I have written and published 2 books and completed 1 book-length project. I have also helped friends and clients write and publish their books.

Here is what I have learned in the process of completing high-quality long-form pieces of 10,000 words and book-length projects.

1. You can’t do it in one sitting like a regular blog post
2. Momentum is important without which you won’t go far and even if you do it will take a lot more time than if you have momentum
3. That is why it is important to schedule multiple writing session next to each other
4. To be able to do it, you need stamina. It is more important than you think it is.
5. Light meals help.
6. Keeping your spine erect helps.
7. Hydration helps.
8. Taking a walk in the open air helps.
9. Sitting to write at the same time, every time helps. Less burden on your brain to figure out what you are trying to do now.
10. When writing long pieces delete button is your friend. If you dwell too long before deleting what you wrote then you’ll have a hard time deleting it and completing the piece.
11. All good writing is editing.
12. Spend a ton of time getting the backend (outline) right if you want to a neat frontend (actual writing output, book, etc) and want to do it in less time
13. It helps to wow to not get up until you get to a certain word count
14. Like pair programming, pair writing is super powerful. Consider yourself lucky if you can get a good book coach. Someone who has done it herself, who is empathy, and who wants you to succeed.
15. It always takes more time than you think it will.
16. It makes sense to start and end at a pre-decided time expect when you are meeting a big deadline, like a book manuscript submission date. This makes sure that you won’t burn out and will have energy and focus for the next writing session.
17. It helps to be a practitioner when writing a business book. Fancy as it is, to be a full-time business author, but if you are one, you’ll write a dull book.
18. It will be easier if you do it a second time, but not as easy as you’d hope because by that time you would have raised your standards for yourself.
19. It helps to tie your writing to a bigger goal, like telling yourself that you are doing it for business growth, building a legacy or to build a speaking career.

Have you done it yourself? Then, what else will you add to it?