You have a great idea for a book, but aren’t sure how to start?  These 3 steps from a seasoned ghostwriter will get you over the initial humps that all writers face:

STEP 1:   Decide on the main truth you want to share.  In a way, this is like a mission statement.  Write a sentence that describes what you are trying to accomplish with your book.  Do you want it to change your readers’ minds?  Do you want to touch their hearts?  Are you trying to teach or demonstrate how to build or fix something?  Are you sharing a meaningful experience in your life?  Are you writing about someone who has impacted the world?  Write a sentence or two that expresses the purpose of your book.

STEP 2:   Make a list of all the points you want to make in your book.  Brainstorm a bit and write them down as soon as you think of them–day or night.  They do not have to be in any special order.  You will organize them later.   If you are planning to write a biography, for example, your list could be all the key events in that person’s life.  For a self-help book or a “How to” book, your list can be the steps you want to teach or demonstrate.  Then make a second list of any personal realizations that you have had as a result of the points or events you are listing.  An author needs to be honestly connected with what he or she is writing about.  By listing your own personal reactions to what you are writing, you will be able to integrate genuine emotions that your readers will respond to.

STEP 3:   Organize your list by topic, chronologically or for impact.  Your Table of Contents will emerge from this step.  The question you have to ask yourself is, “What approach do I want to take?  If you are writing a “How to” book, you will most likely take your reader logically through the steps.  If you are writing about your life or someone else’s, you may want to start at birth and go forward.  Or, to create impact and interest in the first chapter, you could start with an exciting or emotional event and then flash back to the beginning in the second chapter.  If you are writing a business or self-help book, you may want to have each chapter cover a different topic.

Once you have completed these three steps, you need to decide whether you want to write this book all by yourself or whether you think you’d like some help.

If you are a strong writer, you can just take it from here.

If, on the other hand, you think you might struggle with one of the three steps, or feel overwhelmed because writing is not your forte, you may want to enlist an experienced writer to help you.  Here are a couple of options open to you:

1. A Writing Coach may be all you need. 

Like a sports coach, a writing coach can help you focus, explain what you need to do next, give you perspective on your book and keep you on course.  Moreover, he/she will be your most enthusiastic cheerleader, keeping you from getting discouraged.  You still do the writing, but a writing coach will give you as much or as little help as you want, like getting you started, getting you past writer’s block, or offering ideas and ways of wording your thoughts that enhance what you are writing.  You can also ask your writing coach to critique your work as you go along, so that it clearly and awesomely expresses your message.

2. A Ghostwriter is the perfect fit for anyone who wants to write a book, but is short on time or whose expertise is in a field other than writing. 

A ghostwriter can take your notes and ideas and express them creatively so that they captivate your readers.  Good ghostwriters will take the time to get to know your perspective on life, your speaking style, and your passion for the topic you are writing about.  They then blend that with what you are trying to say in your book.  They are able to word your book so that it sounds like it is coming from you—AND IT IS!  These are YOUR thoughts, YOUR ideas touching the minds and hearts of your readers.  This is YOUR book.  The ghostwriter gets no credit for writing it.  Having a ghostwriter write parts or all of your book is the easiest and fastest way to get your book into the hands of your readers.

Get started with the above 3 STEPS.  If you decide that you want some help, browse through this website and then contact me at hi.impactghostwriting@gmail.com 

This is your chance to make a real impact.  Go for it!

Jinni Bradfield

► Email me anytime at: hi.impactghostwriting@gmail.com and let me know what you want to write about.   We can decide together whether a Writing Coach or a Ghostwriter will work better for you!