The Process of Writing a Book

Jody Maberry Show ep 381

“Everybody wants to be an author, and nobody wants to be a writer.”

Most people don’t struggle with ideas. They struggle with action. One of the many reasons I appreciate Jeff Barnes is that he has a way of turning big goals into practical action.

Most people know Jeff as Dr. Disneyland and the author of The Wisdom of Walt. He’s an amazing speaker who teaches leadership lessons through the life of Walt Disney. What many people may not realize is how passionate he is about helping others bring their own ideas to life.

That is exactly what happened when I visited Jeff at his home earlier this year.

During a conversation, I mentioned an idea that had been sitting in a notebook for years. It was a book built around stories from my time as a park ranger. I had talked about writing it and had spent a lot of time thinking about writing it. What I had not done was actually write it.

Jeff immediately challenged me to stop talking about it and start working on it.

Jeff walked me through a process that focused on organization, structure, and clarity. He made sure we had this established before I ever started creating chapters. Instead of staring at a blank page, I began each writing session knowing exactly where I was headed.

The result has been remarkable. An idea that sat untouched for seven years has become more than 60,000 words in just a few months.

During our conversation, Jeff made a comment that has really stuck with me. He said everybody wants to be an author, but nobody wants to be a writer. The reality is that meaningful work rarely happens through shortcuts. It happens through consistency.

Whether your goal is writing a book, launching a project, or pursuing a dream that has been sitting on a shelf, the principle is the same. Time is going to pass anyway.

You might as well use it to build something.