Use the 3-Minute Guide to Nonfiction Writing

I wrote this article on my Fab Freelance Writing Blog in response to students who wanted a fast way to write nonfiction books for Amazon Kindle publication: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com/blog/2012/12/18/kindle-publishing-empire-writers-3-minute-guide-to-writing/

This "3 minute" process works not just for books, but for articles and reports as well.

1. Pick a Topic: Think “Pain” — this is the WHY factor

   What topic will you cover? If you don’t already have a topic in mind (or even if you do) think about the “pain” factor. It’s also the "why you should read this" factor.

   When you choose a topic, think about the reader. He’ll only read if he has a good reason for reading. There’s so much today which grabs attention. Today, people have more reading material than they could get through in a dozen lifetimes.

   People will buy your ebook because they have a problem. Maybe they’re drowning in debt, they have a health condition, or they want to learn how to do something.

   The more specifically you can target a particular audience (think of just one person with one problem), the more likely it is that your ebook will sell, and sell well.

2. Create an Outline As a Simple List

   Got a “pain”? Excellent.

   Now write down a simple list of what you’ll cover. Something like:

   The pain — how they got it, or how they know they have it Describe how they’ll feel when they get rid of the pain The steps to eliminating that pain from their lives Etc.

3. Forget Your Outline, and Just Write

   You’ve got an outline. That’s great.

   The next step is to forget about your outline completely. Yes, forget it.

   Of course, you won’t be able to forget it completely, but it’s essential that when you’re writing, you allow yourself to feel free, and enjoy the process. If you try to stick closely to your outline, you’ll over-think it and procrastinate.

4. Writing Is a Process: Draft, then Revise (Re-See) and Edit

   In tip #11, we talked about the writing process. Writing is always a process.

   The first version of your ebook is your First Draft. Just write this as fast as you can. Complete it, before you start to revise.

   Once you’ve completed the draft, it’s time to revise. This isn’t tinkering with word choices, it’s re-seeing — looking at your draft to see what you have, what you need to add, and what you need to delete.

   Finally, once you’ve revised, it’s time to edit your ebook. Now you can bring in the grammar police, and change anything that needs changing.

Exercise 12. Look at three pieces of writing you’ve done: check for "why".

Find three pieces of writing you've done recently. Where's the pain? Why would someone read those pieces? In a couple of sentences for each of your pieces of writing, describe why readers will read.