Writing a book can be an intimidating process, especially for a first-time author. Before diving deeper into the project, take some preliminary steps to write a book.
Step #1: Find out what you are going to write about
This may seem like an obvious preliminary course of action, but it’s important to point out specifically what you’re going to write about.
You want to write about a topic that you enjoy. If the medical profession bores you, it’s probably best to digress. Writing anything, especially a process as complicated as a book, should be an experience you enjoy.
Step #2: Look around you at the competition
If you are going to write a book on gardening, it would be wise to scan bookstores, libraries, and search online to see what has been written on this broad subject. Perhaps there is a particular subtopic that not much has been written about. If there are many books dedicated to growing tomatoes and cucumbers, but few discover the wonders of growing parsley and onions in your garden, this could be a niche.
While books of all genres are constantly sprouting, there is always a need to write new ones, especially on the non-fiction side, because new discoveries and information are always emerging.
Step #3: Plan Your Book
Before you get bogged down in the nitty-gritty details, it would be helpful to sit down and write about specific topics you’d like to discover in your book. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but creating a list of tentative chapters could be a useful exercise. Determine how narrow or broad the scope of your book will be.
If your book is going to tell the story of Wisconsin, how far do you want to go? When was the region first settled? Or when it was admitted into the union and formed as a state? Or maybe you want to start at a specific point in history, like 1900? Determining the answer to this question is an important step.
While writing a literary work can cause anxiety for any author, especially a beginner, reaching out and taking a few preliminary steps to writing a book can be an invaluable method of making the process easier.
