This week, Vicky is having such a bad hair day that she's wearing a bobble hat – but at least there's less spluttering. She and Joe talk about the books they're currently reading, then dive into why writing an outline isn't as miserable as your teachers made it seem, and how to do it in such a way that writing your book becomes a dream. Or, much easier and quicker, at least. Tune in to find out how you could cut your writing time by a third or more.
Key Takeaways:
[2:10] Joe is currently reading The Wheel of Time series.
[4:40] Vicky shares how she loves N. K. Jemisin’s work.
[6:25] Do you get stuck before you get started?
[7:00] To help you through this, Vicky will be breaking down how to write a detailed outline for your book.
[9:40] Vicky wishes teachers would have explained the importance of writing an outline, and showed her this technique to make writing anything down a lot easier.
[9:55] First things first. Write a recap of why you’re writing this book in the first place.
[10:30] By the way: Vicky’s latest book is available for sale!!
[11:00] What is a book compass?
[12:00] Write down your ideal reader avatar.
[12:15] What is the problem you’re trying to solve with this book?
[13:35] By the time you’re done with this exercise you will have a clearer idea of why you’re writing this book.
[14:00] Write a ‘brain dump’ of sorts to catch all of your ideas on paper that may or may not be related to your book.
[16:05] Write a rough outline of your chapter headings or the main topics you want to talk about. Don’t worry, they might change in the future.
[17:55] With each chapter you’ve created, break down the ‘details’ of what will be in each chapter.
[21:20] Create a nice transition point or flow in your book by summarizing the next chapter.
[21:55] Vicky shares some examples of what this outline will look like.
[25:15] You can outline your entire book in less than a day!
[28:50] Don’t just start by writing a book. You will get lost and frustrated. Write down your ideas, break it down into chunks, and then go from there!
Mentioned in This Episode:
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The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson