I have talked to so many people, and have received emails from scores more people who want to write a book.

And I have the same question for them every time. And I get the same puzzled look from them every time.

Here is the dichotomy I am talking about: We all learned to write in the first grade. It's a skill we have all possessed pretty much our whole life. So then, why is it so difficult to "write".

I have now completed seven books. And my eighth book is about 95% done (About 100k words). And I always get a very strange feeling when somebody tells me they want to write a book. Here is my response:

"Well then, write it."

Seems pretty simple to me. If you want to write a book you don't need anybody's permission. You just need a pencil and a notebook. Doesn't seem like that big of an obstacle.

I wrote my first novel (Fulcrum Shift) with a pen and several spiral bound notebooks. That's right. I wrote it all out longhand. And that is a challenge, particularly when it comes to rewriting.

But we all learned pretty much everything we need to know about writing during the first grade. So write.

Okay, maybe that is a bit harsh. Maybe not. I guess there are other things that come into play when it comes to a person expressing the sentiment of wanting to write a book or novel.

And my top guess is that they want to write something good - a good book.

My response there is still the same. Grab a pencil. Because you will never ever write a good book if you don't write. And you will have to write a lot. Because just like every other thing in this world you have to work at it. You need to practice it, hone it, refine it and think about it a lot.

So, if you want to write a good book - grab a pencil and paper. It really isn't that difficult a concept.

Here's my favorite pencil on amazon. I know this article is a bit facetious but this really is my favorite pencil. Once you try this pencil you probably will never want another one. About two bucks each though.

The Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencil