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Last week, I opened with choosing a specific topic for a book. It’s important to passionate about the topic/genre you choose because there will be many hours of research, writing and marketing involved with your topic choice…be happy and passionate from the beginning. On the last step on how to write a book later this week, I will reveal a major development in books that will expand an author’s potential audience exponentially…stay tuned.

Throughout this presentation on “How to Write a Book,” I write from the viewpoint of a nonfiction book. For fiction writers, the steps are similar, though fiction writers need to think about “plot,” “characters,” and “unique angles.” Let’s go to the next step that will help to keep you focused and organized while writing a book – the outline.

Outline

1) General List – Make a general list of the main topics (and sub-topics) you want to cover in your book. Brainstorm here and don’t think about organizing thoughts yet. I like to have a WORD file started with a working title of my book to record this list.

2) General Pages – Introduction, Title Page, “About the Author,” Addendums, etc. are examples of general pages to list within the proper place in the list on step one.

3) Working Outline – Merging the first two steps above will provide a working outline resembling a working Table of Contents (currently called: “Contents”). Books routinely have 10-14 (some more) chapters. Key is to be succinct with writing, while covering the books’ subject completely.

4) Add-ins – Make a list of any add-ins (pictures, shadow boxes, images, etc.). Assembling add-ins from the outline stage will allow an author or publisher to visualize a completed book with chapters and visuals.

During the outline stage, do not be concerned with page counts, marketing, etc. Concentrate on recording all your thoughts and putting these thoughts in a logical outline format…this will speed up your writing and keep focus.

Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com

Effective business letter writing skills is still one of the most difficult competencies for young employees to master. Here are tips that can help…

Write like a journalist
Good journalists are experts at getting their message across so the skills they display give a great skeleton to use as a guide to your writing. Here are the ABCs…

A – Accuracy
B – Brevity
C – Clarity

Accuracy
As a business letter writer you want your writing to cover the topic, help the ideas flow and answer the questions being addressed. A key to good writing is to ensure what you have stated in your writing paints an accurate image in the reader’s mind.

Leave your piece of work for a day and then read it again. Using this method can help you find the weaknesses in what you have produced. The best method is then to hand what you have written to a colleague to see if you have made sense,

Ensure that what you have written is grammatically ‘correct’ and that you have followed the conventions that your business letter requires. As another writer on this topic puts it: “This is one of the most important post-writing tasks that you need to do.” Grammar in most cases is what difference between a readable and understandable piece of work and a nonsensical one. Grammar can change your meaning dramatically.

Here’s an example to demonstrate the point:
a) A woman without her man is nothing.
b) A woman: without her, man is nothing.

You must proofread your work as another reader may not know that if your intent was to express point a) above or point b)

Accuracy is also governed by giving the appropriate amount of information, too little and mistaken image will occur in the readers mind and too much will lead to reader confusion.

Information on “brevity” and “clarity” coming soon.

Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com