In my last newsletter, I talked about how to choose the right book idea and suggested that it must be that one idea that intersects your purpose, the needs of your reader and your peculiar experience. If you are truly interested in doing this book, I would imagine that your struggle with choosing an idea would have ended by now. But have you thought about how to turn that idea into a clear, organised and ultimately compelling book?

This is the most natural challenge that many aspiring authors deal with after arriving at an idea. Yes, they have a strong idea and the burning passion, but they are confused about a workable structure for the execution of this idea. I thought it would be useful to look at this next critical step of creating a structure for your book.

I found that creating this structure from the outset enhances your writing and gives you speed. After that, ideas will flow logically and impact would be real. A good structure provides clarity, confidence and momentum. I have a few suggestions that you might want to consider on how achieve this. See them below: 

Turn Your Ideas into a Framework

Since you have now decided on the book idea to go with, you should start to organise your thoughts into a workable framework. Doing this will help you see the bigger picture and lead you into developing chapters. Consider the following steps in building a roadmap that reduces the tendency for you to get overwhelmed.

i. A Brain Dump

It is a simple step in which you write down everything that comes to your mind about the book. You don’t need to worry about logic or order at this point, just put down your thought as raw as they occur to you. What you are putting down at this stage may include related stories that you have witnessed or lived, lessons that you have learned, quotes that illustrate your point or inspire you, tips that you intend to share with your readers or examples that clarify the points that you plan to convey. The goal is to create a pool of materials to work with and ensure that nothing important gets lost in the process of writing. So, download them upfront onto paper or some device.

ii. Group Thematically

The next step is to review the brain dump looking for connections in the ideas that you have put down. Now, you will be a bit more interested in order and patterns. You will very often find ideas that cluster together naturally, please bring them together. Each of those cluster would very likely make a chapter of section in your upcoming book. Question yourself about the materials you have, which ones belong to the present day and what connects them. Which of the stories and examples you have illustrates them most. You should boldly refine these clusters as you go on because things get clearer with iteration. At the end of this step, you should have what looks like a roadmap, something that brings the major topics and supporting points together.

iii. Define Your Book’s Trajectory

Every significant non-fiction book takes its reader on a clear path of identifying with a problem, illumination and then transformation. You must see every chapter in the light of this trajectory. Some of the common structures that I have identified in books are i. from awareness ‒ understanding ‒ transformation, ii. Problem‒ process ‒ solution, and iii. Pain ‒ insight ‒ action.
While the first is ideal for books that desire to educate and inspire change, the second is perfect for “how-to” or instructional books and the last is best for books that identify challenges and provide actionable strategies to deal with them. At this stage, you should find the pathway that aligns with the purpose of your book and map each chapter along that path. Doing this makes your book flow logically, engages readers and delivers the transformation that you desire to them. After this exercise, you should have a bird’s eye-view of your book; a workable framework that balances content, flow and reader experience. You should from now be able to create detailed outlines for your chapters and find your book less intimidating.

Create Detailed Chapters from the Framework

Now that you have your clusters and a clear journey, you now need to translate the clusters into an outline of chapters. When you do this, you would have taken a huge leap that bridges the gap between those big abstract ideas and actual writing. These are my suggestions on how to proceed at this stage:

i. Define Each Chapter’s Purpose

For every chapter you come up with, you must define the main message you desire to communicate. After you decide that, you then design the path (as we discussed in number 2 above) you want to take your readers through and follow that trajectory. This exercise ensures that you are focused on your purpose for the chapter and you do not wander off topic. It also gives your work a form which sustains the reader’s interest.

ii. Identify Key Points

Next, identify between three and five points that lends credence to, or support your chapter’s purpose. You will usually identify these points from the theme cluster. After this, you then isolate stories or examples that illustrate each of the points, lessons and insights that you want the reader to draw from them as well as actions required thereafter, where necessary. This will put your book in proper perspective, and you can rest assured that you now have a structure that readers can easily follow.

iii. Organise the Flow

You must then decide the order in which you want to arrange your points by thinking which one should come first for maximum impact and clarity. You consider which of the examples you have best reinforces the key takeaway and what chapter would flow into the other one. If you do this efficiently, you will have well-ordered chapters that flow seamlessly and engage your reader.

iv. Consider Chapter “Hooks” and “Takeaways”

Although these aren’t necessarily compulsory parts of your chapters, they make the points more effective, satisfying and memorable. You could, for instance start each chapter with a relevant anecdote, asking a question or making a bold statement that grabs attention. And at the end, introduce a consistent section which highlights insights, reflections or action steps. This offers the reader some value from the chapter.

After this step, you should have a framework that gives you a clear purpose for every chapter, well-arranged key points supported by stories and relevant examples, and a fitting roadmap for the trajectory you have decided for your book. With this detailed outline, you have a structure that provides a step-by-step process and saves you from taking a daunting leap into the unknown.

To buy my book, Every Journalist Should Write a Book. Click on this link: https://rhbooks.com.ng/product/every-journalist-should-write-a-book/

Have a great week ahead.

Niran Adedokun,

Writer | Communications Strategist | Book Strategist | Author of “Every Journalist Should Write a Book