I met a man a few years ago. His story fascinated me. I asked him, “Have you ever thought about writing a book? He told me, “I’ve got no interest in writing a book about my story.”
That saddened my heart. I didn’t have the words to articulate it back then, but if we were to meet again today, I’d share with him this list of the top 10 reasons the effort that goes into writing a book is worth it even if you’re the only person who ever reads it.
Ten Things Writing a Book Can Do for You
1. It’s a transformational experience
Writing a book will transform you on levels you didn’t even know were possible. It’s going to tap into parts of yourself that you forgot existed and pull them to the front. You’ll begin to re-examine the things you thought you knew about yourself and discover new truths.
2. It’ll build your confidence
I will never forget what it was like the first time I got my book past the first 5,000 words to reach the end of the story. That moment gave me an irreplaceable confidence in my abilities. I’d done what fewer than 3% of people throughout the world will ever do.
3. It establishes your credibility
When you write from your experience, you’re building credibility in whatever subject area you happen to be writing. Maybe it’s character building or world building or something less fantastic, such as business or education, but it shows that you’ve got lived experience in this area – not just theory.
4. It showcases your expertise
There are few things more powerful than showing people you’re an expert versus telling people you are. When you write and you bring in your expertise and knowledge, you’re showing people your knowledge and capabilities rather than telling them about it.
5. You can put your past to work for you
Your past can either hinder you or help you. When you write about your past, even if it’s a troubled past filled with mistakes and errors, you’re putting that past to work for you. You stop letting it live rent-free in your head, accumulating guilt and shame, and you start making it pay you for the space it occupies in your life.
6. Share your experiences
When you’re writing, you get to take those experiences you’ve accumulated over a lifetime and share them with others. Now they can share in those experiences with you, benefit from the things you learned from those, or get a taste of what’s possible for their future. You can prevent people from making the same mistakes you did or encourage them to keep going when they’re tempted to quit on themselves.
7. Leave a lasting legacy
It’s a miraculous thing that pen and paper have survived long after castles and kingdoms have crumbled. The words you write today can be passed on to future generations, helping guide and shape humanity.
8. Help someone else
Your words can be the reason someone who was lost found their way, or someone who lost hope found it again. Your words can inspire, motivate, or encourage the downtrodden. You can keep them from heartbreak or help them to recover after experiencing it.
9. Sow the seeds of your own future success
Writing is an act of service to others. You never know where that journey is going to take you. However, if you’re serving them with a sincere intention of helping them and not for material gain, you can be sure that with every word you write, you’re sowing a seed of your own future success.
10. Make a life-saving, history shaping, world-changing impact
Your words can save someone’s life today. That’s no exaggeration. There was a time, decades ago, when I stared at a bottle of pills wondering just how many of those I needed to take in order to end my problems for good. If someone wrote the book, Turning Problems into Profits, that I wrote 20 years later, I might not have ended up in that desolate place. I might not have ever considered taking my own life.
Your words, if you devote the time and energy to the task, can save someone’s life. It only takes changing one person’s life for the better to change the entire course of human history. That’s how you get that history-shaping power with writing. The more lives you touch with what you’ve written, the more the world changes for the better.
It’s Never Too Early – or Too Late – to Get Started
Whether you’re 6 or 96, it doesn’t matter. You can start writing your book today. Need help? Check out my “Work with Brandy” page to find out what I can do for you to help you get your book written or consider purchasing courses from national bestselling author, Joylynn M. Ross.
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