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7 Steps to Manuscript
Over recent weeks I’ve been talking about the obstacles that stop people from actually getting their book written. But I thought today I’d have a bit of a change of pace, and I’ll start talking about the actual process of writing your book. And yes, there is actually a process.
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My NaNoWriMo Story
During the month of November, groups of people get together in different cities and they write together, and the goal is to write the first draft of a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. It’s pretty crazy, actually, but I decided to try it.
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Topic vs. Subject
A topic is not the same as a subject. A subject is much, much bigger and wider and it can be defined as your general area of expertise. But it’s way too big in general to write a book on. Within that subject, you need to choose topics. And it’s a topic that you use…
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Building the Table of Contents
Sometimes people are surprised when I suggest that you do a table of contents so early in the process, but actually, it becomes a very useful tool for getting your book done. Because it’s kind of an outline almost, and a very simple form of what’s going to be in your book. So it’s very…
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Write Your Draft with Yellow Stickies
The first draft is a particularly intimidating part of the process, especially if you’re new to being an author. This is kind of where the rubber hits the road and you actually have to start writing. The technique I want to give you today is going to help you to deal with that, it’s going…
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From Keynote or Workshop to Book
Today’s episode is going to be of particular use to you if you are a speaker or a trainer, if you do any kind of presentations on the subject area you’re going to be writing your book about. I have used this with my clients as well as with my own books, and so I…
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The Myth of the First Draft
It’s a common misconception of new authors that the first draft is the first draft. It’s not. OK, I know that’s counter-intuitive, but believing that the first iteration of your manuscript is a draft ready to go to the editor can lead to disappointment and frustration.
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Using Stories in Non-Fiction Books
If the book you are writing, or planning to write, is a business book or a thought leadership book, you may be wondering if stories really fit. The answer is a resounding YES!
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The Book Spreadsheet Method
I first discovered the power of the spreadsheet method when I began writing fiction.
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The Voice of your Book
Let’s talk about the voice of your book. When I use the term “voice” here, I’m talking about the kind of language you use. Regardless of the subject matter, you should express it differently depending on whether you are writing for an academic/technical, business or personal reader.