2020 has been one of the strangest years ever.

I’ll never forget the feeling at the start of the year. 

The decade seemed like an entirely blank slate, ripe with possibility. Plenty of people were excited to make this year the one where their many creative dreams finally came true. 

However, the year hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

People’s lives have been impacted in ways we could never have imagined. As I’m writing this at the start of September, many people around the world are fearful of a winter Coronavirus wave.

Despite how crazy this year has been, we still have four months left to make the most of it.

Four valuable months. 

It’s easy to focus on all the ways life has changed and the ways that it’s become more difficult.

But, if you’re reading this, you’re blessed with everything you need to finish 2020 on a strong note.

If you dreamed of writing a book at the start of the year, here’s why you still have time to make that dream come true.

Writing a Book is Quicker Than You Think 

If you’re reading this in September 2020, you still have four months to get a draft of your dream book ready this year.

Perhaps you’ve got an idea in your head of how long it takes to write and release a book. But what if that preconception is wrong?

In the old days, getting a book out into the world was indeed a lengthy and frustrating ordeal.

The gatekeepers at big publishing houses prevented a lot of great ideas ever seeing the light of day. Even receiving a response to a book proposal from a big publisher can take half a year, let alone anything else.

But the old days are gone!

Now, anyone with a laptop and an internet connection has everything they need to release a book within only a few months. 

That’s not to say you should rush your book. But, by the same token, you don’t need to take a moment longer than necessary to make it happen.

If you want to make your dream of becoming an author a reality this year, you need to be disciplined with your planning and time.

Let’s say you want a 50,000 word book, and you can produce 1000 words during a good writing day. 

Schedule out 50 days as soon as possible to commit to getting those 1000 words down. At the very least, you will be able to achieve an excellent first draft by the end of the year if you do that and that alone.

However, you can also schedule in time for revising, and releasing, and marketing your book.

The key is to start with the end in mind and work with a sense of urgency. 

The World Needs Books More Than Ever

During a year as tough as the one we’re going through, it’s easy to let creative dreams such as books fall by the wayside.

Sometimes, it seems tough enough to simply get through the day. Thoughts of doing something as significant as writing a book are easy to abandon.

However, that’s more reason than ever to not abandon your creative dreams, but to pursue them fully and with everything you have.

Around the world, people are hurting. People are craving the healthy distraction that only a good book can provide more than ever before. Wouldn’t it feel great to know you’ve made even one person’s life a bit more tolerable through your words?

Aside from entertainment, people need education desperately as well.

Learners of every age and ability have had their educational programs disrupted. Putting high quality nonfiction out into the world gives people the valuable chance to learn something new that will make their life that little bit better going forward.

You can help the world in more ways than just your book alone. You can form connections with the people who read it. You can even create online courses to deepen the knowledge and skill that someone takes away after reading your work. 

While this year might have made it feel more difficult to write a book than in times past, books are also more needed than ever before.

Why not step up and meet the challenge? The world will thank you for it. 

Everyone Has to Start Somewhere 

With everything that’s going on in the world right now, it might just seem like the wrong time to start your author career.

While that might seem understandable at first glance, it’s a mistaken view.

The truth is that there will never be a perfect time to start writing a book and making your author dream happen.

Every year has its own set of challenges. At the same time, every year that you delay becoming an author is a year longer you wait to gain experience.

In the self-publishing world, success is like a snowball effect. It’s very slow at first and you might only see a little growth at the start.

However, as you pick up momentum, you start to experience real gains. Everything you do has a cumulative benefit. There’s never a harder book launch than your first one. 

Given that every moment you wait is a moment you’re further away from reaching your dreams as an author, why not start now?

Think about the reserves of mental resilience you’ll have to tap into in the future, knowing that you pursued something daring and difficult during one of the hardest years on record.

Three Action Areas 

It’s easy to treat articles like the one you’ve just read as entertainment. 

However, wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to take action on the information contained here?

Don’t lose the momentum you have by reading this far.

Instead, consider taking action in any or all of these three areas related to this article:

• Timing. How soon could you write a book? Could you schedule the writing sessions you need for a viable first draft before the end of the year? Check out your calendar for the rest of 2020 and see if you can make it happen.

• Need. What type of book does the world need the most right now? What’s the most valuable skill or experience you have you could share with others? What’s the most entertaining fiction idea that springs to mind during a brainstorming session?

• Motivation. How would it feel if you take action and become an author by the end of the year? Would you feel regret or disappointment if you didn’t make it happen? Could you gain valuable experience by getting started over the rest of the year that would put you in a strong position heading into 2021?

This article is intended to inspire and energize you, no matter what stage you’re at in your author journey.

Don’t worry if your 2020 hasn’t worked out the way you wanted so far.

There’s still time to make a change. 

You can seize the bull by the horns and make the rest of the year one you can look back on with pride and happiness.

The world needs good books more than ever before. Are you ready to step up?