For most entrepreneurs and professionals who want to establish their credibility or promote their services, the question is no longer, "Should I write a book?" but "When should I write a book?"
The issue for incredibly busy people is time--not having enough of it. They assume writing a book requires 6-12 months or longer. Without a doubt, the most frequent question people ask me as an author is, "How do you find the time to write?"
They're shocked when they hear me say that it typically takes only three weeks to draft a 40,000-word book. (I've done it in less time, but that's unusual.)
Of course, research may take months or years. Then polishing your prose--if you're a professional writer--can take almost as long as putting together the first draft. So from draft to final manuscript to agent or editor, you may need to invest six weeks or so.
But back to getting the first draft done: You may already have the content in your head because you're writing about a topic in your own area of expertise--often a how-to, self-help, or business book. When that's the case, typically the only thing holding you back is a writing plan.
Try one of these 10 tricks to speed you on your way:
- Map the entire book with idea wheels. I'm definitely not a proponent of the philosophy "just start writing anything" any more than I'd tell a driver who wanted to go from Columbus, Georgia, to Portland, Oregon, to "just start driving." Without a GPS or map, that's a good way to waste a great deal of time. As with driving, map out the quickest route to your destination. Start with a small circle in the center of the page. Draw lines off that circle (like spokes on a bicycle wheel) for the sub-points. Label each of these lines with a chapter topic. Then draw lines off the spokes for the sub-points of those ideas. This wheel or these wheels give you a map over the overall book. Your idea wheel serves as your book-writing GPS to get you to the destination by the quickest route.
And that's how the first draft gets done quickly. Editing it is easy, more like trying on clothes for alterations: The basic work is finished; the fitting can be fun and feels like play.
As you wait for the publisher to produce and ship your book to outlets around the world, excitement grows. Promotion begins. Notoriety looms just around the corner. So sit down and draft something.