I am sure that at in some era, at some desk, with some kind of paper (and perhaps some very special ink), some writer has breezed through a lengthy and challenging project from beginning to end with no delays. No one in her household has suffered, she’s felt pleased at each step of process, and her shoulders have never cried out for massage. I’m sure of this.

I am equally certain that for most people, writing projects have at least some period of delay. Sometimes, it takes form of distraction, and a bit of discipline works just fine to bring us back. Other times, our life’s work or inspiration of moment sits there, waiting for us to get back to it, and every incomplete we’ve ever taken in school, every shaming message we’ve ever heard, or self-doubt we’ve ever felt encrusts project like so many barnacles.

Worse still, “procrastination” and “writer’s block” pop up in writer’s tracts like names of diseases that need “cures,” right sledgehammer, or perhaps simply to be ignored. While some writers may find it helpful to have a name for what gets in way of what they’re trying to achieve, “writer’s block” or “procrastination” can falsely universalize very different phenomena. My obstacles, yours, and hers may be different animals, different species or even perhaps silicon-based non-organic entities. Framing them as negative blocks opportunity to learn something about ourselves or our writing.

For example, my reluctance to finish my novel may reflect a correct hunch about a major flaw in story structure I’m loathe to face, while yours may stem from guilt about being first in your family to succeed at an intellectual task. Each of us has an opportunity to notice and deal directly with heart of delay, rather than its limbs which trip us. Dealing with heart of delay could lead us down a more effective and sustainable path than one we’d forge by simply steamrolling over delay, or walking around it. I might need to bring in a book doctor to raise quality of my work, while you might need to have a heart-to-heart with a family member, neutral third party, or both about what it means for you to succeed as a writer.

I humbly suggest following: When next you find your mind meandering anywhere but to your work, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, give a listen to what’s guiding you astray. The answer may surprise you—and give you some clues about how to proceed with your project on clearest path possible. Here are some questions to help you determine what’s tripping you up, as well as some responses to each.

1) Do you have in mind an ideal way of doing things, and then get paralyzed when you start to do things in your own natural quirky way? Here’s permission, then. Write out of order. If ideas for middle or end of your book come before beginning, go with it. You can always move things later. Multitask—use one project to procrastinate from doing another.

If you’ve done your emotional homework and find that you still procrastinate (and many great writers do), have other projects in pipeline so that when you find yourself drifting from one big project, you’ve got others to work on to fill your time until you can get back to that one. If you’re stopped in your tracks because you think you have to work in a certain way, get back to drawing board! Work on pieces that compel you when you feel like working on them.

2) Is it possible that you lose big picture of what you’re doing in daily details? Connect your deepest desires and visions to each moment of your work.

Distill your longings into a sentence or paragraph such as “I am a published writer who gets great reviews and makes my entire living through my writing,” and post this in a visible place. Say it out loud to your mirror each time you begin your work. It might seem hokey, but many writers find that it actually helps to keep big picture in mind.

3) Do you have a realistic image of quality of your work? Find out what if any kind of help you need, then get it.

A society of journalists was asked how many writers were in room. Nearly all hands went up. Then speaker asked how many of writers considered themselves “good writers.” Nearly half hands went down.

While even best writers doubt their skill, others suffer from overconfidence. Well, maybe overconfident writers don’t experience suffering themselves, but their careers (and perhaps their peers) can suffer for their lack of help getting their writing to a publishable place. If you find yourself putting off work because you don’t know if it’s any good, find out. Get a professional in field with obvious credentials to help you make that determination, or do it yourself.

If you find out your work stands up content-wise, you may still need an outside eye to tell you whether your writing is okay on its own, or you need professional assistance to make it publishable. An editor experienced in your type of manuscript will be able to help you polish your prose to a high sheen.

Another option is ghostwriting, or hiring a professional writer to pen some or all of your manuscript. Many of most famous authors hire ghostwriters to help them get their message across. Sometimes they’re credited on cover with an “and” or “with,” but often they’re silent partners, hence term “ghost.”

In truth, that’s a lie. Every author has option of self-publishing. However, there are advantages to writing a book proposal instead of a whole book.

One advantage is that it usually takes less time than writing a whole book. Two, it creates possibility of getting paid to write your book, perhaps just a few thousand dollars, perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands. Three, it forces you to get clear about what you’re doing with your book, on a number of levels.

Even if you want to self-publish, a book proposal serves as a sort of business plan for your book. The time and energy spent on research, evaluation and comparison of your ideas at outset pays off down line many times over. After all, wouldn’t you rather find out now that someone else has said similar things more eloquently and have a chance to amend your manuscript, than publish darn thing only to read terrible—or worse—no reviews?

The process of polishing your book proposal is also an exercise in discipline and focus. It brings purpose of your book, its scope, depth and message into sharp relief. It will get your thinking muscles into best shape ever to produce most marketable book of which you are capable. However, you must dedicate necessary time and energy to educate yourself, move through multiple drafts and polish this behemoth of a document to perfection, or else hire someone who knows how to do just that.

Here are some answers to questions you may be asking right now:

What is a book proposal? A book proposal is a document intended to sell a publishing staff on publishing a particular nonfiction book. It is way most nonfiction books get published by major publishers. It reads very much like a business plan about book proposed. It can be anywhere from 10-100 double-spaced, 12-point 8 1/2 X 11 pages—most are 20-60 pages, including sample chapters. It generally uses a very specific format and specialized language to make its case.

What does book proposal do? It answers a series of typical questions that different departments of book publishing companies need answered when deciding which tiny handful of proposals, out of hundreds, to take a chance on. It acts on your and your book’s behalf to answer questions like, Why this book over all others in its class? Why now? Why this author?

Who sees my book proposal first, an agent or a publisher? It depends on whether you choose to have an agent represent you, or go directly to publishers. Many publishers will not accept unagented material, so make sure you check a given publisher’s guidelines first.

What does book proposal contain? Generally, a book proposal contains a cover sheet, table of contents, along with following sections: overview, author bio, author’s marketing plan, market analysis of buyers, comparative and/or competing books, outline, sample chapters.

The overview contains a hook, or means of enticement, draws editor in, and gives a general summary of book’s purpose. It’s sort of like an article about book. It should make you want to read whole thing!

The author bio puts any and all of your experience related to writing book, in its best light. It’s different from a resume or CV. It looks a lot like “about author” blurbs you see in back of published books, below author’s photo.

The author’s marketing plan, or “what author will do to promote book,” shows publisher that you know what it takes to sell your book, and details how you plan to do it. These days, ironically, publishers don’t put much money into publicity, unless you’re already famous. An author with a well-thought-out marketing plan will stand out from most of others who pay far less attention to this section, thinking instead that publisher will take care of it.