I do not believe in the block of writers. (I already feel a sense of disbelief.) Listen: If you hire a plumber to come to your house to fix a problem, do you expect him to say, “I'm sorry, I can't find out what your problem is. I think I have a plumber block ”? Maybe not, and if he did, you'd pull him out and call the other boy sooner than you can tell Drano. It’s not that water pipes can be likened to writing, but if we follow the right steps to get the job done, I find that the writer’s block melts, the canals don’t close, and the words start to flow like water from a tap. But what are these “steps”? Well, a big part of my job as a book marketing expert to help his people are something they can really sell: a finished book. Most of us have a lot of ideas, but have no clue how to get it down on paper.
Unlike other artists, writers work under different rules. Most of the time we can't sit still and get the story out, and those who do it have their own way of doing it. We see this great story with all kinds of indicators we want to take, we see the cover, we see the actors, we see the power in the market. Then we see Katie Couric or Oprah smiling and holding up our book for the whole world to see. Then we look back down at our monitor and see a flashing whiskey cursor and a blank screen. And we are reminded of just how much we fail. We have all these stories and there is nothing in the paper. We are mind builders. We have billions of them running through our minds, but they are not on paper. Unless you are making money in the realm of thought, working this way probably does not bring you closer to your goals.
When a project comes close in front of us, it’s like this big elephant - big, amazing and ready to knock us down at any moment. There is an old saying: “How do you eat an elephant? It bites once in a while. ” The same is true of writing. You complete the book, one step at a time. But in order to create these steps, you must first divide your book into manageable, biting pieces. This can be done by creating a TOC (table of contents) that can guide you through the book. My guess is this: You wouldn’t think of driving from California to New York without a map, would you? Well, how can you expect to finish your book without one? Your TOC is your guide, guiding you in your book. If your chapters do not have individual topics, write a description of 2-3 sentences of what is included in the chapter. Don't overdo it. Remember, it does not enter your book; it's just a brief description. Once the TOC is defined, you will have an idea of your book from beginning to end.
A few things for the TOC: It will show you any gaps in your story that may need to be completed, and will give you a sense of completion, of seeing the book or project really done, and this is a serious psychological openness for many writers, because we often live in a world of partially completed projects. Sometimes this step alone can motivate the author enough to make his book, or at least give it a good start.
Once you have upgraded your TOC, you will want to pass it and create a "to-do" list. No matter what your type of book is, you will always have a list of things to do. Whether you get recommendations, do research, or get approval for quotes or excerpts from your book, this to-do list will be another thing that will help move your book forward.
When the to-do list is complete, set it aside. You should now have your completed TOC, with an overview of the entire book and a growing list of items that will need to be handled in order for the book to be done. Now the real fun begins.
Some writing books will tell you to set aside a day or two a week, or a night here and there, to complete your book. I don't agree with this idea, and that's why: You need to stay connected to your topic. When working on a future book, I usually set aside days or weeks at a time, promising to schedule the time “as soon as possible.” However, this did not always happen. What I have found is that when I set aside time each day to do something in a book, I get it very quickly.
The more you save your hands on your project, the more it will sit in front of your mind and on your radar screen, and you will invest more energy to complete it. I’m not going to tell you to set aside hours of your time every day - in fact, you don’t even need to set aside an hour. Take 15 minutes, or 5 minutes - whatever your schedule allows. If this sounds like a bit of a joke, consider this: You now have your to-do list and your TOC featured!, If you have a short time one day, pick something quick from your to-do list and do it. You have extra time, pull out a chapter or two. The idea of creating a to-do list with the TOC is to not only give your project a structure, but also eliminate any excuses for it to be done. Don't you feel like writing today? No problem. There is probably a mountain of research waiting to be revealed. Get a picture?
But let’s say you can’t even get past the TOC. “My book has so many layers,” she laments. “There are so many background stories, so many things going on. I wouldn’t expect to filter it into a clean little TOC. Yes, you can, And you should. If your book is not focused on it, your book will not be focused on it. It's so easy. But that's not all. And what does that mean? All you have to do in this case is find the "core" of your book, or focus on your story. Ask yourself this: What is one thing this book can do without it? What else around this story? That's your back. If you still have three or four t
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