Hi Chantal! YES of course! Here goes:
The Three Most Important First Steps to Committing to a Book Project
1) Get clear that you really, really, really want to write a book. This is not an easy or fast process. It can be tons of fun, but only if the motivation is clear and it rises above the noise of our very busy lives. If you are sure you want to write the book, but the writing “just doesn’t seem to happen,” it can indicate that you have some underlying objections that you may not even know about. In that case, it’s time for some shadow work, or (my favorite) some NLP to help find the hidden obstacle and let it go. Common hidden obstacles are parental loyalties, quarantined (i.e., hidden) beliefs, and aspects of our self-identity that would need to be revised if we successfully published a book. I go into this in some depth in this blog.
2) Pick your hook. Now that the psychological pathway is clear, the next step is to choose an engaging, unique “hook” or pitch for your book. Many of us are writing about similar topics–feminine leadership, for example. But each of us also has something super unique about our angle or focus. Here’s where you let your Unique Value Proposition shine. A great hook is short (2-3 sentences MAX), unique to your work and has a “wow” factor that gives us the feeling “I want to read that!”
3) Schedule time to write! I know, I know. You’ve got waaaaaaaay too much going on to carve out time for something as non-essential as writing. But if your heart’s desire is to write, you’re going to have to create the space in your life to do it. I suggest picking the same time every day, and setting a timer for 30 minutes to start. Promise yourself you’re not getting out of that chair until that timer goes off. Even if you need to write about “all the things I really should be doing, instead of writing right now” that’s okay. You’re building the habit, and that’s the first step.
Once you’ve got these three dialed, the next step is to create an outline. I offer a free download of 3 book outline templates to get you started which you can find here.
Happy writing and PLEASE KEEP ME POSTED about your writing!!! We need Emerging Women writing books and I want to help.
Love,
Kelly
