How?–Part IV: Order from Chaos

Have you ever considered the logical sequence of creation? Before God created fish, He created the seas. Before He created mankind and animals, He created grass, flowers and trees. Each step laid the foundation for the next. While nothing can compare to the awesome power of God Almighty, we can follow His example of logical sequence when structuring our book’s contents.

At this point, you probably have perhaps a dozen or more manila folders, each teeming with notes from your research. Skim through each folder and select its key concept. Write that concept on a 3X5 card. If more than one main concept or topic comes to mind, break the folder into more than one; keep one folder per main topic. For example, look back at the bubbling exercise about Animals. While this make-believe book’s subject is Animals, the subtopics (a.k.a. chapters) would include domesticated and wild. Each of those topics will be broken down into subheadings within the chapter (such as Hunting Wild Animals and Photographing Wild Animals), but first we’ll form the structure. This exercise will evolve into your book’s Table of Contents.

Gather your stack of 3X5 cards, each with a main topic written on it. Can you see an order in the topics? Just like all good writing, a book’s structure will have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Most nonfiction books begin in some way with an introductory chapter that includes why the book will help you. For instance, a book on gardening often begins with selecting a site and preparing it for planting. The final chapters of most nonfiction books usually summarize and offer some sort of "call to action." You might want to flip through the Tables of Contents of several nonfiction books to see how those authors have ordered their chapters. Shuffle your cards around until you get a grasp of how you might want your book to flow.

Now that you have a good idea of the order of your chapter topics, it’s time to come up with titles for those chapters. I’ve already shared how I titled the chapters in my book The Prodigal Daughter, but there are a number of ways to choose chapter titles. If you’ve ever attended a CLASSeminar, which I highly recommend to all Christian writers and speakers, the first thing you learned was how to think in outline form. Nearly everything can be converted into an outline. The subtopics (chapters) are like branches from a tree (book). They are all connected. A Table of Contents is nothing more than an outline.

There are many styles of Tables of Contents. See if you can find examples in other books from each of the types listed below. Experiment with your own book’s chapter titles. Pick several styles and name your chapter titles accordingly. You’ll soon figure out which style fits your book perfectly.

• Sentence–Each chapter title is a sentence. 
• Question–Each chapter title is a question.
• Word–Each chapter title is one word.
• Action Verb–Each chapter title is an action verb.
• Alliteration–Each chapter title begins with the same phonetic sound.
• Acrostic–The first letter of each chapter title spells a word.
• Scripture–Each chapter title is a scripture or phrase from a scripture.

And so forth. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the types of Table of Contents styles. You’re also welcome to develop your own unique style. The purpose of this post is to give you a starting point to brainstorm from.

Now you’ve got your chapters selected. Go through your folders and pick out subheadings. Unlike fiction, nonfiction chapters tend to be fairly consistent in length. Say you’ve selected approximately 2400 words for your chapter length. If you have four subtopics within each main topic, you’ll have four subheadings of approximately 600 words each. That is how you’ll write your book–in small manageable segments, each with a logical beginning, middle and ending.

So, in our make-believe book about animals, one of the subtopics was on photographing wild animals. Say, during the organization process, we’ve decided to make that a chapter instead of a subheading. Now our chapter’s subheadings can be divided into either locations (desert, mountain, forest, etc.) or perhaps types of animals (mammals, fish, birds, etc.). If your entire book is on photographing wild animals, which would make more sense than attempting to write one book on such a broad subject as "animals," then perhaps those subheadings just listed would become chapters instead of subheadings. And one could easily write an entire book on just photographing desert animals. You’ll know how to narrow and slant your book’s focus by this point.

In a book about photographing forest animals, perhaps one chapter will be on lighting. A subheading might be on use of natural light. Another subheading within that chapter could be on artificial lighting. As you begin to write your book, take each subheading as if it were a short article (probably 600-1000 words), give it a lead (beginning), middle, and ending. Just repeat that process for each subheading within each chapter until your book is finished!

Congratulations! You’re well on your way to becoming the author of a nonfiction book and this post concludes our clinic on "The Who, What, When, Where, Why & How of Writing the Nonfiction Book."

Our next blog clinic will be titled "Perking Up Your Prose." We’ll discuss the ins and outs of the actual writing process. It may be a few days before I get started on that, but hopefully it will begin by the end of this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

How?–Part III: Consider the Source

Okay, I admit it. I’m a research junkie. I love scouring through old tomes, notebook in hand, jotting down interesting bits of info. I could spend days listening to folks talk about their lives, their past. I shudder whenever I throw away a newspaper or magazine — have I just tossed some useful tidbit I might need for a future feature? And the Internet…don’t get me started! It’s a knowledge-seeker’s dream.

When writing nonfiction, the forefront purpose of research is to learn the truth. That means, well, one must be careful about gathering information. Most nationwide magazines have a full staff of fact-checkers. You don’t have to watch too many newscasts to hear of someone, somewhere, whose writings came back to haunt him. Embellishing the facts is not an option. Neither is plagiarism, which has been in the headlines enough recently to make every writer word-wary.

The solution to those issues is Research. Proper research will alleviate the need to embellish the truth or steal someone else’s thoughts. Concepts and titles cannot be copyrighted; words can. This isn’t a lesson in legalities and the rules of copyright infringement are easily accessible–through researching that topic–so check them out before publishing your prose.

If you think research means hours on end spent huddled beneath the dim green glow of a library desk lamp–think again. While probably the best supplier of printed reference material, libraries are just one source of information. Others include:

1. Personal experience. Need to describe how the breezy spray of lake water spritzing your face feels? Ride a boat. How about the grainy-molasses smell of a freshly opened bag of sweet feed? Visit a farm. With the variety of research methods available, sometimes good old hands-on experience is either forgotten or used as a last resort. If you can at all, experience what you need to describe. It will make your words believable because they are real to you. Consider the following passage from one of my novels: She watched in amazement as a burly man skillfully placed six segments of a circle into a waiting hub. He then swiftly removed a red-hot rim from the forge and placed it around the spokes. In an instant, he submerged the entire device into a tub of water, producing a sizzling cloud of steam. After the blacksmith retrieved the newly formed wheel, he arranged it on a mock axle, spun it to check for flaws, and, finding none, stacked it with the others awaiting their red coats. How was I able to describe the blacksmith’s actions accurately without time-traveling back to the 19th Century? I visited Silver Dollar City (near Branson) and watched a real blacksmith produce a real wagon wheel.
2. Interviewing. Entire books have been written on how to properly conduct an interview. If your project requires you to gather information from the experience of others, you’d do well to seek out one of those books. A couple of "golden rules" about interviewing–always ask the person’s permission before taping the interview and remember to send a thank-you note afterward. A note of caution–interviews often contain the subject’s opinions and often memory lapses. If it’s a personal story, that is fine. If it’s a news story–interview as many as possible to get the facts. Eyewitnesses, especially of traumatic events, are notorious for befuddling their accounts.
3. Newspaper & Magazine articles. Unless it’s a tabloid or an opinion-based periodical, newspapers and especially magazines (due to their longer lead time and therefore ability to check facts more thoroughly) are generally considered reliable sources of information.
4. Books. Most books are a good source of the truth on a subject, however, there are many things to consider when using a book for your research. The author–what of the author’s reputation? Is she respected or repulsed? How about the publisher? Is it self-published or printed by a vanity press? If you’re not familiar with the publisher, you can Google the company to see. Most traditional publishers take care to print factual information. This doesn’t mean all self-published and vanity press productions are not true. If you use information from those sources, just double check it for accuracy. Most small presses don’t have a fact-checking staff and often are left to trust the author. The vast majority of authors attempt to write the truth, but the small percentage who may be too lazy or unconcerned could cause you problems if you take their words as "gospel."
5. The Internet. Now I love the Internet, however I am aware than anyone can put up a web site about anything within a matter of hours, with no accountability. Just as you would be wary of a self-published book, be cautious whose site it is that you’re trusting. If it’s a personal site, you can use it to lead you to a more trustworthy source. Again, I’m not accusing every webmaster out there of promoting falsehoods online, but just letting you know who to trust and who to double check. Government sites, Educational facility sites, Nonprofit sites, Company sites are typically reliable sources. Many databases are available on the Internet. Again, just be cautious as to who has posted the information.
6. Other sources. The realm of research isn’t limited to the traditional sources listed above. I’ve contacted chambers of commerce around the country to gather travel brochures. The availability of information is only limited by your imagination. Think of other ways to learn about your topic. If you come up with some unique and interesting, please share it with the rest of us.

How?–Part II: Organizing Your Thoughts

I mentioned the "Writer’s Notebook" earlier. This is an essential tool for every writer. I keep a small one in my purse and jot down ideas and notes as they come to me. Once you begin brainstorming either with the bubbling exercise or with a group/partner, more and more ideas will come to you. I’ll confess. I’ve lost tons of ideas in the past by not keeping up with them. I know many were good ideas that could have been useful when writing, but they’re gone now due to my lack of organization. I’ve written notes down on napkins at a restaurant, sticky notes, the back of bank deposit slips–all dangerous habits.

Then I started using a notebook. Notice I said "a" notebook. One. It fits well in my purse and it’s the only one I use. At first, I got OCD about my new-found organization with notes and tried using different notebooks for different Works in Progress. That was insane. Then I used different colored pens for each project’s notes within one notebook. Until the day I had a "green pen" idea and realized my green pen had melted in my car! Now what? I’m stuck in mid-thought without a green pen. It was paralyzing. Today it’s one notebook. Whatever color pen I can grab. Jot it down, scribble it, doodle it–whatever. No attempts to organize within the notebook. Tell your Left Brain to take a hike when you pull out that little pad of paper. But…those precious ideas do need to be managed eventually. And once you transfer the idea into one of the project management systems discussed below, you can scribble through it, tear the page out, leave it alone, or whatever you like.

There are several ways to do that effectively, and you’ll most likely develop the one that works best for you–it may be a combination of the three I’ll share below, or you may come up with an entirely different method (in which case, I’d love to hear about it!).

• Note Cards–Many writers use a card filing system for their notes. At this time, the only note cards I keep are a small 3X5 box of book ideas. The only thing written on them is a potential title and the premise. These are future projects which I may or may not ever write, but once that idea has popped in my head and entered my notebook, I transfer it to my file of "Book Ideas." Some authors keep card files for each book project, using either dividers different colored cards for each chapter’s notes. This can be fun, as you can dump all your cards in the floor and shuffle through them, see how best to arrange the chapter order, etc. Personally, I don’t use this method as every note, interview, and article used for research must be transcribed onto a note card (whether by hand or cut & pasted) to fit into the little box. Some people like that and swear by this method, and that’s fine for them. This method may work for you, just not me.
• Binder–Many authors set up a binder for their projects. Some even set it up to look like the book, including a title page, front matter, back matter (if you’re not sure what those terms mean, use Google or wait until we discuss it on a future post), dividers for chapters, etc. I’ve tried this before and it’s okay, but I still have my own little way I like to keep up with my notes & ideas. Personally, I do use a binder for my research in historical novels. I’ve written or have in progress several that have more than one setting as the characters travel. I place dividers and print off notes about each location and place that information into a binder. Then, if I need to know which wildflowers grew in the Kansas plains in 1849, I can flip over to my Kansas prairie section and read all about it.
• File Folders–Ah, this is my method of choice. I’m not a super-organized person, so this method is VERY EASY to use! For each book project, I keep a portable filing cabinet (the little plastic ones they sell at Wal-Mart) by my desk and fill it with blank file folders. Each one contains information and research/interview notes for a separate subtopic from my main book concept, most of which will become individual chapters within my book.

  Another thing about my file system (I shudder at the word "system"–if y’all only knew how UNorganized I really am!)–once a book project is done, I transfer the info into a big pocket folder and stick it in my main filing cabinet. I can recycle the manila folders if they’re not too beat up and keep my little portable plastic file box at my feet during the next book. I’ll admit that I really have three portable filing boxes, because right now I’m actively working on three projects. But it keeps my notes separate. When I’m ready to work on a specific chapter of a specific project, I just grab up its folder and get going. When I’m working on the computer, I have a main file folder under My Documents labeled Book Projects. Then I create a new folder for each Work in Progress. In that folder, I create a separate folder for each chapter. Once the chapters are ready for the revision/editing stage, I combine them all into a new folder, which I usually label "Working Copy," and work on it out of that file until the project is done.

  I like file folders, because if I snip something out of a newspaper or magazine during the research process, I can drop it in the folder to take notes from later without having to prepare it in some way to fit into a binder or card system. This also lets me see at a glance which subtopics are overflowing with information and may need to be subdivided further when I’m choosing chapters and which ones may not have enough information to sustain an entire chapter. The ones with little info can either be assimilated into a different chapter as a subheading or perhaps that subtopic isn’t significant enough to use. Those are decisions I’ll make after the research process is over.

Speaking of research–that is our next topic of discussion on the "How?" part of writing a nonfiction book. I just like to have my folders set up before I get too deep into research so I won’t lose information I’ve worked hard to gather.

How?–Part I: Picking Your Book’s Title

There are probably as many ways to write a book as there are books on the shelves, so I can only offer what works for me. Once a topic is selected, some authors go straight into the research stage before selecting a title. In fact, I know some artistic people who never title a piece of work until it’s finished. Some are superstitious; some feel a title limits their creativity. I like to pick a Title first, then a roughed-out Table of Contents. This TOC will likely change, but it serves as a road map and helps me create a list of items to research and people to interview. Once the research stage begins, however, new ideas often crop up, so I understand the reasoning of those who start with research.

Your book’s Title is very important, and the selection of it should be considered carefully. I once acquired an agent/author agreement based solely on a project’s Title/Subtitle (The Prodigal Daughter: Hope for Runaway Christians and Those Who Await Their Return). The Title should instantly reveal the book’s topic and intrigue its audience–preferably in five words or less. The Subtitle can elaborate on the specifics, but still use concise wording.

The bubbling exercise is a good way to start your title-selection process. Look at the key words you wrote. Look up quotes on those topics. (The Internet is an invaluable tool for quick research, such as quotes.) Do a search of your key words on Amazon.com and see what other titles are out there. Sometimes a book or article plays off the title of another title. For instance, when Dr. Dobson’s book Parenting Isn’t for Cowards was released, I received an assignment to write an article about houseparents of residential children’s homes for Christian Woman magazine. I picked the title "Houseparenting Isn’t for Cowards," and the editor didn’t change it.

One thing that has helped me is to pray about it and sleep on it. I’ve woken in the night with title ideas more than once. Other times, the title will jump out at you unexpectedly. Keep a notebook handy at all times to record thoughts and phrases when they surface. I jotted down the words, Wings of the Dawn, as the title of my first novel during a Bible class when a young girl read them from the Psalm 139.

The Bible is a great source of titles. In my book The Prodigal Daughter, nearly every chapter title came straight from scripture. I had all these ideas I knew I needed to share–things that had helped me as I trudged homeward from a life as a prodigal–but I had no idea how to organize my thoughts. My original proposal had very didactic chapter titles, each beginning with the words "you can," but it might as well have been "you should," for that was the underlying message. My agent suggested to rethink each chapter title in a way that would draw the prodigal home–not push him farther away.

That night, I re-read the story of "The Prodigal Son" in Luke 15 and prayed for guidance to name the chapters. I woke in the middle of the night with phrases straight from that passage racing through my mind. Those snippets of scripture became titles for many of the chapters in my book. Here are a few examples: "Give Me My Share!"; "In a Distant Land"; "Wallowing with Pigs"; "I Perish with Hunger"; "No Longer Worthy"; "Make Me a Servant"; "Arise and Go"; "Bring Out the Best Robe"’; and "All That I Have is Yours".

One thing I do once a I’ve picked a Title–especially for a book–is Google it in quotes. See what comes up. Is there a web site with the exact name? Try typing the exact words of your title into the address line of your browser followed by .com and see what happens. Surf over to Amazon.com and do a search for your title. Is it overdone? Never been used? Somewhere in between? Titles can’t be copyrighted, so don’t worry if a few with your same title pop up. But consider these things:

• Who wrote it?
• Was he or she a very popular author or someone unknown?
• Was the book a bestseller?
• When was it published?
• Is it still in print?

I once came up with what I thought was a GREAT title only to discover Max Lucado had written a book with the same name. Because it was a fairly new release from a very popular author, I ditched my title idea for something else. (Frustrating, I know, but think of the day when a new author Googles a potential title and changes her mind when she learns YOU have just released a book with that name?)

Many times I’ve reserved domain names with a title of a work in progress to use for future marketing. You might not need to reserve a domain name for a novel’s title, but for a nonfiction book, it can be helpful. You may wish to sell ancillary products from the web site, produce a newsletter or blog, or any number of things to get your book noticed.

The next part of HOW? will discuss how to begin the research process and organize your thoughts into a usable structure for your book.

When & Where?

When? and Where? Sounds like a parent interrogating a teenager about to embark upon a date! These questions are important to consider before you begin the actual writing process, however, because their answers will help you establish your routine. I’m not a big "routine" person, but it helps when taking on a project as big as writing a book.

Where do you plan to write? Stephen King, in his book On Writing, recommends a room with a locked door. Erma Bombeck’s kids tell of passing notes under the door of her office during her writing time if they needed her. And they knew not to disturb her for trivial matters. We’re not all blessed with the luxury of a separate office in our homes. And I’m sure King and Bombeck didn’t start off that way. But we can pick a place that has both room to shuffle your notes around and good lighting. The light in my corner desk was pitiful, so my son bought me a large swivel desk lamp, which works great.

Notebook computers are handy and portable. Any room can transform into an office with a laptop, but it’s still necessary to be able to look at your notes, so a desk is helpful. I’ve taken my laptop down to our pond and watched the ducks swim while I jotted down ideas or wrote. A lot of writers scoop up their satchels and head to a coffee shop or the library to work. Wherever works best for you. Some like to listen to classical music while composing their lyrical symphony; others want no other sound than the clicking of keys. You can try both to see what you like.

When is another thing to consider. Distractions are your enemy. When can you work undisturbed? Mornings? (If your brain is awake that early!) Or late night? (Save enough energy!) One misconception about writing is that you’ll need large blocks of free time in order to complete a manuscript. If that were true, most of my multi-published friends wouldn’t have any books to their credit. Innovation is the key here. J.K. Rowling jotted notes on scrap paper as ideas came to her. Marilynn Griffith, a fellow member of ACFW, teaches a class on how to write your book in 8-minute increments. In fact, sometimes a large block of time can place pressure on us–I have two whole hours to write tonight–I’d better get a LOT done!

The biggie with using small segments and traveling to coffee shops/ponds is keeping up with your work. If you don’t have a flash drive (also called thumb drives), it’s a great investment. Their prices have dropped dramatically since they were first introduced. All you need is a computer with a USB port, and most models made in the past several years are equipped with at least one. I have a home office and can sometimes find time to write during breaks at work. Plus I have a laptop. Therefore, my flash drive is almost indispensable.

One last thought before we get into the "How?" of writing a nonfiction book:

If your brain is sputtering with the words "But…but…but…" and conjuring up a multitude of "reasons" why you don’t have time or space to write your book, go back and re-read your "Why?" Keep it in front of you. Your "Why?" must be bigger than your "buts…" or else you’ll never finish your book.

Now, as we used to say in the Marines before our morning exercises: Ready? Begin!

Why?

If you’re new to this blog, we’ve been discussing the "Who, what, when, where, why & how?" of writing a nonfiction book. So far, we’ve covered the "Who?" and "What?" Today, we’ll discuss "Why?", and we’ll lump "When?" and "Where?" into one post. Then, we’ll get into the biggie question–HOW does one write a nonfiction book?

Have you considered "Why?" you want to write a book? Many people have great ideas for books, yet never finish. Becoming an author is a great undertaking, but it can be very worthwhile. Discovering your "Why?" will be the motivation that will keep you seated behind the keyboard until the last word is typed.

Finding your "Why?" means you’ll be able to answering the following questions:

• Why should I take on another project? My plate is already overflowing!
• Why should I spend hours slaving away at the computer? My time is valuable!
• Why should I invest the time, money and effort it will take to learn writing skills and process involved to get a book from premise to product? It sounds like a LOT of work!

You may not know the answers to those questions yet. And, writing a book may not be for you. But if you’re bouncing in your seat, arm raised, shouting, "Pick me!", then you’re on the verge of embarking upon one of the most exciting segments of your life thus far–becoming an author!

Why do people write books, anyway? Here are some popular reasons:

• Fame–With the right marketing knowledge, be prepared to become a celebrity. Well, at the very least, locally.
• "Author"ity–You’ve probably heard "write what you know." Since you’re undoubtedly an expert at something–perhaps many things–then you are an authority in those areas. And if you’ve successfully completed something at least once, you know more about it than someone who has never tried.
• Prestige–Becoming an author has a lot of prestige attached. Few people put forth the hours of research, organization, and stick-to-it-iveness required to produce a book. People respect authors.
• Business Growth–Have you developed a new concept for your business or perhaps revamped an old one? That’s how many books are born. Writing a book about your business will not only bring about revenue through book sales, but increase your original business as well. People look to authors as leaders in their field. Books also lend themselves to ancillary products, such as seminars, production of audio/video training materials, consulting, and other ventures.
• Money–This is a big one for some. Some crave a better lifestyle; some long to bestow gifts on the less fortunate. Becoming a successful author can increase your income significantly. Be warned, however, that books can either make a lot of money or lose a lot. The key is in promotion. But first, we’ll need to get that book written!
• Personal Mission or Agenda–Many books are written to promote one’s ideas on a particular topic. Are you an animal rights activist? Do you squirm when you see garbage littering the roadside? You have opinions; write them down. Spread the word about your beliefs on whatever subjects you’re passionate about. Books are a great launchpad for your message.
• Helping Others–Thousands of books have been written for the specific purpose of helping others along life’s road. Some, with the information contained within, others, as a fund-raising project. Tuesdays with Morrie is a great example. Not realizing he had written a runaway bestseller, the author’s original hope was to raise a few thousand dollars to help Morrie’s family cover his medical expenses. Other books have been written to raise funds for foundations of all kinds.
• Teach/Educate/Train–In addition to technical manuals and textbooks, the market is flooded with "how-to" books, especially now that we’ve entered the "Information Age." You’ve probably spent years learning your business or hobby and have much knowledge to share with others. The idea behind self-help books is for the author to impart the knowledge they’ve gained through countless hours of trial and error to others who may have similar interests, saving them the same pain the author endured to learn the skills taught within the book’s pages. The key to producing a successful book in this genre is to find a unique niche or slant that will boost your sales. If you didn’t read the previous posts about nonfiction book writing, now would be a good time to read how to discover your book’s niche.

Did you find your "Why?" listed above? If so, great! Was your "Why?" not listed? That’s okay, as long as YOU have a clear reason why you wish to write your book.

Whatever your why, write it down on a 3X5 card and post it where you can see it throughout the book-writing process. Then, when you begin to wonder "Why am I doing this?!" (and you probably WILL ask yourself that at least once), just re-read your "Why?" card and renew your resolve!

Once you’ve identified your personal purpose for writing a book, it’s important to realize just how a book can help you attain that goal. First of all, if your goal is to reach others to either help them or by spreading an important message, you can reach more people through this one medium than any other method. The concept of "self-duplication" is well-known throughout the business industry, and is the foundation of multi-level marketing. Becoming an author is another way of duplicating yourself so that those who don’t have access to you, live and in person, can still have access to your message.

What?–Part II

So, how does an author come up with a unique angle? Brainstorming! Here’s an exercise to try. Pick a topic that interests you and that you’re qualified to write about. Write it in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Circle the word. Now, close your eyes and think of that word. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Write it on your page, an inch or so away from the original word. Circle your new word and draw a line from the first word to the second. What else comes to mind? See if you can come up with enough word associations to put a ring of circled words around your original word. Set a timer for 5 minutes. After each word you write, try to think of a new word associated with it. Keep spreading the rings away from the original word like circles in a pond after a rock is thrown. Did you fill up the page? This exercise is often called "bubbling" or "clustering," and writers apply it for many purposes.

To the left is a simple bubbling process my son and I did together to create a sample of this exercise. If I were to write about animals, many of the above subtopics would have never crossed my mind had I not done this exercise. And it’s okay to have a partner assist you. You may wish to do the exercise alone at first and then bring in some more brain power to come up with even more words. Some of them won’t be used in your book, some may be mentioned only briefly, but some of them may turn into complete chapters. And it is likely that somewhere in that cluster of ideas, you’ll discover a unique way to approach your topic. Your book’s slant or niche.

You may already have a clear angle on how to approach your topic. If so, great! Why not spend a few minutes and try this exercise anyway. You may be amazed at some of the possibilities you hadn’t thought of yet.

Now that you’ve chosen a topic you’re passionate about and given it a unique slant, you’ve answered the question "What?" to write about. The next question we’ll consider is "Why" write a book?

Who?–Part II & Intro to What?

In order for your book to be successful, it will need not only your interest, but the interest of others. Of course, you can write strictly for pleasure, without considering what anyone else wants to read. But since the scope of this clinic is writing for publication, the audience must be considered.

Unfortunately, most things in life these days are controlled by numbers. More specifically, numbers of dollars. If the book isn’t "marketable," (i.e. if you’re only writing to a handful of people), it will be impossible to find an agent or publisher, and if you choose to self-publish such a book, you’ll never recoup your investment. Therefore, when writing for publication, we must answer the question, "Who will read this book?" Who is interested in what you have to say? Where are they? How can they be reached?

The last two questions fall under the category of marketing and will be discussed in a future clinic. Right now, we’ll try to figure out who is interested in what you have to say. And the first person’s interest your book must pique is either an agent or editor. So, another "Who?" question to answer is, "Who will I pitch my idea to?" In order to answer that question, however, you’ll need to determine your topic.

The "What?" question must be answered. What will you write about? All books must have a topic. More precisely, a well-focused topic. For instance, if you approach an editor or agent with a book idea, one of the first questions you’ll be asked is, "What is the book about?" If you respond by saying something like, "Art," you’ll get a nice form rejection stating that your submission doesn’t meet their editorial requirements at this time. But if you respond with something such as "How learning to draw incorporates the use of both sides of the brain, such as Dr. Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, you may have a runaway bestseller.

Yes, Dr. Edwards’ book is about Art, but her unique angle or "niche" is exactly what caught the attention of her audience. She took a relatively common topic and covered a very uncommon angle about that topic. This is called "slant." To capture the attention of an audience, especially an agent or editor, you must have a unique slant. You must "think outside the box."

Chefs argue that presentation is everything. It’s what distinguishes an ordinary dish from a culinary masterpiece. The same goes for writing. Take a worn-out, clichéd topic and give it some pizazz–present it in a way never seen before–and viola! you have a winner.

Take a few minutes to review the following common topics. Can you think of a new slant to approach any of them?

• Exercise
• Music
• Business
• Marriage

Hundreds of books have been written about each of the above topics. Can you think of some unique angles that other authors have written on them? How about these:

• Shrink Your Female Fat Zones by Denise Austin
• Get Better or Get Beaten!: 31 Leadership Secrets from GE’s Jack Welch by Robert Slater
• The Mozart Affect: Music for Babies by Don Campbell
• Sex Begins in the Kitchen because Love is an All Day Affair by Kevin Leman

Even though the above four books are on the topics Exercise, Business, Music, and Marriage, can you see how each author "niched" his or her topic to interest their audiences? The key connection between Who? (audience) and What" (topic) is to select a topic with a broad enough audience to gain a market share but to slant it in such a way that it piques the interest of that audience and so it isn’t impossible to write.

Writing about broad topic, such as music, can be overwhelming if not impossible. By narrowing the topic with a slant will make the book writable and more inter sting to the audience. The topic must be broad enough to market, but narrow enough to so it isn’t impossible to write. Denise Austin’s book is a good example. A skinny male wouldn’t be interested; it is targeted to females with fat issues.

So, how do authors come up with unique angles? That’s what we’ll discuss in the next segment.

Who?–Part One

Sometimes when we’re anxious to begin a new project, we get antsy to know exactly "How?" to go about it. I know you’re excited about your idea for a nonfiction book, but before we get into the "How?" of writing a book, let’s start with the "Who?"

There are two specific "Who?" questions to consider. First, "Who should write this book?" (author); and second, "Who will read it?" (audience). Beginning with Question One, we’ll look at authorship and who should (or perhaps shouldn’t) write a book.

The primary goals of nonfiction books are to inform, inspire, and entertain. Since this is YOUR book, it should inform, inspire, and entertain YOU as well as the reader. Yes, you! If the author herself finds the book ho-hum, how will the audience receive it? In order for your book to achieve its goal, it will need several things from you, its author. This may sound harsh, but if you aren’t willing to invest the following in your book, you are probably not ready to write a book. If, however, after studying the following list, you decide you ARE willing to invest in the project, then the answer to the first question (Who should write this book?) is YOU!

• Your Interest—Obviously, if the author doesn’t care about a book, why should anyone else? Besides, it will take much of your time and energy to produce your book. If you’ve chosen a topic you’ll become bored with quickly, your writing may reach the same fate as many manuscripts that have come before yours—doomed to spend a life of boredom tucked away in a filing cabinet waiting for “someday.” Many writers do “work for hire,” like hired guns of the old west. They trade their words for other people’s money and while away their time clicking the keyboard to produce products, often without any recognition. Writing is hard work. Therefore, it makes sense to write about something you care about. Something you’re interested in. Something you wish to share with others. This will make the time spent stringing words together more enjoyable.

• Your Expertise—Remember the “write what you know” adage? Writing about a topic you’re familiar with lends an air of “author”ity to your work. Besides, it will hold your interest and make the research phase go more smoothly. For example, I know very little about hot air balloons. I could, however, write an article about hot air balloons after conducting extensive research. Possibly even an entire book. But it would be much easier for a hot air balloon enthusiast to write on that topic. Our expertise reveals who we need to interview; which resources are not only available, but reliable; and possibly most important, the ability to speak from personal experience. In addition to the personal reasons for writing what we know, one of the first things an agent or editor will consider is whether or not your expertise qualifies you to write on your chosen topic.

• Your Passion—We’ll discuss this in depth when we reach the question “Why?”, but if the project doesn’t possess your passion, it is already doomed. In the meantime, write a short list of your reasons for writing this book.

• Your Time—Writing a book can be one of the most gratifying tasks you’ll ever accomplish, but it is time-consuming and can be a lonely endeavor. There are ways to involve your family and friends, such as during the brainstorming and research process, but when it comes down to it, you’ll need to spend a number of hours sitting in a chair in front of the computer monitor. Alone. Staying focused on your initial purpose for writing your book is what will keep you motivated until the work is done. Go back through the list of “whys” you’re writing this book. Write your reasons on a note card and post it in a prominent place on your desk. Those reasons will sustain you.

• Your Confidence—Whether you choose to self-publish or work with a traditional publisher, remember, this is your book. This is your story. I once worked with an agent who gave me a lengthy list of things he suggested needed changing before shopping a manuscript out to editors. A few were great ideas, which I gladly incorporated into my the book. But several of his suggestions would have completely changed the thrust of my purpose in writing the book. I balked, fretted, and finally refused, explaining to him why I couldn’t make the changes. “Great,” he said. “This was a test to see if you had the guts to stand up to an editor and maintain the integrity of your story.”

If you’ve gone through the above list and made the decision to continue onward, GREAT! Next, we’ll talk about the next “Who?”—“Who is your audience and what are their needs/expectations from your book?”

Intro to Nonfiction Writing Clinic

Congratulations! You’ve decided to write a nonfiction book. Or maybe you’re just kicking around an idea and haven’t made a commitment to write about it yet. Hopefully, the next few weeks spent discussing nonfiction on this blog will help you either make the decision or get started.

Nonfiction generally answers the questions "Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?", so it’s fitting that in planning nonfiction, we consider those same questions. If at any time during this clinic you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please post them so others can offer their input and experience. The more ideas we have to share, the better this discussion will be. No matter how much knowledge or experience one has in an area, just like Jell-O, there’s always room for more.