Three Short Steps to Write a Children’s Book in Your Spare time
15 minutes a day can change your life
Have you ever had a crazy idea that you wanted to pursue, but never felt like you had the time?
In December of 2019, I had a crazy idea to write a children’s book. It was crazy because I was writing a nonfiction book at the time. Plus, I was a corporate and intellectual property lawyer working at a big law firm. Writing a silly children’s book didn’t really fit into my career plan.
I didn’t have the time. I didn’t know how to start. I was afraid my friends would think I’m crazy. I was afraid my clients would ditch me. I was afraid my firm would fire me.
I couldn’t avoid the thoughts of fear.
But I felt the need to find a way to follow through on my crazy idea.
And now I’ve written eight books in my spare time. Four are now published. I have four more drafts written and nearly ready to go to the editor. And tomorrow morning I’m working on book nine.
I’m sure that if you looked at my schedule, you would probably wonder where the time comes from to write and work on the books. I know my wife agrees. Most of my professional life goes to my law practice. Then, some time goes to other pursuits, like movie production, investing, startups, and other ventures. Plus, I’m married to an amazing woman, and we have four kids.
I block out only 15 minutes a day for my children’s books. The rest of the time comes from the little gaps in the day that surface while I get all of the other stuff done in my life.
I’ve found three steps that have allowed me to create these crazy books while not losing my mind or job or marriage or anything else. If you want to pursue an idea that’s been on your mind but you’re not sure where to start, below are three steps that moved me forward.
1. Get a Shortcut
There are shortcuts to getting things done. Sure, you could figure out how to do nearly anything, if you had enough time. The problem is that you never have as much time as you think. If you only had one goal, then you could focus all of your energy, time, and resources on achieving that single goal.
But you have lots of goals. You don’t just have one thing that needs to get done. And there’s the problem — we need shortcuts if we will ever achieve something fun and new and exciting.
The best shortcut is to get advice from someone who can show you the path that you thought you had to discover.
For me, I purchased a book years before that gave me that shortcut: a book about publishing your own children’s book. I had met the author online and I wanted to support her so I bought her book. I never intended to write my own children’s books, but I liked Eevi and wanted to support her. Her book sat on my shelf for years. And when I decided to write my own books, Eevi’s book was waiting for me. And so was Eevi.
I found someone who could show me the path that I needed to follow. It was a massive shortcut. It would have taken me years to figure out what I learned in about two hours from reading Eevi’s book.
The first step is to get a shortcut. It can be a book, a mentor, a coach, or something else. But you need to be able to have someone point you in not just a direction, but also be able to give you advice about how to get to where you want to go.
2. Find the Right Team
If you’re not going to do everything yourself, then you must build a team. And most people lie to themselves by thinking they can do it alone.
Building the team is what separates dreams from reality. It’s what allows you to enjoy the process. It’s what allows the best version of the project to emerge.
Building a team is the start of any successful project — not just writing books. One of the first steps in any endeavor is to figure out who should be on your team. What seats need to be filled?
For me, I needed a team with all of the following:
My wife
My kids
Editor
Illustrator
Layout artist
Marketing advisor
Lawyer
Promoters
Test groups
Looking at the list above, that’s a lot of people for a small project. But they are all needed. I needed to have my wife’s support. I needed my kids to participate. Even though I didn’t realize it at first, I needed an editor. I definitely needed a talented illustrator, as my skills end at creating the story. And even though I am a lawyer, it’s important to realize that I needed my own intellectual property and legal background as a part of the team. If I weren’t a lawyer, I would have needed to have someone else on my team fill that role. I had to make sure Disney didn’t sue me for my use of Cinderella, right?
How do you know who should be on the team? I started with what I knew I could do and then I figured out what else needed to be done. I knew I could come up with a fun story. Everything else needed to be done by someone else on the team.
Building the team is the most underrated and under appreciated part of the process. Plus, once you build the team and you treat them well, you can do it again.
3. Get a First Draft Done ASAP
Every project is a dream until someone starts working. Ideas are fun to toss around and can lead to some fun discussions. But someone needs to start creating in order for a project to become real.
For a book, it starts with a first draft. Until there’s a first draft, the other team members can’t get involved. Someone needs to start the train in order for the train to get rolling. Someone needs to start the momentum by actually creating something first.
If you’re writing a book, you need a first draft. If you’re starting a business, you need a first draft of a plan. If you’re making a movie, you need a first draft of a screenplay.
Everything starts when you get a first draft done — and no sooner. It doesn’t even matter if the first draft is good or not. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t matter. It just needs to be done.It allows you to use the talents of the rest of your team. Until then, it’s just you, your time, and your energy. Getting the first draft done activates the rest of your team. Then your editor can start working. Your advisors and test groups can start giving feedback. The illustrator can start brainstorming and creating.
Your team needs fuel and direction, and you can’t provide either without a first draft. The best ideas may not be in your first draft, so don’t fret if the draft doesn’t meet your standards. Just get it done. The genius of the team is not unlocked until someone hands them the clay that they can start molding.
Nothing happens until you have a first draft. So get it done ASAP.
“Thinking” Is Not Doing
Publishing children’s books with my wife and kids has been one of the most rewarding activities of my life. There can’t be many people having more fun than me. Just thinking about the stories brings me joy — and my kids love brainstorming the latest adventures.
My three steps above rely on one principle: thinking about a project is fundamentally different than doing the project. Ideas aren’t enough — even if they are crazy. No good results come from desire without action. Sadly, even good intentions aren’t enough.
Crazy ideas fade away unless we act. The truth is nobody has time, but some of us will make the time to turn crazy dreams into real projects.
So find a mentor, build a team, and then get a first draft done. You’ll look back one day and wonder why you get to have so much fun. Fifteen minutes a day might be all you need.
. . .
Learn the one lesson that has changed my life more than any other.