When it comes to writing a book, many people struggle with organization. A book needs to be well organized to make sense, yet when you are writing it’s easy to get sidetracked and lose your focus.
Here are a few tips to keep your writing focused and your book project under control.
1. Use an outline. I realize that many people detest the notion of creating an outline. Yes, it may remind you of really boring high school English classes (“eek”). Outlines may be dull, but they are extremely helpful for long writing projects, like books. An outline acts as a roadmap for your book project. It helps you see where you are and where you need to go. You don’t necessarily have to write your book in the sequence it appears in the outline, but having an outline keeps you from repeating yourself or forgetting important information.
2. Organize with your reader in mind. When you set up the organization for your outline, you need to think about your reader. Your book should be organized according to the way your reader thinks about the subject, which may not be the way you think about the subject. The reader doesn’t know as much as you do. Be sure you start with what’s important to the reader (not you).
4. Keep related information together in the book. Avoid scattering bits of related information throughout your book helter skelter. Talk about a topic then move on to the next logically. Again, creating an outline can help minimize these types of problems.
5. Look at the big picture as you write. Think about the book project as a whole, but also how each chapter fits into the overall scheme of your book. As you are writing, also make sure one sentence logically flows to the next. Your goal is to create a cohesive presentation that works at all three levels: sentence, chapter, and book.
6. Break your content into smaller pieces. Don’t try to cram too many ideas into a given section. If you start to feel overwhelmed, see if you can break up your ideas into separate “chunks.” When you put too many ideas into one section, it is often difficult for readers to follow because it throws off the flow of the book. Unfortunately, as a writer it can be difficult to recognize the problem when it happens. You know the section doesn’t “work,” but you’re not sure why. When that happens, try chopping it up, and see if a different arrangement flows better.
The human brain is an amazing thing. It can hold all the information about your book. But you can’t write as fast as your brain can think. Use tools like outlines and notes to break down your information, so you can rearrange and reorder it into a book that serves your reader.