3 Lessons From A Ten-Year-Old Getting Her Book Done

I'm loving this short week due to the Memorial Day holiday and I hope you are as well. Before it comes to an end, I want to share one of my holiday highlights that reinforced 3 important insights about writing a book.

These insights are courtesy of niece Valencia who this past weekend at the family cookout unveiled the draft of her first book titled UniKitty Unleashed. It's a comic book about the adventures of a superhero kitten slash unicorn (see photo).

As noted on the cover, the cost is two dollars, no tax and cash only :)

Without prompting or knowing the entire process for creating a book, this talented ten year old sketched out the entire story complete with dialogue and images, designed a front cover, and wrote a back cover summary, that included endorsements from her friends. Her friend Owen in his own writing said "this book is amazing just like me!" and her friend Alexander said the story was "Too good to be true"

Closely reviewing with my auntie editor eye, the book was equal parts engaging and creative. She nailed story plot and structure. And she's been working on it a for just a couple of weeks!

Meanwhile, her parents, my brother and sister-in-law have been thinking about writing a book for a few years now. Married for over a decade, they want to write about their wisdom and lessons learned. Like my niece, I know they have what it takes to create a great book. But, they have yet to start. Their daughter is almost finished with hers.

Here are 3 insights into the book writing process that her parents and everyone can learn from my niece that I hope inspires action:

No matter our age, when we share our stories they have power to inspire others. Yes, I promise I'm not biased! I was truly entertained and impressed. The book was well written and funny. I hadn't laughed and smiled so hard in the entire week. The back cover and endorsements grabbed my interest immediately. The content keep me engaged.

Excitement, encouragement and support from family and friends makes a difference. Valencia's eyes lit up as my brother and I agreed to purchase multiple copies of the finished book (translation: pre-orders). Plus, her twin brother, eagerly agreed to help her with book sales for a modest 50% percent cut. She's already got several glowing reviews on the back cover from her friends too. Valencia got support by sharing what she was doing.The support (and possibility of profit) is fueling her to finish.

Every aspiring author, regardless age or skill level has doubts. The doubts never disappear, you simply work through them by stay in action. Overall my niece is a confident and talented kid. She's already won numerous awards for her artwork. But she's also a perfectionist and her biggest critic. I could see the hesitation in her eyes as she shared the unfinished pages. But, despite her wavering confidence, she's getting her book done and is a lot farther along than most. I don't think she's spent too much of her short life thinking about writing this great book. She just did it.

Cultivating the confidence to start and finish your book starts with mindset followed by creating a structure for support. The skills and knowledge can then be easily acquired. That's why I'm hosting the Roadmap to Bookwriting Bootcamp launching in one week to walk you step by step through the process for starting AND finishing strong no matter where you are.

If interested, click here for more information and to register.

There's not much time to think about it. Trust the process and get into action.

P.S. If you would like to pre-order your copy "UniKitty Unleashed" also REPLY let me know.

Alicia N. Ingram is a ghostwriter and book editor that helps aspiring authors start AND finish their books. She is also the author of "Finally Get Your Book Done: A 5-Step Guide for Finding the Time, Focus and Consistency" To request a free copy, go to www.wordsmithwonder.com.