Written: 9 Ways of Writing a Non-Fiction Book

Introduction: Yes, You Can

I believe everyone has a book in them. There's some knowledge, experience, or story you can share that would benefit others; if only you could get the words down on paper.

You're not alone in your desire to write a book. In fact, figures released at the 2015 Book Expo in America suggest around 90% of Americans now want to write a book, up from 81% ; a trend I believe is also reflected in other first world countries such as Australia and the UK.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Writing your book is simple if you follow the process:

1. Decide on your topic.

2. Map your ideas.

3. Outline your book.

4. Chronicle your words.

5. Deal with obstacles or writer enemies that emerge.

6. Keep going until you finish.

7. Rinse and repeat for your next book.

The point of Written is to offer you, the indie author, aka an independent or self-published author, alternative methods of book writing so you can explore ways you may not have thought about or considered; sources you can draw ideas, inspiration, and information from.

It isn't about the principles of writing and language. If you want to get more into that there are two books I highly recommend you check out; Steven King's On Writing and William I Strunk's The Elements of Style.

I want to prove to you it's conceivable to produce a good, possibly great book, even if you failed English at school, think you can't write, hate writing, or are super busy.

Ultimately, the goal of your book is to make your reader feel something and move them to action. It's your chance to communicate who you are, what you know, and to make a positive impact on the world.

WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?

Let's face it; we're all busy and have the same 24 hours in a day. Writing a book is about priorities; making time to fit in the things that are important to you. That includes writing.

If you haven't started or finished writing the book you want, I'm sorry to say it's because you either haven't found an approach that resonates with you or you haven't prioritised it enough.

Written will show you there are ways to write your book without needing to put aside large chunks of time each day, lock yourself away from friends and family for weeks on end, or give up watching TV entirely. There's a little secret I share called wasted time, which I'll help you find in chapter nine.

Five clear obstacles emerged while I was researching this topic that prevents people like you from writing a book:

1. You don't know what to write about.

2. You don't know where to start.

3. You don't know what to do once you've finished writing.

4. You don't know how to deal with the obstacles and writer enemies that come up and stop you writing.

5. You haven't found a way to write that works for you.

The book is broken down into sections and addresses the solution to each of these obstacles, along with some extra titbits:

Part 1 looks at what to write about.

Part 2 provides direction on where to start.

Part 3 goes through the nine different ways of writing a book, called archetypes.

Part 4 tackles how to deal with distraction, procrastination, the imposter syndrome, silencing your inner critic, and other writer enemies.

Part 5 has some advanced tips and strategies if you're a more experienced writer or just want to improve your writing effectiveness.

The conclusion is where the issue of what to do next is addressed. It outlines the steps to take once you've finished writing your first draft, which is covered in more detail in book two of the Creative Hacks series.

Before you start this journey, I would be remiss to advise that writing won't always be easy; but you already knew that. In fact, sometimes it will get downright challenging. The good news is you're never alone, even if it feels like it. I'll be there with you every step of the way through this book.

If you get stuck, reach out and ask for help from someone who's been there. The writing community is full of amazing and experienced people ready to offer you sage advice; you just need to follow it.

Throughout this book, there are exercises for you to complete and things to write down. You can either record them in a notebook or the free Written Companion Workbook you can download from website.com.

THE 5% RULE

Bob Mayer, teacher and best-selling author of over 70 books, says that statistically, only 5% of the population is capable of sustained change . Not great odds I know.

I believe you're already on the way to becoming a five percenter by reading this and other writing books because you're taking action to bring your non-fiction book to life.

Are you willing to keep doing what it takes to stay one in that 5 % and become a published author; to work hard, learn all you can, and sustain change for long enough to create the best book possible?

If not, you may as well stop reading now. Why bother writing your book if you're not going to publish it for people to read and learn from?

If you are willing, or at least willing to attempt to temporarily put aside your fears and doubts, then keep reading until the end.

The concepts, strategies, and techniques you'll learn from Written may provide the missing piece of the puzzle you've been looking for to finally start and finish your book. At the very least, I guarantee you'll learn something new and look at writing differently.