All First Drafts are "Rotten" -- Even Yours

Actually, Ann Lamott's richly insightful book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life says "shitty first drafts."

Most prose professionals agree on a few basic rules for writing a nonfiction book:

• Select topic
• Create Table of Contents listing the primary chapters of your book
• Write the book
• Rearrange the chapters as many times as necessary for flow of information
• Write "The End" at the end

You will have resisted the urge to stop and edit each page as you go, but have mostly kept writing in the interest of honoring your "conversation with the reader." 

But the self-edit comes after you finish that beautiful first draft.

          Next *DO NOT SHIP IT OFF TO AN EDITOR.* 

Your rough collection of words isn't quite ready for prime time.

Then too, it might cost more if the editor has to struggle through confusing pronouns and verb tenses.

Let the manuscript sit for a few days to cool off and allow your mind to rest. Then read a chapter, go back and make corrections and notes for change, and just circle (or underline) typos, misspellings and punctuation errors.

Go through the whole book, one chapter at a time, noting the flow and pace of information and evenness of voice, tone and writing style, making any changes that will improve the quality.

Type the corrections, smile, do a little happy dance and send it off to whichever professional book editor you've connected with. 

And celebrate!

 

     

Write About Your Experiences

What major life challenges have you faced and survived? Can you help others benefit from your experience? If you were telling your story to a friend, there would probably be a lot of  "wish I'd known that" and "I'm glad I did that" thoughts to share - especially if that friend was about to face the same life challenge.

Life transitions, or challenges, come in many different forms, but most will have one common element: Who am I now? They include ...

• loss of a parent or close family member,
• loss of a dear friend,
• birth of a child,
• marriage,
• separation and divorce,
• retirement,
• mid-life crisis or menopause, 
• major career change,
• move to another town or state,

and many other life changes.

When I went through divorce a few years ago, I knew nothing about the process. It was an anxious, stressful time to begin with, and my lack of knowledge made me feel even more vulnerable.

About a year later, I made up my mind to help others facing separation and divorce to be better prepared in the practical aspects than I had been. Since I had been a professional (paid) writer for seven years or more, I chose to write a book.

It included the things I was glad I'd done plus steps I wished I'd known to do. In order to explain the legal process of divorce, I interviews attorneys, took notes, and went home to translate that into plain English. The next step was to check back with them to be sure the new version was correct.

YOUR POCKET DIVORCE GUIDE
published April 2014

The 2nd edition of that book, Your Pocket Divorce Guide, was just released. It's been sold and read on six continents, is on the suggested client reading lists of law firms across the U.S., and the thank you notes I've received from both men and women make my work more than worthwhile.

Which of your life transitions would lend themselves to the same kind of help for others?

Peace ~

Lin

Coaching Client Endorsement

“The encouragement, enthusiasm and wisdom Linda Senn brings to her book coaching helped me organize and write my book, Cry Depression, Celebrate Recovery. Her professionalism and experience helped me produce the book that takes the reader through my struggle with and recovery from a life of emotional pain and isolation. Thank you, Linda!"

Barbara Altman, author of
Cry Depression, Celebrate Recovery:
my journey through mental illness
now available on Amazon.com


Endorsement posted on October 21, 2011
Barbara Altman hired Linda as a her book coach in 2007

Top qualities (of Linda Senn's book coaching): Great Results, Personable, Expert

Do you want to write a book?

Lots of people have ideas, notes, or rough drafts for a nonfiction book. Some have participated in workshops or classes; others have studied one or more books on the subject. But these seldom include the practical Keyes to the Kingdom to becoming a published author.

I've been writing nonfiction books for over 25 years and each and every one has reinforced my appreciation of this approach to book writing. There's no magic, no mystique - it's all about establishing a plan.

Writing a book without a plan paves the way to rambling, digressing, and including useless, often boring paragraphs and pages. That frustrates the writer and results in a mediocre book (at best).

In writing each of my ten-plus books, teaching guides, student manuals, and workbooks, I've come to value the organized approach more and more. Through the posts in this blog, I will help you establish and maintain focus, identify your audience, present the material in a logical arrangement of chapters, and introduce other rules of the writing road.

Each month, I'll explain one of the Keys to effective writing either for commercial sales or family enjoyment. Here are a few of the upcoming topics:

• So Many Nonfiction Categories!
• Developing Your Book's Theme
• Identifying Your Target Book Read & Buyer
• Building the Framework for Your Nonfiction Book
• Why Add "Author of..." to Your Business Credentials?
• Dealing with Writer's Blocks

From time to time, I'll also share book and publishing facts, author trivia, translations from book talk to English, and other juicy tidbits for your pleasure.

So get ready to build your book!

Linda
nonfiction book coach ~ author