Although getting a book written is a large task, it’s not an
impossible. All you have to do is look in your own library, or visit any
bookstore to see that lots and lots of people become, one way or
another, authors and get their dream into words.
While every book is different, and, if you talked to the author,
you’d find that how they got their book written, they also have some
things in common.
One way or another, there are six keys to getting your book written:
A Vision For Your Book. The Vision for your
book gives you a clear sense of exactly what you’re writing and for
whom. The Vision is the big picture of what you want to say, and who
you want to say it too.
A Purpose Statement. Every book needs a clear
purpose, a short statement - 10 words or less - that act as a guide
and grounding for the whole project.
A Working Table of Contents. Although books
don’t necessarily get written front to back (did you know that?),
you still need a working table of contents. The table of contents,
which may be a simple list, helps you determine the order you’ll
present your material in. It also helps chunk down the writing into
manageable bits. From there it becomes, in some ways, a matter of
filling in the details.
A Plan to Get It Done. The plan may be anything
from hiring a ghostwriter to spending an hour a day actually
writing. It’s just that, a map, usually involving time, that lets
you get words on a page.
Know-how. While writing a book isn’t rocket
science, it does require a certain art. That art consists of your
individual style, knowing the reader, and the ability to keep track
of the whole project while working on the individual pieces. It’s a
learnable skill, if you want to learn it.
Support that Works for You. Support comes in
all sorts of flavors. It may be friends and family; it might be a
Master Mind group; a writing coach can provide the support you need.
Wherever you find it, you and your book will benefit tremendously.
The trick, of course, is to get every element in place. They don't
have to happen all at once. Getting a book written well requires time -
not just time to write, but time to let the ideas gel and mature.
Book writing really is a case of easy does it, but do it.
