Writing a Book Can Be As Easy As 1-2-3

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. -- Francis Bacon Sr.

Granted, there’s a bit more to writing a book than these 3 steps but for author-experts who want to write a nonfiction book about their expertise, say you’re a yoga teacher, herbalist, acupuncturist, or functional medicine doctor, it’s a good place to start.

You'll see 1-2-3 in action with The ADHD Reset, a book that I recently edited in a minute, but first here are the three steps:

1. An idea that will help your ideal reader. For example, if you’re a yoga teacher, it may be a book about how yoga relieves chronic pain.

2. A repeatable method, step by step plan, program or approach that gets results. You’ve used it, you know it works, and you want to share it with readers.

3. A structure (typically a Table of Contents) that serves as a container for the contents of the book – if the vase is the TOC, the chapters are the flowers kind of thing - and helps readers take a transformational journey.

I often write and talk about these 3 steps because it’s what I see in the successful non-fiction books that I’ve written, edited, read and coached. If these three elements aren’t defined, it can lead to problems. You can have trouble getting started, get stuck in the middle or not finish at all. Get clear about all three and it will make writing your book much easier.

The ADHD Reset 1-2-3

Last fall, I finished working on The ADHD Reset: Shift Your Mindset. Find Clarity. Unlock Your Magic by Claire Michalski. It will be released this summer. Claire had an idea, which arose organically from her unique way of dealing with ADHD. Her book idea came from a combination of her personal story and her work with clients who had followed her program and experienced positive and repeatable results. She identified her ideal reader and offered them a real solution.

1. The Idea

Like Claire, your idea should – in most cases - be connected to the work that you are doing with clients or patients. What aha! moments have you had in your work? Has the light bulb gone off when you tried something new, a practice or method or plan? Does the idea reflect your unique point of view? For example, two different experts can approach say, treating anxiety in a totally different way and get solid results.

An idea has boundaries. It’s specific. You know what you want to focus on, and you stick with it. Often, the idea after it’s been clearly defined becomes the title. For example, my book with herbalist Brigitte Mars: Natural Remedies for Mental and Emotional Health. The idea is the title.

2. The Method or Plan

The idea is based on your method, plan, approach or philosophy. You notice what’s working and you know that if readers put your steps into action, they will get results. In fact, this may be what prompts you to want to write a book in the first place. Claire’s method is based on her work with clients. She saw that her method produced results. She knew that these results could be repeated. The book replicates, in many ways, her process.

Do you have a method of plan that shows repeated positive results? Is it something that you can share with readers to help them transform their lives? Take note of what’s working. Take notes period. Don’t let ideas about your book or what you want it to be to slip away unnoticed. See above quote for inspiration!

3. The Structure

With ADHD Reset, the structure serves the content. Like most nonfiction books, its begins with an introduction, and in Chapter 1, the problem and solution are defined. From Chapter 2 on, Claire helps her readers adopt her approach and put it into action, one step and chapter at a time.

Like any good nonfiction book, the chapters are set-up so that each step, in each chapter builds on the one before. By the end of the book, readers are transformed. That’s the goal of prescriptive nonfiction. You can see this promise in her subtitle: Shift Your Mindset. Find Clarity. Unlock Your Magic.

1-2-3. Keep this in mind the next time you sit down to write your nonfiction book. Simplicity can give you clarity and power you forward. If you need help consider signing up for Is it a Book? The 3-Step Plan to Write Your Non-Fiction Book here: https://www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com/book-online.

Questions about The 3-Step Plan or anything else? Please contact me at [email protected].

Until Next Time!

Contact me when you’re ready if you need:

1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal.

2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview.

3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly.

4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com.