Dear Aspiring Author: This is the real reason you haven’t written your book yet. (PS. It’s got nothing to do with talent.)

Newsflash — it doesn’t matter how talented you are, you won’t write your book until you do this one thing.

“Wow, you’re writing a book? You must be super talented!”

Sidling up to a set of kettlebells, I look over at the gym junkie beside me — a woman whose face is alight with a newfound sense of ‘awe’ as she takes in what it is I do for work.

“I don’t think I could ever write a book, I don’t think I’d be good enough,” she quips, slipping on a pair of boxing gloves and patting in place the velcro strips.

Although I smile politely at her comment, inwardly, I feel a little sad as she says this. You see, the ‘talent’ reference is something I tend to hear a lot. It’s also one of the first excuses people often use as to why they should give up.

Now don’t get me wrong, talent and skill are absolutely crucial to creating a manuscript that people want to read…but they’re not the ‘be all’ and ‘end all’ of writing a book.

At the end of the day, talent actually plays a pretty small part in the process. Why? Well, the truth is, being ‘talented’ isn’t actually much help when it comes to knuckling down and getting your book finished.

(So if you’ve been putting off writing your book because you don’t feel good enough, breathe a sigh of relief and keep reading…because you can definitely achieve your dreams!)

SO…what does it take to write a book?

In my work as a memoir writing coach, freelance journalist, and ghostwriter, I’ve come across a lot of people with incredible stories.

And although some of the people I’ve interviewed or worked with have been incredibly high profile — like Michael Crossland (who beat a rare form of childhood cancer to become an internationally renowned author/speaker who shares the stage with celebrities like Richard Branson), I’ve learned something very interesting…

Which is this:

Keep reading