The secret is in creating an outline for the book that will help you fill in the blanks rather than wonder what to write about along the way.
So, if you havent started writing your book I have good news
The fastest way to get going is to decide on your chapter topics/titles first before you try to figure out exactly what you want to say. If you have a problem figuring out what you want to name the chapters, just focus on the topic of the chapter and from there write a brief explanation or purpose statement of the topic.
Heres a really simple way to do it:
Topic Example: Money Management Basics
Chapter Explanation Example: Its time to forgive yourself for all the mistakes youve made with money and learn some financial basics thatll put you on the path to financial fitness.
This exercise will help you clarify what specific information you want to cover. It will also help you focus on the big picture rather than getting bogged down with too many little points you want to mention that dont warrant an entire chapter dedicated to them.
If youve already started writing your book, or just started to write out your ideas, another secret to creating your outline is to reread what you've already written and instead of editing the content, use what you have to create chapter headings that support the text. The goal is to see if what you have fits with the chapter title so that you will know exactly what needs to be added or deleted to make the chapter complete.
Next, youll want to create subheadings. A subheading is an extension of the chapter.
For example, if your book is on Money Management and your chapter title is Money Management Made Easy, then a subheading within that chapter may be, The 5 Things You Need to Do Right Now to Get Control of Your Money.
This subhead allows you to expand on the topic of money management without having to create an entirely separate chapter to cover a small bit of separate, but related information.
Each chapter title or topic should have at least three (more if necessary) subheadings that are created as a result of asking the following writing prompter question: "What do I want to tell the reader about...." (fill in the blank with your topic)
Writing Prompter Example: What do I want to tell the reader about Money Management?
Chapter Title Example: Money Management Made Easy
Subhead Example: Budgets SuckHow to Spend Responsibly Without One
Subhead Example: Avoiding Late Fees and Other Costly Money Mistakes
Subhead Example: Start Saving NowEven On a Shoestring
Another quick writing secret is not to throw away anything that doesn't seem to fit in the book, instead create a document (in Microsoft Word or whatever application youre using) and title it "Extra Content" then cut and paste everything that doesn't seem to fit under a particular subheading or chapter in that document.
This will move it out of the way so you can focus your writing but will allow you to have access to it for future use as your book moves toward completion.
Can you see how simple the writing process becomes when you start by creating an outline?
An outline helps you to focus on what you ultimately want to tell the reader and the great thing about writing a book is that you dont have to write it in any particular order. In fact, Id recommended that you write it out of order.
By using this simple writing secret, youll create a book that your target audience wants to buy. But more importantly youll cross over into an elite group of authors who are considered experts. After all you wrote the book!
In the endless quest to attract more clients and get more business; coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs sometimes forget that there are several other ways to sell your services.
Apply what youve read to create an outline for the book youll write. When its complete use it to introduce your services to new clients, get radio and TV interviews, and even share the platform with other authors.
Use your book as a marketing tool to add thousands of extra dollars to your bank account! |
