16 Rapid Writing Secrets
Let’s face it. Staring at a blank page is hard. So many ideas or not enough ideas. I know. I’ve
been there. That’s why I created “16 Rapid Writing Secrets” to help you get the book out of
your head and onto the paper as quickly as possible.
As I mentioned, I recommend writing shorter books that are 100 pages or less. There is a
category on Amazon called Short Reads.
Since we are writing in the Short Reads category, we can write a book that is as short as 11
pages (which is crazy!) and under 100 pages. By writing shorter books, the process won’t be as
overwhelming as it is to write a large book (200-400 pages).
As I mentioned in the chapter on why shorter is better, people want to solve problems and they
don’t want to read the manifesto on a topic. They want their problem solved fast.
I buy a lot of kindle books and there is something very satisfying about seeing the percentage
number increase on my kindle as I flip through the eBook. I love buying short reads and
finishing the book in 1-2 days.
There is a huge audience for shorter books, and your books will fit nicely into the short -reads
category.
Below are the “Rapid Writing Secrets” I developed to help my clients and I also use some of
these in my writing process. Here are my 4 favorites:
1. Start with a powerful quote
2. Write the first paragraph
3. Write it out of sequence
4. Write Your Book with Post It Notes
These absolutely help me and I can honestly say, without these Rapid Writing Secrets I
probably wouldn’t be able to write a book a month. I love writing out of sequence, because it
doesn’t engage my left brain who wants to put everything in a logical order. I do this AFTER I
write the book.
So, let’s take a look at the 16 Rapid Writing Secrets so you can get this knowledge out of your
head and onto the paper:
1. SPEAK YOUR BOOK
Many of my clients are speakers and do NOT like to sit down and write. So, I have them record
what they want to include in the book and then we send that to a transcriber or editor or
assistant who puts all the recordings together in a cohesive order and creates a book out if it.
There’s an app on your smartphone called “Rev” which you can download; make recordings and
send it to be transcribed via the app. This is a very quick way to get your book done!
2. HAVE SOMEONE INTERVIEW YOU
Have someone who doesn’t know your topic well, interview you about it. Come up with
questions for them to ask you and record the answers and then have them transcribed. This is a
great method for getting a book done.
3. WRITE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH
The absolute hardest part of getting to the gym is putting your shoes on. Once you do that, it’s
easy. When writing a book, the hardest part is the first paragraph. Once you do this, the rest
will start flowing. You can extend that and write the first paragraph for every chapter and then
go back and fill it in from there. You don’t have to write in order. Just start working on the
chapters that you feel high energy around.
4. WRITE THE CHAPTER SUMMARY FIRST
Many books write themselves once you start writing, so starting with a chapter summary will
help get the ideas out of your head and give you a place to start.
5. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND GET IN A FRESH ENVIRONMENT
I always get more writing done when I am out of my house than when I’m in it. The temptation
to do chores, get distracted, or talk on the phone is huge when you are at home. Go to a coffee
shop, your local bookstore or just sit outside; anywhere that you won’t be distracted from
getting your writing done.
6. WRITE IT OUT OF SEQUENCE
Most people get hung up on the sequence of the chapters and therefore, never write anything
because they aren’t sure what order to put them in. That’s what editors do. They edit your
book and move things around. Don’t worry about the order, just get it out of your head. This is
huge for me, because trying to figure out the sequence as I’m writing slows me down. So now I
know I can rearrange the chapters when I’m done and that’s a huge time saver!
7. WRITE WHERE THE EMOTION IS
When you have emotion about a subject or topic, that is what you want to write about because without your own emotion, your book won’t connect to the readers emotions. Write
down ideas that are high on the emotional scale for you. They say “Make Your Mess Your
Message”. What messes can you write about?
8. WRITE THE STORIES FIRST, THEN MAKE YOUR POINTS
Everyone loves a good story. People remember stories more than fact 22 to 1. That’s huge!
There is power in the phrase: “Once upon a time…” People love stories, so write your stories
first; and then fill in the points of the stories second. Method: Write a Story: Make 3 points.
Rinse and Repeat.
9. KEEP AN IDEA/BRAINSTORM JOURNAL
As ideas come to you, write them in a journal (let your subconscious write your book for you).
Once you decide on the book topic, you’ll start getting ideas when you’re out walking,
showering, drinking a cup of coffee or tea, eating a meal, etc. Usually when we aren’t trying to
chase ideas, they will come to us effortlessly
.
10. TEXT YOUR BOOK TO YOURSELF OR USE THE NOTES APP
When we are texting people we get right to the point. Text your book via the “notes” feature
on your smartphone as it won’t feel like you’re sitting down at the computer on a word
document with a blank page. Sometimes, we just have to trick our brain to get things done.
11. WRITE YOUR BOOK WITH POST IT NOTES
I’ve used this method and it’s amazing. All you need is a bunch of colored post-it notes and
something to stick them to like a piece of poster board or use a white board. Do a brain dump
and write everything you can think about your topic on each of the post it notes. Then sort
them out and group them together logically and you’ll have the outline for your book. (I have a
whole chapter on this method coming up).
12. BLOG YOUR BOOK
I have done a couple of books for clients where they simply went back and collected blog posts
they wrote, edited them, rearranged them and put them into a book.
13. PODCAST YOUR BOOK
If you have a podcast, consider doing 12 podcasts on each book chapter and then have it
transcribed and voilà, you have a book!
14. POWERPOINT YOUR BOOK
A lot of people love using PowerPoint to create content, so why not use PowerPoint to write
your book. Then just fill it in with more details.
15. START WITH POWERFUL QUOTES
When I see a great quote, I feel inspired. Many books I’ve read have a powerful quote at the
beginning of each chapter. A great way to get your book started is to collect 12 quotes relating
to your topic and then begin writing each chapter based on it those quotes.
16. WRITE YOUR BOOK WITH BLOCK TIME
We do our best work when we are in a “FLOW” state; a flow state is when a person is
completely absorbed in the activity at hand; also known as being “in the zone”. To do this, do
your highest value work first; early in the day. Set this time aside as your block time. Do nothing
distracting beforehand (no email, news, social media, etc.);
Comment which Tip worked best for you!