I find that a lot of my book clients believe that the “right” way to write a book is to start at the beginning and keep writing until you get to the end.
That works sometimes, but THERE ARE NO RULES ABOUT WRITING!!
In fact, when you’re writing a nonfiction book, you should never, ever write the introduction first. You should write it last. The intro should explain what the book is about and how to use it, but if you haven’t written the book, how do you know what to say here?
Where to Start
There is no right way or wrong way to start your book. I usually tell my authors that they should start at the place that is calling to them. What part of the book are you excited about, itching to share, or obsessed with? Start there. It doesn’t matter where in the book it is.
Once you write that, you have given yourself a confidence boost—I did it!! And you will feel more confident tackling other parts of the book.
Still Don’t Know Where to Start?
Work on your outline. Start filling pieces in. Write phrases. Write paragraphs. Jump around and dabble. It’s like a page in a coloring book. You might color some of the grass, then some of the sky, then come back to the grass. Then, OH, you want to color the castle and maybe the trees, but, hey, I have more to do with that sky. And so on.
Let go of a requirement that your work be linear. I don’t care if you are writing fiction, nonfiction, or memoir. This works in any genre.
And don’t panic if it isn’t fitting seamlessly together. It won’t! That’s work for later. All your job is right now is just to start getting some words on the page. And then fill in around them.
Writing the Hard Parts
In my experience, there are always parts of the book that prove to be the hard parts to write. Either you don’t quite know what you want to say, you can’t figure out how to get from one piece to another, or there’s something you feel really unsure about and are questioning your ability to write about it.
This is normal!
It is absolutely fine to skip the hard parts when you get started. Don’t dive in there and get hung up forever, frozen, unable to move forward.
However, you will likely find that the hard parts are the key to the entire thing. Once you tackle the hard parts, everything else lines up like a slot machine on three cherries. The lights go off. The bells ring. The coins flow out.
But you cannot write that hard part until you’re ready. It takes some noodling around other parts of the book to be ready. But when you’re ready and you give in, working through the hard part will align absolutely everything else in the book. It will show you your path forward. You will know what you have to fix elsewhere to make it flow.
I love to see this moment when my authors get there. They suddenly “see” what the book is. It all clicks. They feel completely confident in it once again.
Reminders
Don’t forget to download your free tips sheet: 10 Golden Rules for Using AI as an Author.
And remember to sign up for my class, Use AI for Your Book Proposal Without It Using You. AI has already happened. Don’t be left behind. It is an amazing tool that can save you time, assist with research, inspire you, and push you to become a better writer. Don’t get left behind!
I am taking new editing and coaching clients beginning in late August. Reach out if you want to set up a free consult! brette@brettesember.com
In My World
This week, I’m still working through client books and proposals that I promised I would have back by this weekend. I have never worked on a book that I didn’t fall a little bit in love with, so it is always so joyful for me to read new clients’ projects.
It’s so hot that I started changing up my routine and am trying to walk or bike ride first thing in the morning instead of in the evening to beat the heat.
Last week, we were walking the dogs on a town bike path next to an empty field where someone had dug up and dumped three hydrangea plants plus some other shrubs. We promptly loaded them into the back of the van and planted them at home in a garden that the town highway dept dug up and moved last year (killing a lot of our shrubs in the process). Great find! That then meant we had to buy a sprinkler to keep them alive in this heat!
Obsessed With…
And So It Goes, the Billy Joel doc on HBO is so, so, so, so good. He’s raw and honest and has insights on all the stages of his life. The story about his family in Nazi Germany is jaw-dropping. And all of his ex-wives are interviewed. As a writer, I am always fascinated by how musicians write songs, and he offers some insight into that process.
We saw him in concert for the River of Dreams tour, which turned out to be his last pop/rock album, and I’m so glad we went! We had absolute nosebleed seats—very back row. We got to the seats, and one of them was broken. The seat part was gone. We went to the box office and they gave us seats on the floor about 15 rows from the stage. I will never forget it!!
Good Goods
I like to jazz up my morning coffee and afternoon iced coffee with flavors. Mostly, I am a mocha girl. And I have these giant jugs of sugar-free chocolate sauce I get from Amazon. But it’s always a mess, dripping and smeared. I ordered this little pump for the bottle, and it is life-changing. No more mess. No dripping. And I don’t have to haul the jug out, I can just stick my cup under the pump and voila.
Note: Some of the links in this post may provide me with a small referral fee.