Hey, Subject Matter Expert! So, You Want to Write a Book.

Good. If you are like 81%* of the population, you want to write a book. You’ve got a lot to say. Maybe you want to write about your life experiences. If you’ve become an expert in your field, perhaps it is your work that moves you to want to tell the world some ways they can do things better because you’ve already figured that out. Whatever your motivation, you have a message to get out to the world and you don’t want to let your experience and knowledge stop with you.

Cheers to you and your willingness to share. Consider this your encouragement. It is hard work. It is not as glamorous as you think so forgo buying yourself a quill. Dig in for the long haul and go for it.

Most people who want to write a book never do. Writing a book is intimidating, like thinking about taking that hike along the entire Appalachian Trial; it’s something that you’ve always wanted to do but it’s overwhelming to think about and plan for. But that journey of a thousand miles really does start with just one step.

Take heart and do some planning. For now, here are five steps to guide you on the path to putting your knowledge, wisdom and experience in writing for posterity. First, breathe and relax. Have confidence. A little organization, dedication and time will get you far. You can do this.

5 Steps to Writing Your Book

1. Organize your thoughts. Put your ideas in order. Make a numbered list. Make a diagram. Use big paper because as you do this exercise, you will remember detail and you’ll need more room. This is your outline. Don’t get too attached to it. After you’ve started writing, or maybe even after you’ve finished your first draft, you may see a better organization. For now, start with the organization that is most logical to you.
2. Schedule writing time. Make it sacred. You need blocks of at least two, preferably four hours, at least once a week. Ideally, you can give it a few hours every morning if you have that kind of space in your life. Take the long view and give yourself a year to complete your manuscript. If you find that the ideas start to flow, you may finish in a few months. Dr. Wayne Dyer finished his first book idea for Your Erroneous Zones in only 14 days! After he knew exactly what he wanted to say, it was just a matter of how fast he could type.
3. Start at the beginning. I like to write an introduction or prologue first simply because it organizes the point and clearly defines the purpose for me at the outset. Often, the introduction changes completely after the book is finished, but again, you have to start somewhere and the logical place is at the beginning where you can set your tone and objectives. After that, write anywhere in your outline that moves you.
4. Don’t get too hung up on being a writer. This one trips people up most often. The very best that you have to offer is in your own voice. Don’t worry about sounding like William Faulkner. His voice is already taken. In fact, if writing isn’t your go-to communication style, speak your book into an audio file using the outline of your book as interview questions. (Example: If you are writing your life story and you have a chapter called “How I Met My Wife”, ask yourself the question, “How did you meet your wife?”) Use voice recognition software to convert the audio file into your first rough draft. You may be surprised how wonderful your book sounds when you don’t think about being a writer. Some of the best speakers and most intelligent people I know are not natural writers. But they can move rooms full of people to laughter and tears. Get that on tape, then clean up the transcript.
5. Hire an editor. As a professional writer, I am the first to admit that I am not a good editor and certainly not my own editor. A writer who is their own editor is like the physician who diagnoses himself: he has a fool for a patient. Trust me, you’ve got blind spots. When you’ve looked at your own manuscript long enough, you don’t see the typos. It is not a moral failing to have someone with an outsider’s perspective improve your work.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy the process. If you have really wanted to write a book, it is because you have something inside you screaming to get out. So sit down, fire up the laptop, and bang away on the keyboard. Have fun with it. You’ll be so darned proud when you have the book in your hand.

*An oft-cited statistic credited to New York Times writer Joseph Epstein.