I Have an Idea for a Book. Where Do I Start? A Book Writing Coach Answers

Many people carry around an idea for a book for years without knowing how to begin. Kathy Sparrow, known as the Literary Midwife, helps people write their books, and most of her clients come to her with exactly this problem. Here's her answer.

Short answer: Don't start with a brain dump. Start by getting clear on three things: the message you want to share, how it will affect your readers, and exactly who you want to reach. Then write a short bio of your ideal reader so you can write to them like you're having a conversation.

I have an idea for a book. Where do I start?

According to Kathy, start with clarity, not pages. Before you write chapters, get clear on your message, the effect you want it to have, and who it's for. That foundation shapes everything you write after it.

Should I just start writing everything down?

Kathy says a brain dump on the page doesn't work. She compares it to building a house by slapping some boards together, adding windows and doors, then opening the door to discover you forgot the electrical and plumbing. A book needs its vital components planned from the start, too.

What three things do I need to know before writing a book?

Kathy says you need to know three things: What is the message I want to share? How is this message going to affect the people I want to reach? And who do I want to reach? Being really clear on each one gives your book direction.

Who should I write my book for?

Not everybody. Kathy says many writers want to reach everyone, but it doesn't work that way. Not everyone will relate to your writing, even among people writing about the same topic. Instead, write to one specific person, as if you were having a conversation with them.

How do I define my ideal reader?

Write a bio about them. Kathy suggests answering: Who are they? What do they do? What keeps them up at night? And what do they want from their lives? Once you have that, she says, your message can sing.

Transcript

"Hi, I'm Kathy Sparrow, the Literary Midwife, and I help lots of people write books. And most of them come to me at first saying, 'I have this idea for a book, but I don't know where to start.' And where to start is not to just start doing a brain dump on your page. It doesn't work. It's much like building a house and slapping some boards together, putting some windows and doors on, and then opening the door only to discover that you forgot the electrical and the plumbing, some vital components to your house. The same thing with our stories, with our books. We have to know three things: What is the message I want to share? Be really clear about that. How is this message going to affect the people I want to reach? And who do I want to reach? We have to be really specific about our audience. I know many of us want to go, 'I want to reach everybody.' Well, we can't. It just doesn't work that way. Not everybody's going to relate to my writing, or several of my clients' writing, even if we were writing about the same thing. So we have to write to that one person as if we were having a conversation. And we start with writing a bio about them. Who are they? What do they do? What keeps them up at night? And what is it they want from their lives? And when we have that information, our message can sing. And that's a good starting point. If you have questions, please reach out. Thank you."

Watch Kathy answer the question (tap the video to play):