The key to getting your book from an idea and into print is taking action. But, if writing isn’t your thing, you need something to get you moving.
When I work with people on their books, there are a number of things I encourage them to do, before they even think about starting to write. These are the things that give you focus and keep you going in the right direction.
The first focus point is your big WHY?
Why are you writing the book? What is that core message that you want to share and how do you think that will help your reader?
For instance: when I set out to write The R.A.V.E. Toolkit I wanted to help all the small and start-up business people who needed to get their marketing set up – not a grand plan, but a basic strategy that would benefit their business and be really easy to follow. I wrote it as a handbook that people can dip into and pick out what they need help with right now.
This kept me focused on clear explanations, systems and processes that people could easily replicate, while I was planning the content and writing the chapters.
The second focus point is your audience
Who are you writing for? What are the problems you can provide solutions for?
Some research into your audience should help you to get a clear picture of what they need and want. The more you know about them and their current situation, the more fuel you’ll have for your writing.
If you’re guessing or aren’t sure (or even if you think you know what they want), don’t leave it to chance – ask them. Social media and your email list are both great ways to do this. Also, if you attend any networking groups where your ideal audience are present, ask them too.
When you’ve gathered information on both your focus points, you should have the mindset right. You know what your message is and who it’s going to help.
What about motivation?
People talk about ‘blank page syndrome’, basically saying that you need inspiration to write. No professional writer, whether a seasoned author or a commercial copywriter would survive if that was the case.
The secret is in planning. It’s not as exciting as waiting for the muse, but it’s much more practical!
Step 1 is to work on your structure – that’s the subject for each chapter, then the content you want to add under each subject. That might include stories, case studies, anecdotal evidence, theory, models, diagrams, quotations, examples, etc.
This will give you an outline for each chapter.
Step 2 is to block out writing time in your diary. Actually put the time in as appointments with yourself, to prevent anyone booking themselves in when you’d planned to have a writing session.
Choose times to write when you’re at your sharpest; trying to write when you’re tired isn’t going to produce the best result. Decide how long you can maintain concentration – whether that’s 60 minutes, 90 minutes or a couple of hours and stick to it.
If you only write 200 words a day, that’s 1,000 words in a week. Given that most non-fiction books are 40-50,000 words, if you’ve been meaning to write that book for a year or more, that means that well before this time next year, your book will be finished! Most people can manage more than 200 words a day (that’s just a couple of paragraphs).
If you’ve done your plan, all you’re doing is fleshing out the skeleton – and that’s not as hard as facing a blank page. In fact, you’ll probably be surprised at how much you get done in one of your writing sessions.
Good luck!
