Nonfiction Ink

Much of the process of completing a manuscript is in the preparation, not the actual writing. When you have a solid foundation for your nonfiction project the writing component is more efficient and effective.

BENEFITS OF CREATING AN OUTLINE
According to a study conducted by McLuhan and Davies, a consulting firm specializing in communications training, “Efficient writers spend 40% of their time planning, 25% of their time writing, and 35% of their time revising. Less efficient writers spend more time on their projects – tinkering and wandering – and are less satisfied with the results. Less efficient writers distribute their time 20% planning, 60% writing, and 20% revising.”

Developing an outline will:

• Provide a detailed blueprint to follow during the writing stage
• Enable you to write efficiently in manageable portions
• Help ensure a logical flow of information

THE DETAILED CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OUTLINE

The detailed book outline begins with formulating and organizing your ideas to create a broad table of contents (see The Easiest Way To Organize Your Book and Organizing Your Nonfiction Book for a review of those steps).

Once you have your list of chapters (with titles for each), expand upon each chapter’s main point by adding topics and sub-topics (and even dividing sub-topics into additional sub-categories), and include sidebars, examples, how-to instructions, checklists, or case studies where appropriate.

Chapter 1: Main Topic

1. Main Topic 1
A. Sub-Topic 1
B. Sub-Topic 2
i. Sub-Category A
ii. Sub-Category B
C. Sub-Topic 3
2. Main Topic 2
A. Sub-Topic 1
i. Sub-Category A
ii. Sub-Category B
a. Example
b. Sidebar
iii. Sub-Category C
B. Sub-Topic 2
C. Sub-Topic 3
D. Sub-Topic 4
i. Sub-Category A
E. Sub-Topic 5
i. Sub-Category A

Creating a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline for your book allows you to easily write from topic to topic and complete a first draft. Want to view a sample detailed chapter outline? Attached is one I created for my book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent.

Related posts:

1. The Five Step Process For Writing A Nonfiction Book
2. Organizing Your Nonfiction Book: 4 Tips to Create a Logical Flow
3. 3 Steps To Creating A Writing Plan And Achieving Your Goals
4. Five Ways To Create An Engaging Writing Style
5. 5 Steps To Help You Write That Book!

Tags: organizing a book into chapters, writing a nonfiction book

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