an OutlineThe most brutal moment for any author is the day the first word goes into that computer. It's brutal because it's a little like starting to run up a mountain path that's 100 miles long. The first couple of miles seem as hopeless as the first couple of words – that is, unless you've created an outline. That's the first step in this process.
A book outline allows you to create a blueprint for the work you will be creating. It would be rather hard emotionally to put your hands on a keyboard and start typing away without an outline. When I create my book outlines, I usually try to wait until I have a nice environment to be inspired. It may very well be one or two hours of the most critical time of the project, so I recommend you pick your environment carefully.
In 1992, when I started to create the first edition of this book, I'll never forget where that outline came from. I was traveling to Cairo, Egypt, to conduct a Train-the-Trainer course for Xerox Egypt. It was the first of many trips I would take to that wonderful city, but I knew I was going to want to come back with an outline. I checked into a hotel called El Gezirah Sheraton Hotel. When I got to my room, I stepped out on my balcony and nearly lost my breath. Fifteen stories below was the Nile River calmly breaking around the small island my hotel was on. I could look up the river for miles. Between the melodic calls for prayer from the mosques, the boats, and the beauty, I was entranced and inspired. With my trusty notebook and pen in hand, and in what was probably less than 30 minutes, I had a 15-page outline in front of me.
Each page represented a chapter. Each chapter consisted of bulleted points. When you are outlining, you are in what I call “expansion mode.” This means that this is not the time to evaluate what you are writing. Rather it is the time to simply write…and keep writing. While you are writing, make sure you leave some space in between those bullets of yours, because you will fill in the space shortly.
I'm assuming you will be writing about something you've spoken about before. At first, these bullets should flow in a logical sequence. However, information can be moved at any time, anywhere. Don't obsess too much about sequence. In between those bullets should be one- or two-word reminders of the stories, analogies, or other creative ideas you intend to make a part of your chapter.
Before you know it, phase one of the outline is complete, and you have yourself a loose skeleton of a 12- to 15-page outline. Never underestimate the empowering feeling of holding that outline in your hand. Along with it will be the first sensation that you actually have enough information and really can write this book!
With your trusty outline in hand or on your computer screen, you're on your way to the next step, which is to add to your outline. The idea now is to allow your mind to wander morning, noon, and night. Keep adding thoughts to that outline. These thoughts might be a story, a better way to explain a concept, a creative way to display something, or countless other ideas. Just turn your mind loose.
My suggestion is to use the record feature on your smartphone or invest in a small digital recorder.
Remind yourself, no matter how obscure the idea or how positive you are that you will remember it, to put it on the recorder. This is particularly important at night. I can't tell you how many times I've fallen asleep swearing I'll remember a certain idea in the morning, only to wake up remembering one thing. I'll say to myself, “I had an idea. Now what the heck was it?” It's a lot like trying to remember a dream; sadly, most of the time you just won't remember.
Now, it's time to get started writing. The first couple of pages are the toughest. You might want to prepare this writing around an event; maybe you have a long train ride, you are flying cross-country, or you have a vacation planned. What you are looking for is three to five hours of uninterrupted time alone.
Personally, I've always loved to write on planes. It doesn't hurt that I travel a lot, but the planes create an environment that suits me to a tee. There are no phones ringing, and the humming engines create a type of white noise that works wonders for me. The few minutes of waiting to load, waiting to push back, waiting to take off, and waiting to reach 10,000 feet and open that laptop allow me to focus on my topic at hand.
I've never actually seen what I look like, but you'll recognize me if you ever see me travel. I'm the guy who usually appears somewhere between being lost in thought and daydreaming before the flight begins. Then I look like I was shot out of a cannon once the flight attendant makes the “cell phones and laptops can now be used” announcement. I'm also the guy who sends absolutely no signals to the person sitting next to him regarding the remote possibility of a conversation. Let me apologize in advance. My time at home is for conversation with family and friends. My time on the road is to write.
Wherever you choose to write, my suggestion is to try to do it consistently. If you want to get up and write early in the morning, do it every day. If you want to put the kids to bed and write from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., do it every day. The key is consistency. The longer you adhere to a consistent writing schedule, the easier it is to fight off the doubts that will haunt you.
I've always treated my writing projects like training for a long race. As a former triathlete and marathoner, I used to train pretty hard. I wasn't crazy, but I was consistent. I used to set distances to run not by the day but by the week. For instance, I might set a month or two of training with a goal of 30 miles a week. In a sense, I didn't really care how I got to those 30 miles. I'd log my daily workouts and plan my normal daily activities to ensure I got them in.
Some weeks were much easier than other weeks. I might have some free time and take a few long 10-mile runs. That certainly took the pressure off the rest of the week. I never liked running in the rain much. If you ever saw me slogging by, it was usually later in the week. That meant I did not have my miles in, and I had no choice but to get wet.
Have you got the analogy yet? I recommend you handle your writing the same way. Set a weekly goal. I like 10 pages, but it's up to you. If you are like me and have a trip planned, you might do your writing then. You may not need to write at home at all. Maybe it's a short trip week, so there will be a little writing on the road and a little writing at home. Maybe you won't be traveling at all, so there will be a week of writing at home.
As for slogging away, running in the rain, occasionally you might have to cancel plans and be a little miserable on a Sunday getting those last couple of pages in. The most important thing is, once you start, you mustn't allow yourself to miss a week's total. Perhaps it's just my way of thinking, but once you let your mind get away with justifying failure, the next failure becomes infinitely easier to accept and justify.
With every new book I write, and I've written six, I strategically buy an old-school calendar. Once the project begins, almost ceremoniously on Sunday night I write in my page total for the week. Ten pages a week is my goal, but I almost always try to get a couple of extra pages in. This allows me a little cushion in case I have a week of rain. It also introduces a little bit of mystery. After a month or two, I don't really know how many pages I've written in total, and I like it that way. That is a reward I allow myself at the end of each month. At that time I add that month up and the other month or two that precedes it to the total. It's a terrific feeling when the number crosses over the first 100-page barrier.
Allow me one last suggestion that will help you to get to that first 10-page barrier. Don't micromanage your writing. That means don't edit your work. That's for another stage, but not right now. Your job is to write. There will be a time and a place to edit and fix. That's not happening until you bring this writing project in for a landing. That “landing” used to be around 215 pages, but this too has changed over the years. Most business publishers are looking for books in the 150- to 175-page range, with many looking for even fewer pages.
Want to know one of the best feelings in the world? It's the first time you print out your manuscript
