I have chatted with quite a few writers now who have a lot of ideas for books in their head. What I am noticing is that as great as these ideas are getting them down on paper seems to be the hardest part. You can actually have too many ideas! So how do you organize them so they become books?
Simplify.
Create an outline for each chapter. Do your best to title and subtitle so you have a base to work with for each chapter.
Don’t worry about filling it all in right away for word count. The best thing is to start with the end in mind. A chapter by chapter outline is similar to a brain dump. You take all that is going on inside of your head and you let the thoughts come out.
Ask Questions.
Where do you want to lead your reader?
How do you want them to feel at the end of each chapter?
What is the intention of the book?
Answering these questions first gives you a guide to work with. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the things you want to say. Remember, if you have an abundance of ideas you don’t have to share them all in one chapter. Take your reader on the journey, don’t get caught up in giving them all of your ideas at once.
Deadlines.
If you are doing this and are actually going to finish, you have to give yourselves writing deadlines. Don’t get caught up in perfectionism. The book will never be perfect. The goal is to complete it. If you want to write it within a year, have an idea of your word count, then divide that number by 365. That’s the number of words that have to be written daily in order for you to finish the book. Give yourself a deadline for when each chapter has to be done and no matter what stick to it!
Remember, simplify, ask questions, and give yourself deadlines. It will come together, the best thing you can do today is start.
For the love of writing,
- Cassie Jeans
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