When I was a little girl I used to sit on a branch of the old apple tree in my backyard and lean against its comforting thick trunk and scribble stories on the pad of lined paper I had dragged up into the tree with me. I wanted to write a book some day!

Statistics say 80% of people in North America right now think they want to write a book – and you know who you are if any of your friends or family members have said “Hey – you should write a book someday.” Or if you’ve ever thought “I have GOT to put that in a book some day!” Or maybe you just feel your Inner Writer getting restless and you might not be ready to let him or her take the wheel yet, but you know like you know like you know that you are probably a Writer.

But of that 80% cohort, only 40% ever start the project. That idea of writing a book sounds like a good idea but the majority of people who want to, just don’t get around to it. They don’t have time, or they aren’t sure how to write a book, or they figure they’ll do it when the business is up and running or when the kids leave home or when they retire or Someday.

But some of those people actually do start writing a book. They actually open a file on their computer or pull out a new notebook and start jotting things down about what they want to put in their book. Maybe they tap out their Table of Contents or write an Introduction or scribble down a few anecdotes that they feel are important. They embark upon the exciting project of writing a book with stars in their eyes and dreams of fame and fortune in their heads and they get that project started like nobody’s business.

In fact, though, writing a book is actually a pretty big project. And statistics show that only 2% of the 40% actually get around to finishing their book.

What differentiates the people who start from the people who finish writing a book?

I feel fairly qualified to address this topic. For one thing, I’m a four-time traditionally published author with my fifth book coming out soon, and lots more book projects piled up behind that one. It took me 13 years to finish my first book and seven months to complete my fourth one. I am also a personal development book coach and book editor. So I’ve walked that gnarly book-writing path a few times myself and I am personally very familiar with all the roadblocks to getting a book done. Part of it is about Divine Timing. Part of it is about Motivation. Part of it lies in the Strategies you use. And Part of it lies in the kind of assistance you get with the project.

But I’m not only knee deep in publishing myself, I’m also a professional book coach and book editor, providing editorial services out of Toronto, Canada, and I work directly with the people who want to be Two Per Centers but who need a boost to get themselves there. I have programs and packages to assist people to get over the demarcation zone that separates the 40% from the 2% and I have to say that watching people take delivery of the book that tells the world they are now an author is an enormous thrill. I know it can be done! And if you are someone who would like to write a book I heartily encourage you to apply yourself to the project, if only because the process of writing a book is a highly transformational process that will expand your thinking as it expands your heart.

If you’d like help with the process, I encourage you to contact me and see if I might be able to assist. But in the meantime, stay motivated!