover design and layout of the book with their in-house designer during this phase.
It was a long journey.
I truly had to take the project one chapter at a time, one week at a time, until eventually...
I finished it.
I locked in the manuscript, sent all the imagery to their designer, laughed delusionally, put my hands up, and celebrated with the small handful of people who had supported me through the entire process.
Finishing the book was particularly special because I finalized the manuscript right before we sold our Florida house. I also repainted the final piece of artwork for the book in our driveway just two days before we moved out (a fun story for another time).
Overall, would I describe the experience of writing a book as hard?
I’d say it felt difficult in the same way a long hike up a mountain can feel difficult.
There were brief moments of struggle, long stretches that felt easy and fun, and points where you want to turn around — but have already gone way too far to quit.
Then, when you finally reach the end of the trail and take in the sweetest scenic view, you sort of forget about all the difficult parts and think things like:
“That really wasn’t so bad.”
“I’m really proud of myself for doing that difficult thing.”
“I actually love hiking (writing).”
I think what makes authors exhale loudly and declare in interviews that “writing a book is so hard” is really just the fact that writing a book takes a lot of time.
It’s a commitment to laboring over something meaningful for an extended time. It takes a willingness to invest effort day after day in order to bring your idea to life.
And that’s something I would sign up to do again and again any day of the week (and I kind of already do with my painting practice haha).
The most important part of my journey to becoming an author, I learned, was the moment I said yes.
I’m glad I didn’t know all the twists and turns and uphill climbs in advance because it would have felt pretty daunting and I may have been tempted not to even try. But like a good, challenging hike, I couldn’t map out the whole experience ahead of time, and that was great.
All I needed the willingness to show up and say yes — and then the dedication to keep going when things got tough.
I hope sharing this experience encourages you to do the same in whatever area of your life might be presenting an exciting challenge right now.
Don’t pay too much attention to other people’s reviews. Your journey will look and feel so unique to you.
Listen to that nudge in your heart and trust that you can make it to the finish line if you’re willing to take things one step, one day at a time.
The view at the end of the trail will be so worth the climb.
This blog post is one of the emails that I recently sent out to my book buddies!
My book buddies are those who have signed up to help me see this book to the finish line this fall. Our email list is more like a community of friends who I’m sharing the book launch journey with. I’m also making sure they’re the first ones to know about all book-related announcements or surprises.
I’m always happy to welcome a new friend to this special group. If you’re interested in joining, just click here! I check in with my book buddies every Thursday. :)
