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My 3 Biggest Struggles as a First-Time Author Were Overwhelm, Doubt, and Time

Work smarter, not longer: The secret to writing efficiently

Rick Martinez
4 min readFeb 7, 2025
Via Depositphotos

Writing a book sounds simple until you sit down to do it.

The blank page stares back at you, daring you to fill it. You’re overwhelmed with where to start, doubt whether anyone will care about your story, and feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day to make it happen. Sound familiar? Those were my exact struggles when I started my first book. But here’s the good news: I figured out how to beat them.

Let’s break it down.

The Counterintuitive Way to Stop Overwhelm Before It Starts

Overwhelm comes from trying to tackle everything at once.

I used to sit down with this grand vision of finishing an entire chapter in one sitting, only to spiral into frustration when I couldn’t. Then I learned a trick: focus on one micro-goal at a time.

Instead of “I’ll write a chapter today,” I’d aim to write one powerful sentence or 100 words. That’s it. Small, specific goals lower the mental barriers and give you quick wins. Writing is like stacking bricks. Lay one brick perfectly, then the next, and before you know it, you’ve built…

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Rick Martinez
Rick Martinez

Written by Rick Martinez

💡 Creator: The 7 Day Book Writing Challenge™️ 🏋🏻‍♂️ CrossFitter 📚 Bestselling Author 👊🏼 Helping you write your book WICKED fast www.WriteYourFirstBook.com

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