Never Write Angry; 10 Practices for Feel Good Book Writing
It’s the time of year when people are thinking about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It happens every November. Participating in the writing challenge again this year was on my mind.
I’ve always had fun running the challenge inside my writing community — albeit with our own “rules.”
Going into this year, I thought I’d be ready to start drafting my third book. It turns out that’s not the case. I wrote my second book during NaNoWriMo 2021 and edited it a few months later. After a few bumps with the first editor I chose, I’m working with a new editor.
I want to finish this book before I start the next one. I appreciate the instant gratification from chasing shiny objects, but I’m committed. I will finish this book. Starting something new would be easy.
So, instead of pushing my latest book draft to my new editor, I will spend 30 days with it first. When I created my latest writing experience, Finding Flow, I decided to work with my current book through the same process I lead my community.
Because I’m a writing coach who practices what I teach and is also actively writing for clients, I will go through the writing experience with my community.
This is important for several reasons. Community members see firsthand how I navigate the cosmic climate, my body, and nature’s rhythms. Instead of only teaching, I’m sharing my experience. Ups and downs — and whatever sideways come up too.
The writing experience starts on a new moon and wraps on at the following month’s new moon. We’re going to flow with the energy for 28 days.
Writing a book should feel blissful, spacious, and expansive.
It will be a fun, grounding, and inspiring experience — how writing a book (or any big writing project) should feel.
Here’s why writing your book should feel good:
Energy is everything. And if I’m feeling angry, stressed, tired, agitated, fearful, or ANY negative emotion — I am NOT writing it for you to read. I first move that energy out in my morning pages practice. If something’s coming up to heal, I look at it.
Whether writing for my clients or myself, I only write from a calm, clear, and present state. This is why I’ve had readers reading my blog for years and copywriting clients leave glowing reviews and constantly refer me. Some of my blog readers have been reading since I started with plant-based food blogging over a decade ago. Most of my clients and community members have been with me for years.
It’s all about my energy.
Of course, I’m different than I was 10 years ago, and I’ll continue to expand, grow, and embody more light.
On the flip side, if you write out of desperation, fear, or bitterness — that comes through in your words. I’m guessing your intention for writing is to tell a story, connect, convince, sell books, or grow your business. None of this can happen if you’re writing from a hostile place. This is also why it’s always a good idea to step away from the keyboard if you’re reacting to something angrily.
So, you want to write a book and feel good while doing it. Here’s how:
1. Get ahead of your business writing.
Writing a book while consistently creating new content for your business is a lot of creative output. I’m not saying it’s impossible — it’s just a lot. I always find it easiest to focus on 1-3 goals in a given timeframe.
For my business, I’ll make content creation easier on myself by batching some blog drafts ahead of time, so all I need to do is edit and publish. I’ve also repurposed older pieces of content, refreshed them, and shared them on social media while focusing on my big writing project.
I send a weekly newsletter to my email subscribers, which I love writing. That’s one thing I never batch ahead of time. I love tuning into the week's energy and sharing what feels fitting. Getting as much business-related content out of the way before you begin your book writing will help maintain your focus. And, if you’re in business growth mode like I am, this is important to stay ahead of.
2. Block your calendar for 30 days
When I participated in NaNoWriMo challenges in the past, everything I wrote was a complete shitty first draft (SFD). Your SFD can come together quite quickly. A really rough blog or chapter draft can fall out of my fingers in 30-60 minutes. Still, I block my calendar for the writing and editing I’ll do on my book. Look ahead over the next 30 days, and block time on your calendar now. Treat those appointments like you’d treat your appointment with an expensive attorney. Your time is worth at least that much.
3. Choose your writing time
If you think, “I’ll just make sure I do it every day,” there’s a good chance you won’t. For the past several years, I have written something for myself every morning. It’s the first thing I do when sitting at my desk. I do this before checking email, social media, or client messages. I know that my best writing happens in the morning before lunch. Occasionally, some good writing seeps out in the afternoon or evening, but I don’t rely on those times. I set up my schedule to do most of my writing in the morning, and if it happens again in the afternoon or evening, too, it’s a bonus. Find the hours when the words flow, and protect them.
4. Plan your book writing
Your book planning session can happen in as little as 30 minutes a few days before you begin. Or, you can invest an afternoon or solid two-hour chunk and create a detailed plan. If you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants — decide if that’s the best path for you during this book project and roll with it. I’ve done both ways, and I much prefer a plan now. Having a plan keeps me focused and on track. It also resulted in an easier time with book revisions later on.
👉 Grab my free 12-week planning workshop and template.
5. Decide how you’ll track your book-writing
Track what you write to stay accountable and focused. I love words, and I also love a good spreadsheet. I create a simple spreadsheet for every book and look at it daily. I listed all the book sections and chapters, and each day, I’d create a new Google Doc, link it in the file, and log the word count. If you’re writing your book in Evernote, one option is to create a new notebook for each section.
My spreadsheet has a formula to calculate the total word count if you want to track your progress. Oh, and you can have my spreadsheet! Just click here, sign up, and grab the workshop and writing plan. Then, make a copy by clicking File, Make a copy, and save it to your Google Drive or computer. Enjoy! You’ll also get a free 55-minute lesson on planning your writing project with intuition.
6. Tell the people you love that you’re writing a book
Let your family or whoever you live with know what you’re up to in an upbeat way. Tell them you’re working on a book project that’s important to you and when you’ll be working on it each day. Make sure you keep it fun and light. If you whine and complain about the book writing process, they might not understand why you’re doing it — especially if you have kids — they’re watching you.
7. Set the scene for feel-good book writing every day
If you write in the morning, set up your writing station for your writing session the night before. Clear the clutter, put away dishes, close all the tabs on your computer, and just leave open what you’ll need to write. This way, when you open your laptop in the morning, you’ll have what you need to get started right there and nothing to distract you from your book project if you have to navigate to the files you need first.
8. Write morning pages
When I wrote Unfussy Life, I thought I didn’t have time for morning pages. The lie I told myself was that I was writing plenty for my book, so I didn’t have time for morning pages. It turned out that was a mistake. And that's probably why I needed to rewrite so much of that book before publishing. For my second book, I stayed committed to the practice. It’s an excellent way to move any stuck, negative energy out before coming to the page. This helps you come to the page with a clear vessel AND makes writing easier.
9. Create a feel-good writing ritual
What practices leave you feeling grounded, calm, and centered? Do those before your writing session. Maybe it’s your movement practice, lighting a candle, diffusing essential oils, putting your feet on the floor, and taking a few calming breaths before beginning to write. When I sit down to write each morning, I have a ceremonial raw cacao latte — which is calming and heart-opening. I also add in some maca and mushroom powder.
10. Stop writing if negative emotions creep in
If you’re writing and you notice your energy is shifting to a negative state, pause. Something you’re writing, or even a sound or smell, could have triggered something. Step away from your writing and move the energy. Have tools to move your energy handy before you need them. Maybe you’ll play a particular song or fun playlist, or perhaps you just need a snack. I also keep the short version of the Ho'oponopono prayer on a sticky note near my computer monitor: I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you. There’s also the longer, original version of the prayer by Morrnah Simeona here. It’s an ancient Hawaiian practice to clear false, negative memories. If you see something unfavorable, it’s an opportunity to clear it.
That’s it! Then, enjoy the book-writing process. Find the fun, and let the words flow. As you’re writing, if it starts to feel challenging, ask yourself what it would look like if it were easy. Write from that feel-good emotion.
And if you want to write your book along with other creatives, you can join us any time of year here.
Tap into your intuition and plan your book. Listen to the free class and download my free book writing plan template:
If you’re looking for more inspiration to help write a book (or anything you want) for NaNoWriMo this year, you might enjoy these too:
Fear of Writing: It Might Not Be What You Think. 10 Powerful Writing Prompts.
The NaNoWriMo Alternative: How To Create a Writing Habit Without Burning Out
