The first question most non-fiction, self-publishing writers ask me is, “What’s the best way for me to start writing my book?”
My answer? The best way is your way. You have to find what works for you. What will bring your words to life for your readers? You’re the only one who will know what works best for you, and it may take a little exploration to figure it out.
No matter which way you choose, there is one very important guideline: Put your heart on paper first, in whatever way you can. All the rest is editing. You figure out the best way to get the words out of your heart and onto the written page (that’s writing). Then you shape the material from there (that’s editing). That takes off a lot of pressure. You don’t need to have everything figured out just to write.
Books are like puzzles, but without that helpful picture guide on the box. You create a book by first creating each puzzle piece. Then you figure out how they link together. (Please note: I’m referring to non-fiction books. Fiction books have a more predictable structure, although your path to that structure can vary.)
Here are several ways of putting books together based on the experiences of different non-fiction authors. Maybe one of these approaches will inspire you. But resist the urge to mold yourself to a particular way. You have to discover what works for you, and it may be a tweak or a combo of something listed here. Give yourself permission to explore and see what works. Don’t be afraid to start one way, and then change things up if need be.
- Create an Outline
If you like things to be logical and fit together neatly, an outline might be a helpful way to start. You can brainstorm outline topics and see how they fit together. Each topic can inspire you to write material that feels like an article or a journal entry.
When you finish responding to each topic in your outline, you will already have the basis of your book. You can then change the order of the outline, or see what areas need to be added, expanded, or even deleted. You might find that one topic is so strong, it needs to become its own book. Now you’ll have two books from one effort. Not bad!
- Get It All Out
If outlines don’t appeal to you, that’s okay. Maybe you just need to write out everything that’s in your heart, related to the main topic of your book. Get everything out that you want to say — not in any particular order, but just as things come to you.
As you go through this process, go back and read what you’ve written. Resist the urge to edit. You’re just trying to get your thoughts and ideas onto the page. You will start to see themes and threads that connect related topics. Come up with some topic labels and put a label with each paragraph or section. The puzzle pieces will start to take shape, and you will see how they fit together into book chapters.
- Brainstorm Your Ideas
Brainstorming allows a combination of outlining and heart writing. Get your ideas onto paper through bullet points. Not in any particular order, but just as they come to you. You might take several days to do this exercise, just to see what else comes to mind.
After you’ve come up with as many bullet points as you can think of, group items that are related. Those can be the roots of your chapters. For example, let’s say you’re working on a life story. You realize several bullet points relate to a particular aspect of that story. Those can be grouped together and serve as your guideline for that chapter.
As you brainstorm, you might realize you have more than one book on the subject. Those bullet point topics will help you narrow the focus of your current book. Brainstorming can also highlight which topics you are most passionate about. Those are the topics you have a lot more to say about. You might be surprised! You can shape your book in that direction.
- Talk into a Voice Recorder
Sometimes the easiest way to get your words from heart to paper is to talk. Capture your words with a voice recorder. Then you can get the recordings transcribed and already have lots of book material to work with.
I ghostwrote a novel for a client based on his life story. After we had mapped out the scenes, I literally “talked” the scenes into the voice recorder. This helped the characters and scenes come alive for me. (It was fun!) It felt like I was right in the middle of the action, speaking each character’s experience.
I transcribed the voice recordings and edited the material into the finished book. I was amazed at how much the words on the page came alive because they had been spoken first.
- Write for Your Blog
Did you know you can blog a book? If you have an idea for a book, but you don’t know where to start, write blog posts on the main topic. You can combine this approach with an outline, if you want. Each outline point can become the basis for one or more blog posts. After you’ve written several posts on each topic, you can piece them together into a chapter. Then start writing on the next point.
Nor do you have to write in sequence. Start with whichever topic is most appealing for you. Then move to another one. As a friend of mine likes to say, there is more than one way to get to the grocery store. It doesn’t matter which route you take. You’ll still end up at the store. Take the same approach to blogging your book. Which outline topic feels most exciting and fresh to you? Blog about that. Keep blogging until you have several related articles you can put together as a chapter.
(Keep in mind that I focus on self-publishing. If you plan to publish your book with a traditional publishing house, they have different legalities for using blog posts. Check with them before you start blogging. Traditional publishers also have requirements for completing outlines, sample chapters, and book proposals in advance. If that’s your path, you need to learn as much as possible about how it works before you start planning and writing.)
- Compile Your Written Articles
If you’ve already been blogging for a while, here’s an approach you can take. One of my book editing projects for a client was a compilation of his previously written articles. To organize the chapters, I started going through each article, one by one, deciding on an appropriate topic label — a label that was specific to the topic, yet general enough to include other articles. I wrote each topic label on a separate document, and beneath each label I typed the article title. As I read through more articles, I reached a point where 10 labels was enough, and the rest of the articles fell under one of those categories.
At the end of this process, I had a list of 10 chapter titles and a list of about 5-8 articles in each chapter. Perfect! I rearranged the chapter titles in a sequence that made sense. Under each chapter title, I rearranged the order of that chapter’s articles in a way that would best engage readers.
- Answer Questions or Record Your Teachings
I’ve learned of several writers who create books by answering questions. I took this same approach years ago. I wrote a book entirely based on questions people had asked me. You can also combine this method with blogging: You can write blog articles based on answers to questions your readers might have about your proposed book subject.
I’ve worked with another author who is anointed for teaching. She recorded her teachings — including her answers to student questions — and those teachings became the basis for her books. I’ve learned of other writers who record video teachings on YouTube and then compile the transcripts and summaries into a book. This also allows them to gather a following of people who will be eager to read their book.
These are just a few examples of approaches to getting started on your book. The best way to write your book is the way that will work for you. It’s a matter of getting your heart onto the page. You can mold, shape, and edit from there.
You might discover one ideal way that works for you. If you’re like me, you might use different approaches for different projects. Try things out. Experiment. See what works best for you and your next book.
Janet Eriksson 