YOU HAVE DECIDED TO WRITE A BOOK!

Now, where to begin?

There are 3 types of authors that I encounter on a constant basis:

1. The Ideators: They know what they want to write, but have a deluge of ideas that they cannot seem to narrow down or pick from.
2. The Stagnators: They have a fleeting idea of what they would like to write, but believe now is not a good time. Well, there never will be a good time, to be honest.
3. The Tempted: They want to write, but do not know what or how.

For all these people, there is one common area they need to work on:

GETTING STARTED

And what does that encompass, really?

Very few people stop to ask what goes into writing a book. A lot of people think having an idea is enough and it is a matter of sitting down everyday and cranking out words like a machine. Because, really how hard can it be?

Turns out - very. They sit at their desk, stare out the window and reorganize their bookshelves for the millionth time.

That's when I introduce them to the following elements:

STRUCTURE: Without a framework or a structure, your book idea will flouder into a shapeless jelly without a spine. And as we all know, every book has a spine - it's what those pages hold on to, for dear life. So, you need a solid structure that takes your initial idea, deconstructs it, poses questions for each angle, answers with chapterization, and adds an element of reader expectation to the entire project. Much like a Scrum Master would do for an Agile run project. I would know because I am a Scrum Master.

PLAN: You might be forgiven for thinking the structure and the plan are the same. A structure is the what. A plan is the how. You need a plan that will incrementally give your brain the chance to rewire and make space for the act of inspired, creative writing. Because without the inspired and creative part, writing is quite inconsequential and will not differentiate one book from the other. So, thinking you can start out with 5000 words a day might be a bit of stretch until you have trained your brain to easily do 500 words, 1000 words, 2500 words and maybe 4000 words a day. Words that you like. Words that give you evidence of progress. Otherwise, 500 words can quickly dwindle into nothing. That's just neuroscience. I should know - because as an NLP practitioner, I use Neurolinguistic Programming to train the author brain.

ROUTINE: What is your routine? Where do you write? What time do you write? What suits your personality type? Do you need consistency or would you rather mix it up to remain inspired? Ask yourself these questions because the act of writing and the style of writing, both come from a deep awareness of your personality. I know this because I am qualified to run Psychometric Tests on authors to help them tap into their competencies and protect themselves from blocks.

VOICE: Finally, your author voice is one that will require careful application of style to text. Texture, description, technique and clearly answering questions that your ideal reader would have - these are all important things when you are writing. The right technique for the right content would make for a read that cannot be put down in a hurry. How do I know this? A creative writing degree and 23 years in the field of writing / editing / publishing / strategy have helped me gather these tools that I like to share with authors.

So, to truly write, you need to be aware, and plan in a realistic yet goal oriented way, even as you adhere to a structure and dedicate yourself to finding your author voice.

Just as I promised, this involves creativity and neuroscience, played in a way that rewires your brain and helps you remain inspired, disciplined and true to your story.

Ready to write?

DM me today for a FREE story discovery call!