How To Write a Non-Fiction Book

Writing a book can be a somewhat daunting task. In this day and age, there are many people who want to write a book…someday. Unfortunately, just having the ‘want to’ doesn’t get the book actually written. I know what it’s like to have a dream of writing a book. For many years I had the ‘want to’, but for one reason or another, it never happened. Finally, I just sat down and started doing it. Here are the steps I took in writing my book, Defeat Fear Forever .

Step 1: Ideas. Before I wrote anything down, I prayed and asked the Lord for ideas. I thought about what I would like to write about and how I could use the gifts the Lord has given me to bless others. There has to be purpose in your writing if you’re going to see it through to completion.

Step 2: Outline. Then, I took some time and sat down with my low-tech, college ruled notebook and pen (pointy end down) and wrote out a working title. From there, I went on to write out several possible chapter titles, leaving space for notes and ideas of what to actually write in the chapters. By the way, I prayed a lot through this part as well. Why bother putting in all that time and effort if, in the end, it won’t make a difference?

Step 3: Ideas (part 2). Chapter titles are wonderful guides for your chapters, but that isn’t quite enough to get through more than a couple of paragraphs. For my book, I wrote in Bible verses, quotes, and other little notes to myself to more fully flesh out the chapter titles.

Step 4: Write! Having a working title, chapter outline, and ideas isn’t a book. For a true book to happen, you have to actually sit down and write. If this sounds like drudgery to you, perhaps you should reconsider whether or not you wish to be an author in the first place. For me, once I had the working title, outline, and notes written, I could finally sit down and really get busy—now I could finally have fun!   

 

Step 5: Keep Writing. As wonderful as writing is, it’s also a discipline. Every day, set goals for yourself and keep writing. Don’t kick yourself if you simply can’t get to it that day, but, get back to writing as soon as possible the following day.

 

 

Step 6: Share Your Writing. Read your writing to someone or let someone else sit down and read a chapter or two (or your whole book). You can wait until you’ve finished the entire manuscript or share as you go along. The important thing is to keep in mind that you don’t write in a vacuum. Your work is meant to be read by others. Otherwise, why bother to publish? Keeping your audience in mind helps you stay on track with your original purpose in writing. This also allows you to get feedback from others and make your work even better.

Step 6: Revise. I confess, this is my most un-favorite part of writing, but it is perhaps the most important. Your readers deserve quality writing. They deserve the best. Also, if you wish to compete with other authors out there, your work had better be of the highest professional quality. Revision is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. It is also what separates those who truly care about their work and their audience from those who are only interested in ‘getting it done’. Truly, if it’s not ready to be published, it’s not done. Never forget, when you publish your book that is your name that is going out into the world. Don’t kill your career before it has a chance to start. Those squiggly red and green lines on your computer are your friends. You don’t have to follow every one, but do use them. Readers will take you much more seriously if you take the time to make your work look professional.

 

Step 7: Publish! Don’t get cold feet now. You’ve got something to share, something the world needs to see. You’ve written an entire book! There are plenty of opportunities to publish through e-books, such as Smashwords, and print books, such as CreateSpace. Smashwords is free and CreateSpace is extremely reasonable. Don’t let your work languish in your computer. Now is your chance to see your name in print. Go for it!

 

Article written by: Christina Li