The Bare Minimum Requirements for writing a book
Writing a book isn’t as hard as you are led to believe. Like everything worth doing, there is a system, a process and a lot of perseverance at play. These are nine things you absolutely have to do.
In this article, I list down the nine non-negotiables of writing and then thinking about publishing a book. This process is long and is almost certainly disheartening but it is worth it.
I am Binati Sheth, a ghostwriter of 58 nonfiction books, 33 of which hit bestseller lists. I hope that helps you believe me a bit when I say how you got this. You have that great big idea. Now, all you need to do it get it down on paper.
Writing is easy if you put that creative expression on a schedule. In the manic pixie dream quirk life that most writers envision living, a schedule is like a dirty word. Some say it makes them feel inauthentic. Let me tell you this — writing every single day about any random thing is as authentic as it gets.
Writing every single day at the same time, in the same place is definitely as authentic as it gets. Creativity isn’t some magical, mythical river. It won’t just spring forth for you to drink from or jump into. You will have to trigger creativity by writing every single day. Even when you don’t want to write, just write.
Figure out a schedule that works for you. 5 minutes.15 minutes. 30 minutes. 60 minutes. Whatever works for you, just start!
When you decide to start, set a writing space convenient for you. Fix all the distractions. If the internet distracts you, conduct research in advance or unplug your Wi-Fi. If your phone distracts you, put it away for a few minutes. If your family distracts you, write when they are asleep or away.
Also, find your productivity and creativity systems. Certain external things will boost your creativity. Similarly, your output will depend a lot on how productive you are. To figure these things out, you can try Habit Tracking using Ryder Carroll’s bullet journaling method. You can ask yourself some hard questions and answer them honestly to hone in on the things that work for you. Do it. My schedule for personal writing begins with scribbling every day from 4:30AM-5:30AM. I write on my bed because it works for me (even when people recommend not working on the bed). I am most productive for around 50 minutes so I use the Pomodoro technique with a 50–10 breakup — 50 minutes for writing, 10 minutes for internet research (instead of a conventional break). Figure these things out, ya?
Us humans, we cannot unhinge our jaw and swallow things down fully.We take small bites. We chew. We swallow. Look at your book like that — your big idea is a gigantic thing to swallow. If you try to swallow it in one go, you will asphyxiate. You have to make your book writing process manageable. Break it down into smaller bits. Two things will happen:
1. This will motivate instead of demotivate. “I wrote 5 pages today, yay. I cannot wait to write the next few pages.” versus “I didn’t write as much as I was supposed to as per the suggestions of Lord Bookington of the Bestsellers.”
2. This will make writing turn into a habit instead of a chore. “I am at page 50 after just 10 days. If I keep at it, I will be done pretty soon.” versus “Why is writing books so depressing? Why did I start this?”
I used these metaphors in my video for a reason — a book, like a prehistoric shark or a snake exists but then it doesn’t exist in the present. Your great idea can turn into a great book. This book exists in your head. To bring what is in your head to paper will require ‘disciplined creativity.’I personally break projects into topic chunks rather than just pages written. “I will write about topic A today. Tomorrow I will write about how topic A fits with my theme.” An additional benefit of this system is whenever a writer’s block makes windfall in chapter 3, I can safely skip to chapter 20 and work on that instead.
It is not about you. It is never about you. One of the bitterest pills to swallow about our existence is nobody cares about just us as much as we do ourselves. To get people to care, you have to offer something. For selling books, that is the big idea.You can write a book about your life. You should write a book about your life. When you do, don’t make it about you — make it about your future readers. Look at all the good books you’ve read. See the one common thing they had running through them: The big idea.
With fiction, good writers come to terms with their emotional truths.With nonfiction, good writers come to terms with facts.
Focus on the eye of the bird. Set that idea in view. Then shoot.
Have you had a big idea yet? If not, try journaling. Moment journaling or using voice memos/ speech-to-text when something interesting happens is a great way of digitally cataloguing your life. You don’t need it to be perfect. Just capture the moment. Capture the emotion. Keep it there for the day you decide to write a book.
To outline or not to outline; tis the question. The answer to this is up to you. How you write, how you work will determine whether outlining and sequencing works for you. The most important thing is to know where you are going.The big idea has taken root. It is sprouting leaves. The stem is gently taking form. Whether you wire it into a bonsai, support it using a moss pole, leave it alone, or whatever — it depends on you and your workflow.Ideally, sequencing and outlining would involve:
1. The one line idea
Describe your big idea in the simplest of lines. Make it short. Just for your eyes.
2. The foundation
Determine a rough flow. Make this as scraggly or as well defined as you prefer it.
3. Brainstorming
What is happening where and when? How are things happening? Why? Answer these important questions for your book and just journal your thoughts somewhere.
4. Structuring
Structure your notes from 1,2,3 somewhere because at some point, you will have to write an outline and/or a book proposal. Might as well do it before you start. 😉😉😉Find a semblance of order in your chaos. Just know where you are going. It will help you think better.
The primary formula for a good book is Intention + Obstacle.
When Aristotle critiqued Plato and his interpretation of poetry and philosophy, we got ‘Poetics’. Poetics teaches you how to write a good story. Whether you’re writing fiction, poetry, nonfiction or drama, Poetics offers advice worth its weight in gold.We will be discussing Poetics in a lot of detail in future Tealfeed articles so remember to follow me if you don’t want to miss out. For now, I recommend you read Poetics on your own if you have the time.
Aristotle’s Poetics on Project Gutenberg — it is open sourced courtesy of the Copyright lapsing :)Do you agree with Aristotle when he tells us that art should imitate life?To paraphrase: All genres of writing share the function of mimesis (imitation of life). The difference lies in musical rhythm, harmony, meter, and melody.
Next is research. We need to do is. It is inescapble no matter what you choose to write. Conduct research. Get your basics right. Then write.
…Anjali replied, in well articulated, accented Indian.
Imagine you read this in a book based in India — a country of many languages, none of which is called Indian. Will you continue reading that book? Most in the know won’t.Research. You have to conduct two kind of research:
1. Factual — the facts, statistics, et al.
2. Colloquial — things on ground, at a specific point in time.
Editing a book isn’t hard if you’ve got a readerly heart. To quote Michael Lee, “The first draft reveals the art; revision reveals the artist.” Make your first draft as authentic as you can. Spill all your passion and experiences into it. Take a break. Let it breathe. Let yourself breathe. Then start editing. When you do, think like your reader.
~Catch the language mistakes.
~Look for inconsistencies.
~Explain things where needed.
~Omit ruthlessly.
What happens next? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! Please, no spoilers — I want to know what happens next.
This line, what happens next, is what you conceptually focus on while writing your book. Tug at your reader’s curiosity strings. Make them enjoy spending time with your work. What happens next then? You tell me.
Everyone works hard. Yet somehow, everyone does not succeed. In my short twenty nine years on this pale blue dot, I have managed to learn this one thing about those who succeed and those who settle. Successful people persevere. They endure.Enduring and persevering through moments of self-doubt is the secret sauce to success. Everyone works hard. The successful ones do this one thing different and that is — they keep going. So…keep going.
Keep going when it is the easiest. This is where overconfidence and overestimating your abilities will convince you to procrastinate. Don’t listen to that voice. Keep going!
Keep going when it is the hardest. This is where imposter syndrome and self doubt will infect you. They will convince you to give up. Don’t listen to those voices. Keep going!
Keep going when everything is normal. This is where most people give up because they are comfortable. Don’t give in to this comfort. Keep going!
I understand how life gets in the way. When that happens (and it will), turn it into a semi colon (;) instead of a period (.). Period.
As you write your book, you will have to endure through a lot. When you feel like giving up, remember these words from Steven Pressfield’s ‘The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles’:
“The Bhagavad-Gita tells us we have a right only to our labour, not to the fruits of our labour.”
Keep going!
Keep going till the day you succeed.
Then start again.
