The Hard Truth About Your First Book (And Why You Should Write It Anyway)"

The Hard Truth

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By Tom Riley

But here’s the truth that many new writers don’t want to hear: your first book will probably not be very good.

And that’s okay—more than okay, it’s necessary.

Your first book isn’t meant to be a masterpiece; it’s meant to teach you how to write a book. You can’t skip the messy, awkward beginning any more than a pianist can skip practicing scales or an athlete can skip training drills. Those early attempts—clumsy sentences, uneven pacing, underdeveloped characters—are not failures. They are proof you’re doing the work.

You still have to write it. You cannot become a writer by simply thinking about writing, wanting to write, or waiting for the perfect, original, world-changing idea to arrive in a bolt of inspiration. The truth is, those ideas rarely come before you start. They appear when you’re already in motion, hands on the keyboard or pen on paper.

It’s like learning to swim without ever getting in the pool—you can watch tutorials, study techniques, and visualize the strokes, but until you’re in the water, you’re not a swimmer. Or like trying to ride a bike by watching others pedal—you won’t develop balance until you’ve scraped your knees and wobbled down the street yourself.

Writing is the same. You only get better by doing it, over and over, until the act of shaping sentences becomes second nature.

The fear of failure is not a good excuse. Failure is part of the process, the unavoidable toll for crossing the bridge from “wanting to be a writer” to actually being one. Waiting until you feel ready is just another way of never starting. You will never feel ready.

Writing is hard—of course it is. But not writing at all guarantees something far worse: you’ll never improve. The only way to learn how to finish a book is to finish one, even if it’s rough, imperfect, or flawed in every way you feared. You can revise bad pages. You can’t revise a blank one.

1. Accept Imperfection and Start Anyway

Stop waiting for something perfect or “original” to write. Nothing is truly original. What makes your work different is how you write it. Even if your first attempts are rough, that’s not failure—it’s the starting line. You teach yourself how to write books by writing books. There’s no magic pill, no shortcut, and no ghostwriter who can teach you to be a writer.

So take the plunge, stop overthinking, and just start.

2. Cultivate a Writer’s Mindset

A writer’s mindset is equal parts curiosity, persistence, and resilience. It’s about seeing the world through multiple lenses, questioning the ordinary, and finding seeds of stories in unexpected places—a rhythm in footsteps, a snatch of overheard conversation, or the glow of early sunlight through your window.

It also means learning to take rejection without letting it crush you. Rejection will come—from agents, publishers, and even family and friends who may not read your book or care about it as much as you do. Expect it. Then use it. Turn frustration inward and channel it into improving your craft or starting your next project.

3. Make Writing a Daily Ritual

Creativity thrives on consistency. Set aside a specific time each day—whether 15 minutes or two hours—dedicated solely to writing. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s showing up.

Freewriting can be especially powerful: write without judgment, letting thoughts spill out unfiltered. Often, your best ideas will emerge from these raw moments.

And don’t wait for inspiration. As the saying goes: “Just do it.” You can’t force lightning to strike, but you can keep yourself ready for when it does.

4. Change Your Perspective—LiterallyCreativity sometimes needs a change of scenery to stretch its legs. If you’ve been staring at the same four walls day after day, pack up your notebook or laptop and head somewhere new—a bustling café with the scent of fresh coffee, a quiet library corner, or a sunlit park bench where you can hear the wind in the trees.

Even the smallest shifts—a different chair, a new desk arrangement, or a fresh view out the window—can spark ideas. Surround yourself with sights, sounds, and textures that wake up your senses. Sometimes all your story needs to move forward is for you to step into a different space.

5. Engage All Your Senses

Great writing is rooted in vivid observation. Step away from your desk or comfort zone and reconnect with the world: smell the rain on pavement, notice the rustle of leaves in the wind, feel the warmth of a coffee cup between your palms.

Carry a notebook or use your phone to capture these sensory impressions. A single vivid detail can grow into an entire scene later.

6. Connect and Collaborate

While writing is often solitary, inspiration thrives in community. Join a writing group, attend workshops, or connect with other writers online. Sharing your work and receiving feedback helps you grow—and hearing others’ perspectives can reignite your creative spark.

But remember: you must let go of the desperate need for validation. If you’re writing just to be praised, you’ll burn out. Put that energy into improving your craft instead.

7. Set Small, Achievable Goals

If your project feels overwhelming, break it down: one scene, one paragraph, even one sentence at a time. Each small win builds momentum and confidence.

8. Let Go of “Writer’s Block”

Writer’s block is often just another name for procrastination. The main reason people don’t write is that it’s hard. You will never “find” the time—you have to make it. Force yourself to write even when you don’t feel like it.

Once your story starts to take shape, you’ll begin to love it. It becomes yours—something you breathe life into, with characters whose emotions you control and whose fates you decide.

9. Be Careful with Memoirs

Many beginners want to start with a memoir, but unless you’ve lived an extraordinary or well-known life, strangers won’t care about your personal history. That doesn’t mean you can’t write it—but understand that it may be for you, not for a wide audience. Think of it as practice, a training ground for storytelling.

10. Look for Inspiration in the Everyday

Inspiration often hides in ordinary places: the way an elderly man adjusts his hat, the rhythm of a train pulling into a station, or the quiet intimacy of two people laughing over coffee. The act of noticing transforms the mundane into the magical.

11. Balance Work with Rest

Overworking leads to burnout. Rest is part of the process. Walk in nature, meditate, daydream. Space allows ideas to grow and take shape.

Final Thought

The creative flame is both fragile and resilient. It can flicker in the face of rejection, frustration, and self-doubt—but with consistency, courage, and a willingness to embrace imperfection, it will burn brighter than ever.

Your first book may not be great. In fact, it probably won’t be. But you cannot get to your second, better book without writing the first one. And the only way to become a writer is to write—every day, even when it’s hard, even when you don’t feel like it.

Your stories are worth telling—not just when inspiration strikes, but every single day you choose to sit down, face the page, and keep the flame alive.