I don’t believe in author writing. (I can feel the breath of disbelief.) Listen: When you hire a plumber to come to your house to fix the problem, you expect him to say, “I'm sorry, I can't find out what your problem is. I think I have a block plumber ”? Probably not, and if he did, you could pull him out and call the other boy sooner than you can tell Drano. Not that pipes can be compared to writing, but if we follow the right steps to get the job done, I find that the author’s block melts, the pipes are not closed, and words begin to flow like tap water. But what are these “steps”? Yes, a big part of my job as a bookseller is to help people do something they can actually advertise: a finished book. Most of us have a lot of ideas but not an indication of how to get them on paper.
Unlike other works, writers work under completely different rules. Usually we can't sit down and tell a story, and those who have done it have made their own formula to do that. We see this great story in every direction we want to take, we see the cover, we see the characters, we see the power of the market. Then we see Katie Couric or Oprah smiling and holding up our book for the whole world to see. Then we look back down at our example and see a bright light indicator and a blank screen. And we are also reminded of how much we have failed. We have all these stories and there is nothing in the paper. We are the creators of ideas. We have millions of them running through our minds, but they are not on paper. Unless you have made your money in the imagination tank, working this way probably doesn't bring you closer to your goals.
When a project approaches us, it looks like a huge elephant - big, big and ready to step on us at any moment. There is an old saying: “How do you eat an elephant? Itching once in a while. ”It's like writing. You complete the book, one step at a time. But to create these steps, you must first divide your book into manageable, size-sensitive pieces. This can be achieved by creating a TOC (table of contents) that can direct you to a book. My thought behind this is the following: You would never think of driving from California to New York without a map, would you? How can you expect to finish your book without one? Your TOC is your road map, which guides you to your book. If your chapters do not have individual topics, then write a description of 2-3 sentences of what the chapter covers. Don't talk too much about this. Remember, it does not go in your book; it's just a brief description. Once the TOC is defined, you will have an idea of your book from beginning to end.
A few things to create this TOC will do for you: It will show you any gaps in your story that may need to be fulfilled, and will give you the feeling of completing, seeing a book or project actually done, and this great open mind for many writers, because we often live in a world of half-completed projects. Sometimes this step alone can make an author good enough to get his book done, or at least give it a good start.
Once you've upgraded your TOC, you'll want to use it and build a "to-do" list. No matter what kind of book you have, you will always have a to-do list. Whether it’s authorizing, researching, or getting approval for quotes or excerpts from your book, this to-do list will be another thing that will help move your book to the end.
Once the to-do list has been completed, set it aside. Now you have to have your TOC completed with a view of the whole book and a growing list of things that will need to be managed for the book to be done. Now the real fun begins.
Some writing books will tell you to set aside a day or two a week, or evenings here and there for your book to be completed. I don't agree with this idea, and that's why: You need to stay tuned to your topic. When I was working on the next book, I often set aside time or days for the project, promising to schedule the time “very quickly.” Of course, that does not always happen. What I have found is that when I set aside some time each day to do something in the book, I found it quickly completed.
The more you keep your hands on your project, the more they will stay in front of your mind and on your radar screen, and the more energy you will have to invest to complete it. I’m not going to tell you to set aside hours of your time each day - in fact, you don’t even have to set aside an hour. Take 15 minutes, or even five minutes - whatever your plan allows. If this sounds like a funny moment, think about it: You now have your to-do list and your specified TOC! . If you are short on time in one day, pick something quick from your to-do list and do it. If you have more time, pull out one or two chapters. The idea of creating a to-do list and TOC not only gives your project a structure, but also eliminates any excuses to do it. Don't you feel like writing today? No problem. There is probably a mountain of research just waiting to be traversed. Get a picture?
But let’s say you can’t even get past the TOC. He laments: “My book has so many layers. “There are so many background stories, so many things going on. I can’t wait to sort it into a small TOC that looks good. ”Yes, you can, and you should. If your book has no focus, your book will not be focused. It's that simple. But that's not all - if your book is everywhere and you can do it, you will never be able to keep the reader interested because you will be the only one who will find it, and what is the point of that? All you have to do in this case is find the "essence" of your book or focus on your story. Ask yourself this: What is one thing this book can do without it? What is the one thing this story revolves around? That is your backbone. If you still come up with three or four th
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