Get Your Book Written in Little Chunks

Back in 2002, The New York Times reported,“According to a recent survey, 81 percent of people feel that they have a book in them…and should write it.” At that time, that meant over 200 million people in the U.S. wanted to write a book in their lifetime. As of today, March, 5, 2012, with the US population at 313,131,455,254, 254 million people have a book in their head they say they want to get out. However, if only 2 percent of that population actually complete a manuscript–as  reported by AuthorHouse.com that same year, the majority of wannabe authors actually die with their books still just a thought inside their heads. Why? Because there’s a big difference between having an idea for a book and actually writing the book.

For many wannabe authors, a book project simply feels too overwhelming and time consuming to complete let alone to start. And that’s without even considering the aspect of building the platform necessary to create a book that will sell to readers and publishers. However, by chunking the writing down into small pieces, 250-500 word pieces you produce in 30-minute writing intervals, wannabe authors can actually complete the first draft of their manuscript in no time flat and give themselves the chance to drop the “wannabe” and become a published authors.

When I coach clients who are having trouble finding time to get their books written or who feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of writing a whole book, I tell them to map out their content into smaller pieces. We chunk down their chapters into small pieces they can write in short writing periods, and they schedule just 30 minutes a day or several times a week to sit down and write. They are amazed to find that by writing for 30 minutes three times a week, for example, with the goal of turning out 250-500 words in each session, their manuscript begins taking shape very quickly. In fact, by the end of one week, they have 1,000 words or more; by the end of a month, they’ve produced 4,000 words or more! This usually spurs them on to write more days per week or for longer periods.

For those of my clients who want to take their efforts to the next level, I usually suggest they blog their books. In this way they can begin promoting themselves and their work–building the author platform they will need to attract readers and publishers.  They post their short writing pieces each day to their blog, thus providing installments of their book to online readers. If they build a large enough fan base, they might get discovered by a publisher in the process. If not, they still create a base of potential readers for a self-published book and a platform that will help them seek a publisher.

By writing consistently in this manner–short pieces several times a week–you can get that book out of your head and onto paper in less than a year (probably in 6-9 months). That will get you out of the ranks of the 254 million wannabee authors and into the ranks of the 5.1 million writers who have actually completed a manuscript and have the chance of now becoming published authors. With a manuscript in hand, you can pursue the various options available today to turn that manuscript into a book.