Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
After spending three weeks preparing, we are ready for take-off. It was necessary to ensure that our mindset, the environment, and the necessary tools are in place for the journey.
When you set out to become an author, you had an idea of what you’d write about. However, at this point, you need to eliminate any trace of vagueness in your idea. You also need to be clear about why anyone should read your book. Many books have been written, why is your yours different? Why should a reader pick yours out from a stack of books from a digital or physical platform? Here are ways to help you take-off.
Determine your category
The two broad book categories are fiction and non-fiction. Book ideas in the fiction category are as vast as there are people and experiences. The major reason for writing fiction books is to provide a source of entertainment for your audience. However, fiction books are also the means through which many authors inspire their audiences.
In contrast, non-fiction books require that you write on facts. These have sub-categories such as inspiration, history, religion, etc. Choose both your category and sub-category and then move on to your specific idea. Even a rough idea of what you want to write about will make it easy to select your category and sub-category.
Make your idea unique
As an author, it helps when you’re aware of the information that’s available out there. Just like you would do in the world of academia, you need to be clear about the unique perspective you are offering. Reading other books in your subject matter, for instance, will help you identify any existing information gaps that you could fill. Here are some pointers that could help you determine your book idea.
Passion
What are you passionate about? What can you do for free all year long? If you can write on an idea that you are passionate about, you can be sure that you won’t struggle along the way. If anything, you will be looking forward to your writing time. This is because you already have an internal drive towards the specific subject. This will be the proverbial killing of two birds with one stone. Not only will you enjoy the writing, you’ll also get to become more proficient in your area of passion as you carry out your research.
Experiences
Your life experiences are unique. Capitalising on them will help you develop your distinct book idea. You could choose a specific experience or choose to write your life story. Don’t despise yourself. There are many life lessons you probably have learnt that only you can explain. On the other hand, you could choose one aspect of your life, such as friendships, career, marriage, or work-life balance and write on that.
Strengths or weaknesses you overcame
There are things you do easily, and there are those you have struggled with but have overcome. Your book idea could center on either of these. Some of the most inspirational books are those where the author shares how they overcame a weakness, because audiences are able to identify with the author at the beginning of their journey. It also assures the reader that he or she can succeed in the same way.
Perspective
Although there is nothing new under the sun, you have an inimitable outlook on certain life issues. Like we’ve already discussed, your unique perspective on what has already been written is a good book idea. For example, if you have parenting experience, or have worked with children with special needs, you can write about it.
It’s time to reflect!
- What else can you add to the list to help you come up with a unique book idea?
- If someone asked you what they should write about, which questions would you use to help them come up with a good idea?
It’s time to act!
Share your reflections with a partner or a writer’s group.
This will help you explore other potential areas of interest you might go with. There’s nothing wrong with having more than one book idea. All you need to do is prioritise them. Who knows, you may end up writing two or more books in the end!
Writing Checklist
Did I…
- Read Day 16 Insights
- Write my reflection from today’s reading
- Write my action plan
- Share my action plan for accountability with a partner or a writer’s group