So, you’ve set your mind on making your first eBook, huh? Understandable. The market share for eBooks in the US alone is keeping going up by the year. New writers better plunge themselves into the eBook publishing sooner than later.
That said, have you completed your first draft yet? If it’s still somewhere in your head don’t worry. That’s normal. Many fresh writers have experienced the same thing. They kept going back and forth for months or years never finishing so much as a draft. Don’t add yourself to the list. It is now the time for you to get your first draft out of the door.
Writing Your First eBook Draft
Tape your goal on the monitor
This is the anchor to your goal. Every time you sit in front of it, it will remind you of the important task you are set to complete. Make it big, make it bold.
Outline each chapter of your book.
This is the time to come up with the title of each chapter and a short description of what topic will each discuss. Divide each chapter into subsections. Focus on the major stuff. Worrying about the little details will slow you down at this point.
Can’t seem to get the idea flowing?
Grab a book of similar topic and have a quick glimpse of what chapters it has. It doesn’t have to be a physical copy. Search for books closely related to the one you’re about to write on Google. Scan through the table of contents. That should spark some ideas.
Another method to work your outline is to simply ask questions and answer them. If they don’t make sense the first time, don’t delete them! Keep everything in place. It’s okay if the topics seem to jump from one to the other. You want to stick those ideas somewhere. Leave them in your head and you risk losing them.
Write first, edit later
Once the outline is complete, add some detail. Still, you shouldn’t dwell too much on grammar or completeness. Write first, edit later. That is the best advice anyone can give you now. You want your creative juice to keep flowing freely. Whatever it is that you have in mind, type it down without worrying much of anything else.
Actually, everything but the writing is for later.
Things like designing the cover or the actual publishing process are for after the draft is completed. Worry not about which format you should use. Whatever format you pick initially, you can easily convert it to many others using the eBook format converter.
Set a Time Limit
This is to kick yourself to get your first draft done. You could go with 7 days or 14 days. Finishing your first draft as soon as possible is paramount. Don’t go with a month or more. It’s too long of a deadline and you will lose steam halfway, guaranteed.
It’s a sprint, not a marathon.
Kick yourself every hour and make sure you commit to the limit you’ve set. The finish line is right there, so get yourself moving.
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