So many people want to write a book, but far fewer are ready to actually write. Please understand that this is not me judging anyone. It’s just the simple reality that I have come to confront in my career. The desire to write and the readiness to put in the work are two different stages of the same journey. Many would-be writers confuse this fact, leading to frustration, self-doubt and, on many occasions, the quiet abandonment of promising ideas. Let’s break it down.

Wanting to Write Is the Spark

The desire to write usually begins with a spark. You suddenly realise something significant about your capacity. You feel you have lived through something meaningful, built expertise in your profession, have ideas that might help others, or someone who feels one or all of these about you advises, “You should write a book.” I have said this to people on a couple of occasions, and it is valid.

That first sparks matters. It is the emotional beginning of the journey to becoming an author.

The idea is exciting, but the thinking behind it may still be forming. The stories are there, but they have not yet settled into a clear narrative. The lessons exist, but they have not been distilled.

Many people sit down to write at this stage and then quickly become discouraged. They find that the words do not flow the way they imagined. The structure gets confusing, and the message they planned to convey seems scattered. They start to blame themselves of lack of discipline or imagination and, sometimes, get discouraged, or even write themselves off. But that should never be the attitude.

Emotional Readiness vs Intellectual Readiness

Writing a book requires emotional and intellectual readiness.

Emotional readiness is the willingness to be honest. The thing is that writing often makes us revisit experiences, mistakes, triumphs and uncomfortable truths that we have encountered. A writer must maintain some distance before some of these stories can be told effectively.

Intellectual readiness, on the other hand, is about clarity. It involves understanding what you truly want to say, who you want to say it to, and why it matters.

Many aspiring writers have one but not the other.

Some people have powerful experiences but are not yet ready to examine them deeply enough to write about them. It is also possible to have ideas and expertise but fail to organise your thoughts into a coherent message that can resonate.

In both cases, the writing may feel forced because the inner work is still unfolding. You must, therefore, be deliberate about being ready in both ways.

The Season of Reflection

This is the time when your ideas are still fermenting. You’ll be observing, reflecting and connecting experiences. Conversations can trigger insights, and an article may spark new perspectives. You take down notes everywhere you can. You unlock your phone to take down an idea that just dropped, or to record a quick voice note. Sometimes, it can look like procrastination, but a lot of times, this is the incubation period for your book.

What we must know is that just as fruits must ripen before they can be harvested, ideas must mature before they can become meaningful books. When writers rush this stage, they often produce work that feels thin, hurried, or incomplete. Reflection strengthens writing because it deepens perspective.

Are You Procrastinating or Incubating?

One of the frankest questions you must ask yourself as an aspiring author is whether you are avoiding the work or preparing for it. Here are some signs that should assure you that you are incubating your book rather than procrastinating.

You think about the topic constantly, even when you are not writing.

You find yourself explaining the same ideas to friends, colleagues, or clients.

You are reading widely around the subject and noticing patterns in what resonates with you.

You can’t stop capturing fragments of insight, sentences, anecdotes, and questions that feel important to the subject of the book.

Procrastination usually looks different. The idea excites you in theory, but you rarely engage with it deeply. You let weeks pass without reflection, notes, or progress of any kind. You leave the book as a pleasant concept rather than an evolving project and go on with your life.

Identifying the difference and acting on it can be very liberating.

Preparing to Become a Writer

Sometimes, the most important part of writing a book happens before the first chapter is drafted. You are becoming the writer who can tell that story well.

In this period, you are developing the clarity, confidence, and perspective needed to shape your ideas into something meaningful and worthy of the readers’ attention. When that internal preparation reaches a certain point, writing will most likely become surprisingly natural for you. The blank page stops feeling like a frightening enemy. It becomes a place where the thoughts you have been forming finally find their voice.

So, if you feel drawn to write but not quite ready to begin, do not panic.

You may not be avoiding the work, but still in the process of becoming a writer.

You should, however, ensure that you do not sleep on that.

Have a great week ahead.

You can buy my book, Every Journalist Should Write a Book,here

Niran Adedokun,

Writer | Communications Strategist | Book Strategist | Author of “Every Journalist Should Write a Book