Write Your Book!
In this lesson:
Estimated Time to Complete Week: 2 Hours
Lesson Progress
Welcome to the first step of becoming an author!
I might not know you personally, but I can tell you’re here for one reason – you have a story to tell, and you need someone to help you tell it.
I’m here to be the kick in the pants you need to stop thinking about writing a book and start doing it.
No more puttering around the house thinking about writing a book without ever sitting down at your desk.
No more telling your friends you’re working on a book and then quickly changing the subject when they start asking questions.
No more wondering “what if” you actually had a book published.
Time to stop thinking and start doing.
We’re going to ease into your book writing this week by doing some preparation to set you up for success. Believe it or not, a lot of the book writing process will happen when you’re away from your desk. I want you to have what you need so that you can stay focused and productive when you’re sitting down at your keyboard instead of staring out the window.
This first week is prep week. You’ll mentally and physically prepare to write your book. We’ve created space on this page for you to jot down your thoughts. But always save your work!
Please note that any information you enter on the course page will be stored in your browser, so don’t clear your cookies if you want to keep your data. We recommend using this space and then copying and pasting your work to a Word or Google doc.
Tell Us Where You Are in Your Book-Writing Journey
Expected time: 5 minutes
Tell us where you are in your book-writing process. If you want, you can send a paragraph (or more!) Or you can simply give one of these responses:
I’m a blank slate with no direction
I have ideas in my head, but nothing written yet
I’ve been writing and writing, but nothing makes sense to me
I’m somewhere else in the journey (please tell me where!)
Set Your Writing Schedule for the Next 2 Weeks
Expected time: 30 minutes
Block writing time off on your calendar for the next 2 weeks. Determine where those extra 3–5 hours will come from, whether on the weekend, at lunch, at the end of the day, or elsewhere.
These times are sacred. That means no phone calls, no dinner with the family, no hobbies, and no hanging out with friends during these times. Consult with family as needed to make sure they understand the importance of these boundaries. This is your writing time. At this point, you are only booking ahead two weeks at a time, so don’t worry beyond that.
Habit Tracker
To help you, we’ve made a simple Google Sheets writing habit tracker. You can choose which days you plan to work and mark off every day you do!
Every week, we’ll give you tasks and prompts to help you get your thoughts on paper. Expect to spend around 3-5 hours a week completing them. We’re working on helping you become an efficient writer. However, if you need more time, you can (and should) take it!
How you divide that time is up to you. Some people can grind it out on a Sunday morning, while others prefer to tack on an extra hour to the end of their workday. If your schedule changes throughout the course, that’s fine! What’s important is that you find time every single week to dedicate to your book.
Identify and organize your writing space
Expected time: 1 hour
It’s time to settle into your book-writing space. This might be different from your work-from-home desk. Can you be productive working from the same place where you spend 8 hours a day? If so, great! If not, now’s the time to figure out a new spot.
Once you’ve figured out where you’ll write, spend time organizing it– good lighting, headphones, a water bottle, a coffee maker, whatever you need. If you need to get outside the home, spend time this week figuring out where that will be. As a busy leader, I know you’re short on time; let’s make sure you have everything you need when it’s time to write.
Define Your Purpose for Writing a Book
Expected time: 20 minutes
Define your purpose for writing a book. Keep this handy so you can refer to it down the road, especially as we move through the course and your motivation wanes.
Answer these questions openly and honestly – nobody is going to see your answers, so get candid with yourself:
Why are you writing this book? (Money? Accolades? Street cred? To get new business?)
Who do you want to read your book?
How do you want readers to feel when they read your book?
What do you want readers to do after they read your book?
What outcome would you consider successful for your book?
We want your feedback!
Notice anything funky, glitchy, or just plain annoying? Let us know!
(You can also tell us if you like it; we like encouragement too)
Course Notes: Writing Check-In
We have integrated some tools to help you along the way! Each week includes a progress tracker and scratch pad areas you can use to get your thoughts down. These are all optional tools, and you may prefer to use a different work flow. Please not that any information you enter on the course page will be stored to your browser, so don’t clear your cookies if you want to keep your date. There is the option to save and download any text you put in the scratchpad, which we highly recommend. Happy writing!
Weekly Word Count Check-In
Total Words (16 weeks): 0 / 50000
Weekly Progress: 0 / 3125
Overall Progress: 0%