Write A Book in Six Weeks

Yep--you read that right. The challenge book I am working with says quite clearly Write A Book in Six Days. But we're slow writers so I'm adapting it as we go to suit me. Hopefully anyone who writes slowly can manage the six week challenge too or even adapt it to six months.

You can find the link to download the book by clicking on the image at the top of the right hand column. I'm not promising to leave it there forever LOL We're not going to spend six years writing a thirty page e-book, though I'm sure it may happen. One day, someone may report back on this post with a success story after years of dedication to the task.

(The book and question mark link, by the way, is an adapted gif and  is courtesy of www.bigoo.ws who have lots of lovely images for use free on blogs, social network sites and websites) But I digress.

Ruth Barringham, who has kindly allowed me to share her book here with you, is one of the writer-coaches I have long followed and trust. Her Writeaholics newsletter is a must read in my mailbox. I don't spend big bucks on courses and recommendations (I'm Scottish, remember) but I always profit from the leads, resources, tips and advice she so generously offers. 

Start Writing That Book
 I have innumerable WIPS progressing slowly but really need a way to finish something. The web is full of write your book in x days, could be three, could be six, could be seven.

Some of us  write slowly. It may be because of other home or work commitments--only so much you can achieve when you fall asleep over the laptop time after time. It may be because of a curious nature which leads us to surf from idea to idea rather than settle firmly pounding away at the masterpiece. It may be that we're just perfectionists and want to have everything right before we publish.

Last week I received Ruth's book and might have saved it for a rainy day but then this week Angela Booth sent her Write and Sell an Ebook in a Week article. It seemed like a sign or even a kick in a delicate place to set me in motion. 


So off I go and hopefully you may join me on Wednesdays for six weeks and let's see how we do. If you want a copy of Angela's article, or if you have any difficulty downloading the book, let me know in the comments below.


Beginnings.

Beginnings are crucial except at the beginning. You'll be writing this first, you'll be writing it last. Only when you finish will you be sure of writing the best beginning you possibly can.

But Week One is there to help us focus on what we're beginning and, most importantly, why we want to do this.

Task One:
Write your  statement of intent. Ruth goes into this in detail and breaks the idea down into a step by step plan.This may take a day or two.

Task Two:

Plan and plot the book. As a mathematician. I decide on a word count and I would suggest a maximum of 50,000 for an e-book. With the increasing popularity of e-book readers, more may be possible. But many people still print out their e-books so remember that when deciding on length.

I  then divide my word count into a number of sections or chapters. You may choose your word count dependent on how many words you can realistically manage to write in a week and then multiply that total by the number of writing weeks you will devote to the project. 


Task Three:

Write your sales pitch or book blurb. What is your book's unique selling point? What makes it different? What will it do for your reader? Fact or fiction, it must meet the needs of the reader. 

Share your findings in the comments box below. I shall certainly be logging in whenever I have something to report. And hopefully I'll have something logged and be ready to move on next Wednesday.


Happy Writing.




.