Module 1: Thinking and planning

Inspiration

Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he replied. “Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

– Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Jump to:

Week 1
Week 2

And please mark your calendar for upcoming live events: interviews with best-selling authors Pamela Slim and David Meerman Scott on their writing process. There will be time for Q & A.

I want you to spend these first two weeks primarily in thinking and planning mode. That may sound like a step back to some of you eager beavers, ready to pound out the perfectly articulated words.

But it’s the smartest and most strategic way to approach your book. In fact, thinking should be a significant part of your book writing. It’s not wasted time. To the contrary, the clearer you are on what you want to write about, the easier – and clearer – your writing will be.  Also, dividing the project into smaller action steps is part of my Make This Doable approach.

First, do these 3 things

1. Tell me a little bit about your eBook topic and your writing experience

Fill out this quick form:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/beta-author-nov-2012

2. Introduce yourself to the group

Please go to our private Facebook page and introduce yourself. Include a sentence about your proposed eBook topic. Note: there is a prompt in the 7 Action Steps handout to help you do this. If you are having trouble with our FB page, email me at [email protected].

3. Set up your first 1-to-1 coaching session

Use this link to choose your first 1-to-1 session: https://www.timetrade.com/book/7ZH5H The only thing you absolutely must do is be prepared to talk about the Big Idea for your book.

Please schedule your first session as soon as possible. You will see time slots for the weeks of  Nov. 26th, Dec. 3rd and Dec. 10th.

Week 1: 7 (Doable) Action Steps to Jumpstart Your Book

1. List your goals for writing a book
2. Explain your book idea in 2 sentences
3. Explore organizing principles for your book
4. Procrastinate productively (ha!)
5. Take stock of your existing content
6. Block off time on your calendar for your book
7. Sit the hell down and write (try freewriting)

Instructions: print out the handout and follow the instructions to do the 7 action steps. You’ll have some fun with this and also make measurable progress with your book.

Click here for the handout: 7 Action Steps to Jumpstart Your Book

Or right-click the PDF icon and select “Save As…” to download the file to your desktop.

Week 2: List-Making to uncover your best book idea

List-Making is your Week 2 assignment. Use Mark Levy’s List-Making process – explained in his free PDF – to unlock and deconstruct your Big Idea. Essentially, List-Making is making “a list of lists” in order to uncover and refine the sub-topics of your big idea for your book.

Start with a high-level list of your main ideas. Then pick one top-level idea and make a list of sub-topics under it. Put each sub-topic on one stickie note. Do the same thing for each main idea.

You should end up with several dozen stickies spread out on a white board or your dining room or kitchen table. If you prefer, use mind mapping (either on paper or with a digital tool like MindMeister).

The point is to uncover which sub-topics relate to which in unexpected and surprising ways. And to pull out of your Big Idea what is most compelling and provocative.

This is a creative exercise with no right or wrong answers. Have fun with it. If you get stuck, come back to it later. Mark estimates the exercise will take one to four hours.

Listen to (or download) my interview with Mark Levy

Mark is an author and book marketing strategist. I worked with him a few years ago and I call him my “book therapist” because he has a knack for turning a crazy-making process (writing a book) into a creative and manageable project.

Click here to listen to the recorded interview with Mark. Right-click to download the MP3 file to your desktop.

Click here to read the edited PDF transcript of my interview with Mark. Right-click to download the file.

Download the List-Making manifesto

Mark’s manifesto  explains how to tease out what is provocative and original about your book idea. In other words, how to discover your best book idea.

It’s a creative way to stir the pot, see what emerges and help you unpack different angles. List-making is an iterative process.  Click here or click the cover to download the PDF.

Mark is also the author of the terrific book, Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight and Content. Highly recommended for inspirational and practical writing exercises to help you unlock your book.

More resources

Don’t forget to check out the Writing Resources page.