Writing a Book As a Weekend Warrior
Are you only able to work on your book part time or on weekends? Most of us have to squeeze writing a book into small blocks of time. Perhaps you have a full time job or a business to tend to and can't take off three months or more to write a book. Or maybe you have children or aging parents to look after. Yet, you still dream of writing a book one day.
If any of the above applies to you, there's good news! You don't have to become a hermit or trade in your life anymore to write a saleable book. You can use the cumulative effect and still get your book written in record time. Here are some easy tips from HG Nadel a writer to help you in your journey. Discover how to take the short way home to your successful book.
Write a book in an organized way. Leading experts say we waste over 150 hours a year looking for misplaced information. Get organized in a way that fits you. For example, to get started you can create a master folder with your book's title. Inside, keep a separate file for each chapter. Assign each chapter a short title that will make sense later. If you don't have a title yet then assign chapter names by topic.
Assign research notes or resources to each chapter named folder. Make a how-to folder as well, such as short-key notes, style or formatting notes. With this system you can manage multiple projects easily. Don't waste anymore time being disorganized. Remember you only have weekends and small blocks of time to complete. You can do it; just get organized.
Write a book with a clear thesis. Did you cringe at the word thesis? For some, it brought back memories of English class and writing essays. No worries, a thesis simply reflects the main central thought of the book. Make sure the main central thought includes the greatest benefit of your book and you're done.
Writing your book's thesis before you begin will help crystallize your message. With your book's thesis in mind, you can stay on the path of focused, compelling yet easy to read book. You could end up with a top selling book written on the weekends all because your message was tightly focused.
Write your book with extreme focus. Throw away your plans to go away for a week, a month or a year to write your book. Weekend warriors don't have the time to dedicate solely to their book. So, it's a good thing you don't have to become a hermit to write and complete a successful book these days. You can commit to the tracking approach. Do a set amount; even if it's only 30 minutes to an hour each day builds a cumulative effect. You could write 1 chapter per week and have a short book in 7-12 weeks.
Write a book overcoming writers block. Writers block can be a serious hindrance, especially when you only have a small window to work on your book. Here are a couple of tips to get rid of writers block anytime you face it. Know you don't have to write chapters in order. You can jump around and fill in the blanks to gain momentum. Maintain your momentum. Don't give in to writers block. Move on to work on the chapter you feel passion bubbling for at that moment.
Write a short book. Because your book is shorter and easier to write fast, you can expect to go to market sooner. To accommodate your weekend writing, write your book in chunks, chapters, sections and parts. Writing this way will allow you to easily refine, repeat and repackage your information. You'll be able to synch your book with a website and pull out a stream of articles, reports, follow-up products and even services to build your book, your brand and your business.
Write a book using the q/a format. Make a list of 7-10 burning questions or problems that you have collected from your clients. Write an introductory or overview chapter. Then take each question and answer it in an individual chapter. Pad your chapters with a case study, a real story or an illustration to explain the answer. Write a closing chapter, review everything and congratulate your reader for finishing your book.
Write a book with a chapter template. You need a shell to just slip your book content into. Using a chapter template as a shell is similar to building your best crispy taco. You bake (form) the shell and start putting your meat in; then add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, etc. until you have built your best taco. After creating a book chapter template, you can easily see where your introduction, 7 supporting points, stories and summaries fit into each chapter.
If you don't use the principles above to write your book in the small blocks of time available to you, you may never finish. My vote as a fellow weekend writer says you can do it! You don't have to say I can't because I don't have time anymore. You have the knowledge; you can now say I CAN. Go make us all proud; write your book in the midst of your busy life with the time YOU have.