How to Write a Book

I apologize for such a long newsletter. I think that most people should take a crack at writing a book because we all have such exciting lives. The simple approach is to list a handful of incidents/stories from your life and, over time, write a page or two about each one. Eventually, the list will organically grow. Don't worry; write about what happened.

That's it. That's how you turn "One day, I'm going to write a book" into "I wrote it. It's not perfect, but it's my story."

Now, for those who want a more sophisticated piece on how to write a book, here's something I wrote about for a speech once.

How to Write a Book

By Steve Gladis, Ph.D.

"One day, I should write a book." I've heard people say this all my life. As a writer and someone who's taught writing for much of my life, I thought I'd offer a few thoughts.

First, write about something you know or want to know and really care about. Because a book is like a romance, you'll naturally have ups and downs. But as with any relationship, if it doesn't start with genuine attraction and interest, the chances of growing into love and then surviving the relationship are slim. At universities, we tell doctoral students to pursue a topic that ignites them so that when their research gets cold, dark, and confusing, the memory of that original desire will see them through to the end. Thus, writing about something you both know and care about is critical.

Understand the Writing Process

To understand the writing process, the first thing to know is that there is NO single, defined writing process. Writers develop their own writing process. For example, writers will write a first draft slowly, as if it is both their first and last draft. They may never tell anyone until they present it to an editor when it's ready for primetime. Steven King's writing process is described in his excellent non-fiction book, On Writing, which I commend to any writer. He writes in solitude until he shows his wife—and then holds his breath to hear what she has to say.? Others, like him, write multiple drafts—an iterative process—and share it with other people along the way.

Learn Your Craft

Writing is a craft, and as such, needs honing. First, read in the genre you want to write about. So, if you're interested in becoming a novel writer, start reading the best novelists in your genre, even subgenres. A deep base of reading and research will always be the mainstay of writing, and ultimately, you will become an expert on a topic. If you want to write about spies and intrigue, read LeCarre, or if you aspire to write a legal mystery, read Grisham. Above all, learn basic grammar. You'd be surprised at the number of people who don't know grammar well. There are online tutorials, texts, and even courses.

Put Structure and Discipline Around Writing

One client came to my office, said he wanted to write a book and asked for my best advice. I told him to sit down regularly—daily if possible—and write. I believe that is singularly the most critical instruction you can ever get as a writer. The British call it "bum glue," which is sticking your behind in your chair and writing. Obviously, there's more to writing, but getting into a structured writing discipline is where it all starts. Somerset Maugham, the famous writer of Teahouse of the August Moon, was asked when he got inspired. He replied: "I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp." Some people like to get up early in the morning, so writing at that time works well for them. Others don't get into gear until later in the day and sometimes prefer to write late at night. If writing is important to you, put it on your calendar and make it part of your routine. Remember, you get what you focus on.

Decide How You Will Write

I have taught writing for years and found that specific "fast writing" techniques help people get ideas onto paper quickly. Why is that important? It's hard to nail down your thinking and impossible to edit it—the absence of editing and revising leads to crappy writing. So, getting it down on paper (or on the screen) sets the process in motion. You can then edit and revise it later. So, first, nail it down.??

The first draft you slam down on paper or onscreen is what I call the "crappy first draft." So, keep your expectations low. There will be plenty of opportunities to revise it later, but not now.? Here are several simple but powerful techniques that help you produce the crappy first draft. The fundamental principle behind using any of these techniques is to withhold any judgment—despite your inner critical voice, which makes you doubt your ability.

Freewriting

Think of your subject and just start writing about it as if you were writing a letter to a good friend. Don't stop to revise or edit. Write as fast as you can for as long as you can. For some, that lasts a few minutes; others can go for longer. Practice improvising this capacity.

Create an Outline

Some people demand that you write an outline first. While I'm not a big fan of outline writing, I know some people who use Word's outline feature to help them write, and I used it to write this article. Developing a PowerPoint presentation also helps some people organize their material and get unstuck.

Mind Mapping

Whether you're brainstorming with others or yourself, use a whiteboard or flip chart. Just start drawing bubbles with words in them, connecting them to show relationships between ideas. This technique offers action-oriented kinesthetic writers a valuable tool.

Give a Speech

The fastest way of all to get on "air paper" (a recording) is to pretend to give a speech to the audience most likely to read your book. That gives you a reference for the kind of language you use. We use different words and tones when speaking to colleagues versus potential customers. After you have it on "air paper," you will need to transfer it to a visual format. I used this ora process to produce this article and then employed outlining to get it into M.S. Word.

Use Technology

Good Writing is based on sound data—statistics and sources—and the relevance and source of that information is critical. Many technologies are available to writers today that did not exist years ago. Now, we can go to Amazon to check on a book's particular information—almost like going to the library. Tons of information and comparison data exist. Wikipedia, once thought to be an unreliable source, has quickly become a frequently vetted and reviewed source of information. The Web itself offers ready information, from background facts to images and videos. The key to using the Internet is to evaluate the source of the information. Some sites you might consider are Google Scholar—replete with academically grounded books; government databases like NIH and the Department of Justice; and, depending on your topic, data that is curated by a reliable source, i.e., the Harvard Business Review, Mayo Clinic, the National Science Foundation. Know your subject and audience and choose sources that resonate with both when creating a book.

Use Artificial Intelligence

When I originally wrote this draft, it was well before the advent of A.I., which has changed the landscape of research and writing. ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity all provide a world of information at your fingertips. They can be used individually or in concert with each other but must be checked the way you might check on any intern you use to gather information. However, you cannot ignore A.I. and treat it as some fly-by-night gimmick. It's here to stay and transforming everything, including writing.

Structure Intentionally

"Bore me with structure," one of my professors once said. And that was some of the best writing advice I ever received. Remember the simple structure taught in middle school: You need an introduction (tell them what you're going to tell them), a body with several sections (tell them what you promised), and then a conclusion (tell them what you told them).

Tell Stories

We all love stories. Traditionally, oral history was all we had for many years to pass down knowledge.? Cautionary, entertaining, and cultural stories and fables were passed down as a way of preserving history. Telling readers relevant stories to illustrate the point you're making triggers their primal need for self-preservation by gaining new, hopefully helpful information.

Become an Accountable Writer

Unless you're accountable, you will not sustain Writing. You can hire a coach to keep you on track. They can help you address problems along your writing journey, like discussing goals and frustrations, and there will be many, like meeting delivery deadlines for your editor and writer's block. Being accountable to someone other than yourself is why Weight Watchers, Alcoholics Anonymous, and so many different organizations work—we're all pack animals. My suggestion is to meet twice a month in person or by phone or video—using Zoom. If you can't or don't want to hire a coach, then get together with a group of fellow aspiring authors to support you through the process. "Accountability buddies" can review each other's writing, following the Praise-Questions-Polish (P-Q-P) process.

·?????? What's working well in this Writing? (Praise)

·????? What questions do you have after reading this Writing? (Questions)

·?? ??? Finally, what are one or two pieces of feedback that might make this Writing even better? (Polish)

As a r viewer yourself, make sure you follow the P-Q-P format to give the other writer important feedback without destroying their confidence.

Judge Not

What kills most writing is the writer her-/himself. It's a kind of literary suicide, and it happens to every writer, no matter how accomplished. University English professor Betty Flowers wrote about it years ago in her now-famous article, "Madman, Architect, Carpenter, Judge: Roles and the Writing Process." In a nutshell, she explained that at the beginning of exploring a new topic, we need to write wildly and unrestrictedly, like madmen. ?Only when we've finished letting the madman have his way should we then invite the architect to give the writing structure and organization, things like a beginning, middle, and end; headers and sub-headers and the like to make the writing make sense to others. Next, the architect will hand the ball off to the carpenter to nail down facts, stories, and data. Finally, and only at the end, does the judge get to go through it with a magnifying glass. Flowers' point is that if you introduce the madman to a judge too early, you kill the writing. ?

Conclusion

Write! Write a letter, an essay, an article, a book. It's progress, and it happens over time. Writing is like working a muscle—the more you exercise your talent and your writing "muscle," the stronger it gets. Becoming a book writer starts when you decide to write for more reasons than to get work done. Writing is transformational—it doesn't just report what we're thinking…it changes how we feel.

I hope that you start to think of yourself as a writer. It's more manageable territory to claim than you might think. If you've ever written and continue to write, even at work or at home, you're a writer. And as you begin to write for yourself—to learn or to teach others—you'll develop a strong sense of becoming a "writer." This new identity is just another role you play in your life, and yet when you embrace this alternative (not exclusive) identity, you'll feel a new sense come over you—especially if you feel like you're in your "own skin" when you write.

Writing is a habit, and when that habit becomes part of your life, the magic happens. Then, writing a book will become as natural as reading one.

Steve Gladis Leadership Partners

Steve Gladis Amazon Author

#writing #leadership