Nonfiction Ink

The complaints I most often hear from new writers is that their books don’t “flow”, the ideas aren’t defined or don’t fit together, or the writing meanders with no clear destination. Several issues cause these common manuscript problems: most often the author has failed to create and follow an outline, he has mistaken a topic for an actual idea, and he lacks a theme statement.

Author Jack Hart believes the best writing ideas begin with a hypothesis – and I agree.

Before starting your first draft, before even beginning the initial research, it is imperative to develop a hypothesis that will be used as your theme statement (also referred to as a mission statement or thesis) to guide the research and writing process. Without a theme statement a nonfiction writer will not have a clear destination. Without a clear destination a writer cannot create a map (outline) to follow, won’t know what specific information to gather to develop a concise and compelling idea, and ultimately will be lost when it comes to which topics to present to effectively support the idea and engage readers.

So then, a successful bestselling book begins with a core idea and a theme statement.

IDEA VS. TOPIC
An idea is an opinion, conviction, or principle. It has meaning and purpose. A topic is a main organizing principle of a verbal or written discussion. It is a subdivision or category of a theme, thesis, or outline. A book may cover several topics that support or expand upon an idea. “Eating blueberries can improve your eyesight” is an idea. “A look at blueberries in southern cooking” is a topic. What is your core idea?

WRITE YOUR THEME STATEMENT
A theme statement makes an assertion about your subject. The formula for creating a one sentence theme statement could be written as:

Subject + Action Word + Object = Theme Statement

Author Richard Koch’s theme statement for his book The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less could have been “A minority of causes, inputs, or efforts leads to a majority of the results, outputs, or rewards.”

The authors of Trust Agents: Using The Web To Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, may have written their theme statement as “Building and using networks of influence can positively impact your business.”

Now it’s your turn. What is the theme statement for your book?

Related posts:

1. Get Started: Write Your Book
2. The Five Step Process For Writing A Nonfiction Book

Tags: book writing ideas and topics, theme statement, thesis, writing a nonfiction book

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