13 Foundational Steps to Writing Your Book

Define a dedicated writing space, considering your needs for solitude, equipment, and comfort. Overcome the 'no space' excuse. This relates to the behavioral principle of 'priming' your environment.

“When I first started I was a young father and I had no space i had to take a plank and put it between two kitchen chairs which i set in front of the couch in the living room...”

Gather essential writing tools, focusing on comfort and minimizing distractions. Prioritize a good computer and chair for long writing sessions. This is an example of 'stimulus control'.

“Really you don't need too many, say you're writing in a restaurant all you need is your laptop and a comfortable chair...”

Divide the book-writing process into smaller, manageable tasks (sentences, paragraphs, chapters) to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed. Utilizes 'chunking' technique.

“Writing a book is akin to eating an elephant how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time so break the task into as many small pieces as you can...”

Develop a book-worthy, compelling concept that can sustain the writing process and resonate with readers. Avoid small concept ideas.

“It needs to be a big idea if it's book worthy it's going to be big concept we don't have any room in the marketplace anymore for small concept book ideas...”

Create an outline to provide direction and structure to your writing, even for 'pantsers'. Adapt the outline as needed and prioritize its usefulness to you.

“Even we fiction writers who are Panthers have to have some sort of idea where we're going even if it's on one side of one sheet of paper give yourself some direction of where you're going...”

Establish a reading schedule with a firm deadline and commit to it. Adjust the schedule as needed, but treat the locked-in deadline as sacred. Using a schedule enforces time management skills.

“Make sure you don't do that keep your deadline sacred now the way you do that is you figure out roughly how many pages you're gonna be writing for your book...”

Conduct thorough research, both for nonfiction and fiction. Use research to add specificity and credibility to your writing, but make sure it remains seasoning, not the main course.

“You have to be an expert in what you're writing in and not just drawing their own experience but also show that you immersed yourself and all the writing in your field...”

Craft an engaging first line that sets the tone for the entire book. Prioritize the reader's experience in every writing decision.

“Give it the time it deserves because if you can pull off an important compelling first line it will set the tone for your entire book...”

Inject conflict and tension into every page, whether through character interactions or by promising and delivering in nonfiction.

“Readers crave tension and yes this applies to nonfiction as well almost every time a writer shows me their manuscript and says I don't know where to go from here it's because they got to a point where the people on the page are agreeing with each other too much...”

Suppress your inner critic during the first draft. Save editing for a later stage to maintain momentum and creativity.

“That inner critic is just you or me and that critic needs to be told to shut up now is not the time to be criticizing your own work always save your editing until the next day at least...”

Overcome the challenges of the 'marathon in the middle' by ensuring your middle section is engaging and filled with setups and payoffs.

“The problem with the marathon of the middle is we've all got great ideas to start and we can't wait to get to that big finish but now we've got a couple hundred pages in the middle to fill...”

Craft a memorable and satisfying ending that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Give the ending the time and attention it deserves.

“You want your book to end the way a Broadway play ends when that curtain comes down with a satisfying thud...”

Hone your self-editing skills to polish your manuscript to the highest standard. Utilize resources and tips to enhance your editing process.

“You need to become a ferocious self that occur what does it mean to be ferocious you know what it means it means to be aggressive everything else is for naught if you don't polish your manuscript to the point where you're happy with every word...”