Nonfiction Ink

Struggling to get your book topics in order and create a chapter outline for your manuscript?  The easiest and quickest way to organize the structure of your book is… drum roll, please… CLUSTERING.

Clustering is a form of word-association or brainstorming.  You may know it as “mind-mapping”.  It is a technique that allows you to get information inside your head out onto a piece of paper so you can visualize your thoughts.  It is a powerful tool to in preparing to write and organize your book.

When clustering, you quickly write all the words and phrases you associate with a specific keyword or key-phrase.

Here is my NO-NONSENSE, SIMPLE METHOD FOR CLUSTERING:

1. Get a large, blank piece of paper (oversized construction paper works best).
2. In the center of the paper, print your book topic   Draw a circle around the keyword or phrase. (For example, if you are writing a book on the topic of marketing your business using the Internet, you might use the key-phrase: “Internet Marketing”).
3. Moving quickly, draw a dash-line from your key word and scribble down the first word or phrase that pops into your mind (for example, “social networking”). Circle the word or phrase.
4. Now draw a dash-line from that word and jot down the next word that comes to mind (for example, “Twitter”).
5. Repeat this process until you’ve run out of word associations.
6. Now, return to your keyword or key-phrase and repeat the exercise.
7. Continue clustering until have created 10 to 15 sub-topics, each with several sub-sub-topics.

They key is to move quickly through the process, without censoring yourself or thinking about what you are doing – just let the creativity flow.

When you’ve finished, put your cloud-cluster diagram aside.  Review it later and extrapolate the topics, sub-topics, and sub-sub-topics that will make up the content of your book.

Congratulations!  You have just created your CHAPTER OUTLINE.

All the elements in your book flow from the subject you are writing about.  Whether you are writing a traditional print book or a digital eBook there are standard elements you will want to incorporate into the structure of your manuscript.  Prior to creating a detailed outline, you can start preparing to write your book by selecting which elements you will include in your book and organizing those elements into a binder.

Most books are divided into three main parts: front matter, text, and back matter

FRONT MATTER
The front matter is all of the material that is placed at the beginning of the book, before the first chapter.

TESTIMONIALS
Endorsements or excerpts from positive reviews are placed first as they have been shown to significantly increase sales.

TITLE PAGE
Lists the complete title of the book and the name of the author

COPYRIGHT PAGE
Probably the most important page in the book – and not optional!  This is where you print the copyright notice, the printing history (the number of printings and revisions), the Library of Congress Catalog number, the ISBN, name and address of the publisher, and the printing location (for example, printed in the United States of America).

DEDICATION PAGE
A place to list the person to whom you are dedicating the book (for my loyal companion, Fluffy).

EPIGRAPH PAGE
Includes a quotation that sets the tone of the book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lists each chapter number and title and the page number where each chapter begins.  Your table of contents is a powerful selling tool.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Most books do not include a list of illustrations unless the book contains many images or charts.

FOREWORD
The foreword contains comments about the book and the author written by a recognized authority or celebrity.

PREFACE
The preface is written by the author and explains why and how he or she wrote the book.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A place to thank everyone who contributed or supported the writing of your book.

INTRODUCTION
The introduction is written by the author and defines and outlines the organization and scope of the work.

PERMISSIONS
Lists permissions received for reprinting any copyrighted material (such as song lyrics).

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Usually only included in dense technical books.

TEXT
The text section is the main body of the book.

CHAPTERS AND DIVISIONS
The book’s chapters and divisions should be carefully arranged in a way that best presents the information to the reader.  Chapters may contain additional elements, such as: subheadings, lists, sidebars, case histories or anecdotal stories, quizzes, checklists, exercises, charts, tables, footnotes, or photographs.  Narrative nonfiction will also include scenes and dialogue.

BACK MATTER
The back matter is reference material placed at – you guessed it – the back of the book.

AFTERWORD / EPILOGUE
The section usually contains a personal message from the author to the reader wishing them luck in using the information presented in the book.

APPENDIX
May contain samples, templates, resources, checklists and a recommended reading list related to your subject.

GLOSSARY
An alphabetical listing of terms used in the book along with their definitions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lists reference material or sources used to write the book

INDEX
The index provides an alphabetical list of the topic covered in the book and the page where the subject is mentioned.  Creating an index for your book is important.  It helps readers locate specific information in the text.  Most libraries will not purchase a book that does not contain an index.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A short paragraph listing biography information about the author.

STAY-TUNED: In my next post I will discuss Fair Use in Creative Works.