Table of Contents
Introduction: How This Book Came About 1
Get Ready!
Are You Ever Too Young or Too Old to Write A Book? 7
Why Write a Book in the First Place? 9
Do Your Market Research 12
How Long Does It Take to Write a Book? 15
You Never Know What the Catalyst Will Be for Motivating You to Write Your First Book 18
From Writer to Author: The Steps for Getting There 21
What Prompted Other Authors to Write Their First Books 24
What Is Your Excuse? 30
How to Identify the Book Inside of You 33
Pack Your Grab-and-Go Tote 35
The One-Minute Way to Identify Your Book Genre 38
Your Thirty-Day Incubation Period: Preventing Writer's Block Before Beginning to Write 40
The Value of a Sounding Board Advisory Group 42
Get Set!
What Authors Wear When They Write 47
The Importance of Setting Your Writing Zone(s) 49
How to identify the Direction of Your Writing Energy Flow 52
Know Thy Reader 55
How to Name Your Book 60
Are You a Pantser or a Plotter? 63
Outline, Anyone? 66
The Way to Let Your Inner Writing Voice Be Heard 68
The Importance of Beginning with the End in Mind 70
Write!
When Your Writing Voice Starts Talking, Start Keying! 75
Write the Way You Live Your Life 77
Feed Your Inner Voice with Writing Prompts 80
Two Ways to Stay Motivated to Write 82
How to Keep Up Your Writing Stamina 85
How Authors Dispel Those Dirty Writing Doubts from Their Minds 87
The Surefire Way to Rid Yourself of Your Writing Censor 91
What to Do When Your Writing Engine Sputters 93
Writing Fitness: How to Stir Up Your Imagination 94
Why to Stop Writing While You Are Ahead 96
How to Control Your Book Deadlines Rather than Letting Them Control You 97
From First Draft to Final Manuscript 100
Six Things NOT to Do With Your Manuscript 103
Your Name or a Pen Name? 107
Ghostwriting: Bringing a Book Out In Someone Else 112
The Five "If You Were to Write A Book" Questions to Ask Before Beginning to Write 116
What Are You Waiting For? Start Writing Now! 121
What to Include in Your Writing Pledge of Allegiance 124
Why the "How to Get Published" Section Is Not Being Addressed in This Book 126
Answers to Questions You May Not Have Thought to Ask!
How Soon Is Too Soon to Write Your Second Book After Writing Your First? 131
Do Authors Write More than One Book at a Time? 133
What Makes Authors Write in More than One Genre? 135
Does Your Writing Voice Change When You Write in Different Genres? 138
What Are the Benefits of Writing in More than One Genre? 141
Fourteen Budding Author FAQs 143
In Retrospect …
What Seasoned Authors Would Tell Their Younger Writing Selves 153
Final Advice to Budding Authors from Those Who Have Written Between One and Seventy-Six Books! 156
Epilogue 158
Have a Question? 159
List of Contributors 160
Recommended Reading 169
Recommended Resources 170
Notes 174
Other Books by Ann Marie Sabath 178