Not long ago I was in a video call with a coaching client who was struggling with how to structure her book.
She has a brilliant concept. Her book meets a real need real people have in a unique way.
But her first draft of the contents page did not deliver on the promise of the idea.
It came across as plodding and a bit heavy—not at all how I think of this writer.
What to do?
Structuring Your Book
If you’ve ever struggled to build a structure for your book, you know this client’s pain. It can be extremely frustrating to have a vision for a compelling book but not know how to bring that vision to life.
Truth is, the process of developing a book structure is where a lot of books get stuck. Writers simply give up.
In a moment I will share a simple, effective method for developing an engaging structure for your book, but you’ll get more out of this if you have a book idea in mind.
Take a minute to think about the book you want to write. Who is it for, and what need does it meet?
OK . . . got it?
A Simple Method
Back to my coaching client. I had a hunch the way she initially structured the book was not the way she would present the material to a flesh-and-blood audience.
I asked her, “If you were to do a series of weekly one-hour seminars on this topic over the course of, say, ten weeks, how would it go?”
She answered right away. “Oh, I’d start with . . .” “And then I’d . . .” “Then I would cover . . .”
I took notes as she verbalized.
By the end of it, we had the bones of a book structure that was much more interesting and engaging than the previous one.
In fact, she told me afterwards, “Aha! Now that’s a book I want to write!”
The reason this method works is because it forces the writer to get out of her own head—to translate what’s in her grey matter to actual readers.
Modifying This Method for Your Book’s Structure
Don’t be afraid to tweak this method. A series of weekly seminars is one way to think about your book’s content.
But a memoirist might find it helpful to imagine telling one’s story in a serial radio broadcast or podcast. Or what if your narrative became a movie? What would the different scenes be?
If you’re writing a business book, it might be helpful to think of leading a two- or three-day workshop for a managerial team.
If you’re writing a work of Christian nonfiction, try dreaming up a series of Sunday School classes.
The point is to externalize your message or story. Use your imagination to get it out of your head and in front of other people.
Want to Give It a Try?
If you want to give this method a try, think about the best setting in which to present the content of your book.
Then start imagining and write down what you see. Keep your mind’s eye moving until you have a solid outline.
It might take a few tries, but if you keep at it, eventually you’ll end up with a compelling structure for your book.
Question: What’s a book you’ve always wanted to write? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
It is a simple way indeed. I liken it to my mind mapping method and I will try this. Thank you for sharing.
A book idea I have is writing a book to show children in my continent all the animals and their origin which I didn’t have the luxury to know in my time till now.
What’s a book I’ve always wanted to write? Well, there’s a book I “need” to write, a book about what’s ruined my life. The problem is I don’t know if it would be more effective as a memoir (the suffering, the “roads not taken” in my life because of IT) or if I should take a more academic approach (the multiple Amendment violations, the fallacies in the arguments for legislation, analysis of the many people who have died because of IT). I mean, we’re talking RADICALLY different ways to approach the topic, and well, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Not to mention writing about it is depressing, so I don’t want to waste time writing it one way, only to end up having to dump it all if I decide the other way works better.
Great advice and a terrific way to get unstuck! It works! I have definitely had this problem. My brain freezes up when I sit in front of the keyboard, yet can I can share enthusiastically and in a cohesive way my message and the content to an audience. Having designed and presented workshops in my last career, I know how to set it up, engage the audience and deliver valuable content. Thanks Chad.
Thank YOU, Cherryll, for taking the time to comment. Glad this post was helpful to you!
I’m writing my story and the way we can get stuck in our walk with God when we have intimacy issues, using Jesus relationships with disciples. I’ve been using a book map, and have been stuck for two years on chapter five. I will try this method which I think will be much easier by bringing out the natural teacher in me. Thanks so much for all you do for your fellow writers by sharing your gift.
I hope the method helps you! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I like Scott’s idea of a white board. My book is on boundaries for caregivers. I think you said before, Chad, to start writing chapters and don’t worry about which comes first. So I will mentally sit them down and begin with ….. them. Awesome.
Maxine, sometimes just starting is the only way to go, but hopefully this post will help you do some structure work ahead of time.
Hi Chad, I’m writing a book at the moment about pet bereavement (from the bereaved person’s point of view) and I’ve been stuck for ages. I’ve written a lot, but I couldn’t see how I could structure it so that it all flowed seamlessly and naturally. Taking your ideas, I can see how I can make it work. I shall pretend I’m doing some seminars and each discussion could be a chapter. Thank you so much.
Excellent! Thanks for commenting, Pauline!
I think this will really help me Chad, I am really struggling with this. My most helpful ideas come out when I’m talking to people (as a counselor) and have a whiteboard. When I turn on my computer to write it feels like the best parts of my brain shut off. I do have a group of counselors who want me to train them on the model I’ve created (around which the book will be written), so I’m going to schedule a series of training sessions and see if my book structure emerges. I’ve also noticed whiteboards and graph paper keep my ideas alive better than computers. Thanks!
Scott, I love this idea of scheduling some training sessions. An additional tactic I did not mention in the blog post is to try recording yourself talking about the book. Sometimes all the info is in our heads, we just need to verbalize it. And if we record ourselves doing that, we can transcribe it (or have it transcribed), and voila! Thanks for commenting, Scott!