Last summer, I started working on a non-fiction ebook. But I got distracted after I started working on a novel, Love at the Mayo. (I know, you should only work on one writing project at a time.) Guess what? The ebook project got put on hold.
But once I submitted Love at the Mayo to an editor, I returned to the ebook project.
Resurrecting this writing project was harder than starting from scratch. Although the content is all about writing, the project felt like it had rusted during the break. I needed to polish the content so it could come alive (for me).
This past few weeks, I’ve worked on the ebook almost every day. This helps me get re-oriented to the world I created in the ebook. Ideas to improve are percolating. Content is feeling fresh and alive. And it’s almost ready to be published!
What about you? Do you have a writing project you want to resurrect from the dead?
Here are tips for resurrecting a writing project:
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- Create a strategy for success. Your strategy can include the following:
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- Your writing schedule. How many days a week will you write? How many hours a day will you write? What’s your deadline to finish first draft, or second draft, or to send to an editor, find Beta Readers? Publish it? Market it?
- Create or find a tracking system to record progress. (Can make it as simple as a spreadsheet or on Word.)
- Accountability system. Who will you report your progress to and what frequency?
- Reward system when you meet deadlines? (Get a better phone, order take out, or go for a long bike ride are examples.)
This might feel like a lot of time and energy to create an effective strategy but the hour you spend creating a blueprint for success, is a vital time investment that’ll produce a return. When I implement a writing system, I get much more writing done.
2. Read out loud what you’ve already written. This might feel labor intensive, but it’s important to re-orient yourself to the content. Writing is about submerging yourself into the world you created (including non fiction). The more absorbed you become, the easier it will be to finish building the remaining chapters.
- Jot down notes after you read each section of pre-existing content. You will think of ideas, concepts, and edits so make sure to have them down on paper or record notes to help when you write.
3. Mind Map remaining chapters. I recommend mind mapping each chapter separately. If you’re unfamiliar with mind mapping, here are the steps:
- Write your main idea in the center of a page.
- Circle this idea so it looks like a bubble.
- Then write out any idea that pops up.
- Circle each idea separately like a bubble.
- Draw a line from the center idea to the corresponding ideas. And draw line to connect corresponding sub ideas.
- Continue until you’ve exhausted all your ideas for that concept.
Here’s an image of my mind mapping for this blog. It’s rough but gets my thoughts down.
4. Create an outline for each chapter based on the mind map. Convert each mind map into one outline. Take the first main concept as the major point, then organize them into subpoints and minor points. Continue until you have all the chapters in one outline.
5. Write remaining chapters using your outline as a guide.
6. Based on your accountability system, report your progress to your accountability partner.
7. Share your progress on your social media channels. (Recommend notifying your followers before you start, informing them that you’re resurrecting your writing project. Then keep them updated along the way.)
8. Reward yourself for finishing writing the book.
Once it’s written, it’s time to obtain an editor, explore publishing options, and create a marketing strategy. (Actually, you will want to consider these steps before you finish). But all of these steps are for another blog post.
Next week, I’m interviewing a book editor on this blog. She dives into preparing your manuscript for an editor, different types of editing services, and how an editor is vital to polishing your manuscript. She’s a proficient editor whose services I highly recommend!
Featured Image by Pexels from Pixabay.
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