When starting a new book, most writers don’t struggle with a lack of ideas. Instead, they feel overwhelmed because they have too many ideas. They care deeply and want to share everything they know about a topic for the benefit of their readers.
That’s a great problem to have, but it feels daunting. For good reason. When a writer puts too much information into one book, it’s too much for readers to follow and too complicated and overwhelming to organize and write. Most often, the initial manuscript pages end up sitting incomplete and abandoned in a computer file.
If this struggle feels familiar, here’s a way to help you focus on what your book actually needs.
Your Reader’s Journey
Writing a book is like taking your reader on a journey. Think about journeys you’ve taken or would enjoy. Every journey is unique: it goes through different terrain, highlights special sights along the way, uses particular equipment or modes of transportation, and has a destination.
Not every journey is a mountain climb. If your book is taking your reader on a journey through a meadow, they need a good pair of walking shoes and tips on how to recognize the flora and fauna along the way. They don’t need mountain climbing gear.
When you decide what kind of content goes into your book, the question isn’t how much you know about the topic. It’s what does your reader need for this particular journey?
The Destination
Knowing the reader’s destination is key. If you know the destination you want your reader to reach through the journey of your book, you’ll know what they need along the way.
Often in writing, we say the journey itself is the destination. And that’s true: your reader will experience many insights and aha moments along the way.
But there is an endpoint for your reader, a main takeaway you hope for them to reach. That is the destination. You’ll want your book to include only the things that bring your reader to that destination.
When your reader finishes your book, what do you want them to feel … understand … be able to do? That’s the destination. All the content of your book should serve that destination.
What Belongs in Your Book?
For each idea you’ve considered including in your book, ask yourself:
- Does it move your readers toward their destination, the main takeaway you want them to reach?
- Is the idea essential for the journey you’re taking your readers on?
- Does the detail you want to share provide an aha moment for your readers?
If you can answer yes to those questions, you’re probably looking at a relevant detail to include in your book.
If your answer to those questions is no, you can probably put that material aside. Don’t delete it; just set it aside for perhaps another project or purpose.
More to Share?
When you start setting material aside that doesn’t go in your current book, you may feel frustrated. You have so much more you want to share—more than you can weave into one book.
That’s okay. It’s better to have an abundance of material than not enough. That material has a future home for your readers:
- Blog posts
- Web pages
- Emails
- Videos
- Workshops
- Your next book
Don’t let those possible outlets overwhelm you. You’ll know when the time is right to share additional information with readers in another format.
The point right now is that if some of your material doesn’t fit into your current book, it’s not a loss. It’s for later.
The book you are writing now isn’t meant to contain all your wisdom and experience. Instead, you are guiding your reader along on one clear, specific, awesome journey. Give them what they need to travel, and the rest will unfold beautifully over time.
The Takeaway
To help you decide what to include in your book and what to set aside, start with this sentence:
When my reader finishes my book, here’s the takeaway I want them to have: _____________.
That takeaway will become your measure of what to include in your book and what to set aside for later.
While you may have several specific takeaways you hope for your readers, what’s the main takeaway the others point to? That’s your reader’s destination and the focus of your book material.
If you end up including things now and realize later they don’t need to be in your current book, that’s okay. You can refine your book’s content as you edit, always keeping the reader, their journey, and their main takeaway in mind.
Most importantly of all, keep writing. Don’t let concerns about what to include or not to include slow you down. Make the best decisions you can along the way, change things later through editing, and keep writing. Your book will be a blessing to your readers.
Janet Eriksson 