“Let’s go into cat-cows,” my yoga teacher said last Monday. “We’re going to do twenty.”

(Me, silently: That’s way too many cat-cows.)

“Don’t go to your full range of motion at first,” she went on. “Start small, and let each one expand a little more.”

I felt called out, trying to arch my back as far as I could on the first one.

So I changed it up, and started small. And something happened between number one and number twenty:

My mind found a state of flow. Each movement got both more intentional and more effortless. My spine felt limber and strong.

And I thought, okay, that was a good amount of cat-cows.

*

Days later, it dawned on me that this applies to writing. (Big surprise, I know.)

Have you ever had a big idea, but been too overwhelmed to start?

Have you ever psyched yourself out because a project felt so big?

Or maybe you did start, but you gave up quickly because it wasn’t as good as you imagined it.

Tons of people have big ideas, but we never get them down on the page. We get frustrated when a project doesn’t look or feel how we want it to right away.

But a big project is just like doing twenty cat-cows. It’s a series of steps.

It doesn’t happen all at once.

You start gently. You warm up.

You keep going.

You let it get bigger, more expansive, and stronger with time.

You don’t have to exert all your effort every time.

You don’t have to force it.

In yoga, the focus is always on the breath and the body.

Try this when you’re writing.

Pay attention to where your mind goes as you write. Pay attention to where your mind goes as you read what you wrote.

Pay attention to those little tugs that are calling to you–the ones that say “What about this?” “What about that?”

Pay attention to when you feel that physical glow when you’re working on the thing that excites you.

Follow it. One step at a time.

*

If you’re feeling daunted by a big writing project, start by getting one idea down on the page. One small idea.

Then another.

Let it be messy. In Spanish, the word for “draft” is borrador–the word for “eraser”. (“Borrar” is erase or delete.)

Let each draft get bigger and brighter and more brilliant than the last. Keep learning from each one.

You’ll be surprised where that takes you.

My name is Kimberly, and I’m a book coach and ghostwriter who can help you bring your book to life.

If you could use some structure, support, guidance, and accountability in your book writing, contact me via the form below, or click here to set up a free consultation call.