This is a guest post by Kristy Jones, a blogger of A Click Away Remotes in California and an aspiring book writer. For the past 3 years, she’s been working as an office staff while making her way to build her own brand as an online DIY writer.

9 Lessons You Can Learn While Writing Your First Book in Your Garage

If you’re an aspiring writer, the hardest part is often to get started. Most do not have the leisure to go on a retreat to focus on writing. The reality is that those who are passionate about writing also have full-time jobs and family responsibilities. This makes it more difficult to insert this task into one’s daily routine.

However, there are different ways to push you into writing your first book. Many opt to write in their garages, especially if you are setting aside time to write late at night when the kids are off to bed or early in the morning before the rest of the house wakes up. This might require you to remake your garage a little bit, like de-cluttering and clearing space.

If you are planning on working on your first book, here are the lessons that you will learn while doing it in your garage:

Photo: sf.curbed.com

1. You need to show up

If you want it so bad, you have to show up for it. Aspiring is one thing and writing is a different thing. You need to show up and do the work in order to get things done. Just like working on your tasks at the office, you have to do the same thing if you want to finish your first book. Treat your garage as an office. You need to clock in and do your job. Just show up for the work and it will feel natural later on. Often, the hardest part is just getting started.

2. You have to adjust

Although you don’t have to spend to get away from it all and write along the beaches of Costa Rica, making your workspace comfortable is important to writing. Don’t be afraid to make some adjustments to your garage. Make a dedicated working space that’s well-lighted and equipped with ergonomic furniture. Make it as comfortable as you like, as long as you are productive in that setting.

3. Focus is always the key

Working in a different space from your bedroom can push you to be productive and creative. You’ll realize that having a dedicated space will let you focus on the task at hand and prevent your mind from wandering around. This allows you to write more than just a few pages of your book. It makes you productive and keeps you in the zone for hours.

4. Accept where you are at the moment

You cannot be like other writers who can afford to write in a lake cabin or be somewhere tropical for your first book. Accept where you are right now in your journey. You do not need to have it all in one go. You might hate yourself for working in the kind of environment you are in. But, accept it and let it go. Use this as a stepping stone towards finishing your book and towards success.

5. Be consistent

Always show up. Finishing a book requires you to be consistent in writing the story. You cannot expect success if you fail to write regularly. Always keep at it no matter how difficult the path is. Even if you don’t feel like writing, keep on showing up. Consistency will help you achieve your dreams.

6. Make time for what you want

We make time for the things we want. This quip is also true with our aspirations. Make time for writing be it an hour or just 30 minutes of your day. If you have a busy day ahead, then you might want to wake up a bit earlier to write. Always find ways to squeeze in your writing time in your every day.

7. Go above and beyond

If you’re only set to write three pages today, go on and write an extra page. Don’t just settle for your target, especially if you have time. Do something more. A page or two certainly won’t hurt and it helps to push yourself a little more. This is an important recipe towards success in writing and in life. You have to go beyond what is expected of you and show that you can do more.

8. Don’t be a perfectionist

You might be tempted to go over your written work and check it ever so often. However, this only keeps you from progressing and eventually finishing your task. Accept the flaws of your draft and just keep on writing. Ignore whatever it is that you’ve written so far and type the words in your head. Always stopping just to edit and check on yourself kills your momentum. You don’t have to be perfect to write a book. Many writers have gone through dozens of drafts and edits before publishing a single book.

9. It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish

Like accepting where you are, don’t be bothered about how you are starting your book. Don’t worry about your errors or where you are working on your story. Never mind the details as those can be worked on after the draft is done. Focus on finishing your book and making it a project that you can be proud of. It’s the end result that matters and it’s the fruit of your passion and hard work.

9 Lessons You Can Learn While Writing Your First Book in Your Garage

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