The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book

If you have a business, you have no doubt spent time identifying your ideal client or customer. This is known as your “avatar.” When you know what motivates them and understand the problem your product or service solves, it’s easier to design things that you know they will need, buy, love, and rave about.

Perhaps your avatar is simply another version of you. Many people have built wildly successful businesses making things that they themselves need and want. If your ideal customer is another version of you, you are in luck. You know your needs and desires—and your challenges—very well. Even if you don’t have a business, you still want to know who you are writing for.

When writing a nonfiction book, you must have clarity about your ideal reader. What title would make them pick it up? What words on the back of the book make it a must-buy right now? And what would make them tell their friends about it too? It’s important to know these things, not just from a marketing perspective but from a writing perspective. Often when we sit down to write, we become overly formal and lose touch with our voice and our confidence.

When we have a clear sense of who the ideal reader is, it’s easier to write directly to them. Write in a conversational tone as if you are having coffee together and you are telling them everything you want them to know about your topic. Ideally, this is a real person you know. Having a real, specific person in mind will make all the difference. Your writing will flow and decisions will feel easy to make. And yet, you will resist it. You will want the book to be for everybody. You will think of three or more separate audiences for whom your book would be of interest.

That’s the problem—it’s not for an “audience.” When you think of that word, what comes to mind is probably a bunch of people or a big group. But when you think of one specific person and the problem this book is solving, you will make writing your book infinitely easier. Trust me. I understand that you can see your book’s value for different kinds of people. You want to be inclusive, but for your book’s focus, I want you to be exclusive. Your book is not for everyone. You aren’t pleasing everyone.

Let’s use a target model to drive this concept home. Suppose you are writing a book about how women can fit exercise into their life. Now identify up to three kinds of readers for your book. You want it for busy moms because you are a busy mom and you know that your methods work for you and your friends. You also want more people to have this information. Everybody needs this! But for now, choose just three potential readers. These three types of readers could be busy moms, college students, and business owners.

If you try to write to all three kinds of readers, your writing will go all over the place. Imagine a target. Put your main reader in the center ring. Your next type of reader goes in the second ring, and so on. When you write to hit the heart of the target, you meet your main reader and their needs. Anyone else picking up the book could also find value. With your main reader in mind, you will not be without direction.

I cannot emphasize how important it is to have this very specific person in mind when you are writing.

Exercise

Take some time to free-write about your ideal reader, the one who needs your book and will recognize it when they see it. Give them a name and get very clear about who they are and why your book is important to them. Write a letter to your reader about how your book will help them live a better life.

Tell them that you are excited to share this information and why you are the perfect person to do so. Now print that up and keep it in your writing zone so you are always writing to them. Include a picture of them if you can. Later, some of what you have written could be useful in your marketing copy. Next, we will look at the issues your book solves for your reader.

Inquiry

What resistance, if any, comes up for you when I ask you to choose a specific reader?

This is excerpted from The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book.

While it might be appealing to go away to a writing retreat for a week or weekend, the reality is that you will probably write most of your book in the interstices of your life. But because you don’t want “Write book” to be something on your calendar that you see and dread, you will want to find ways to integrate it into your life so it’s easy to drop into and get your words out on the page.

Consider that writing a book is a new relationship you are entering into. The book is a place where you connect with your ideas and yourself. It’s a repository of your ideas and what you want for the world.

As women, we tend to be relationship focused, so let’s make that work for you and your book. Instead of thinking of your book as something that takes time away from your current relationships, consider it a new and exciting relationship that you get to devote time and attention to.

Think about your author self. She’s super smart but not intimidating. She’s the kind of person you want to be with because she always has something to say. Most of the time it’s good stuff, too, insights and observations that somehow bring light to your life. She has a way with words, that one!

She’s a great friend, and is always there when you want to connect. You can tell her anything. She can take it. She’s wise and because she knows you well, she can help you shift into new ways of thinking, being and acting. She’s that kind of friend that makes you feel like a better version of yourself just by spending time with her. How cool is that? You will love getting to know your author self.

Clients ask me if they can work on a book and another project at the same time. Maybe two books are vying for your attention. It’s easy to think we can spread our creative love around. Everyone has to discover this for themselves, and in my experience, it’s very hard to do our day-to-day roles and juggle two major projects at once. Every project we have going is like a burner on our stove cooking away. It may be on low, it may be on high, but it’s taking away from our ability to focus. It may not seem detrimental, but losing our precious focus because of many projects can really slow us down.

If you have a record of being able to drive multiple projects consistently over the finish line with your sanity intact, by all means go right ahead. But I suggest becoming a creative serial monogamist, finishing one project at a time so you can give each its due. Keep a file or notebook for all your other projects. Use the magic phrase “for now.” For now, I’m focusing on my book. For now, I’m setting aside other projects. For now, I’m in a monogamous relationship with my book.

Take good care of this relationship. Follow through with all the dates you set aside to write your book. The power of keeping those promises to yourself cannot be overstated. The more you show up for your book, the easier it will become to devote time to it. If you find yourself avoiding your book, ask yourself what it will take to get back in touch with it. You can always do a free-write about the current state of your relationship with your book.

Inquiry

What does a healthy relationship with your book and author self look like on your busiest week?

 

This is an excerpt from my book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book. If you’re ready to write your book and want support along the way, this is the guide for you. Available wherever books are sold in paperback, e-book and audio book. Get your copy now.

Writing your book will require time, focus, attention, humility and courage. But your project will also give back. And not just when it’s finished. Throughout the process, you will slowly and subtly gain confidence. You will fall in love with your material all over again. You will enjoy how it feels to really know and share your expertise in this new way.

I believe that our creativity is the source of our vitality. When we are creating, we are tapping into our truest aliveness. We ignite our life energy when we create. We generate new energy. This energy feels so much better than the dread or pain of avoiding our writing. Quite frankly, this is the primary reason I coach authors. I want everyone to enjoy the aliveness that we generate when we are doing our creative work.

Now, here’s the weird thing. Usually, you won’t “feel” like writing. Your mind will trick you into thinking everything else is more important. That’s why we build structures around our writing so we don’t get lost in feelings or insecurities. We build a writing practice that helps us cross the river of resistance.

What if you had a reflection process that allowed you to feel the benefits of writing throughout the whole process? Simple, quick, but potent, capturing the vibe of the sessions will help you notice and savor more. The cool thing is you will begin to appreciate that working on your book is working you. You are writing this for others, but doing the work is having a positive impact on you. The first world you are changing is your own.

Exercise

Here’s a simple practice to help you notice the difference your writing is making in your life on a regular basis. At the end of each writing session, in your author notebook, jot down three words that describe how the writing session was for you. Don’t overthink this; just write three words that reflect your experience. You will certainly see a range of experiences on your list. Some days might be “slogging, hard, good” or “freeing, fun, challenging.” Keep a running list to witness how the writing is changing you.

This is an excerpt from my book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book. If you’re ready to write your book and want support along the way, this is the guide for you. Available wherever books are sold in paperback, e-book and audio book. Get your copy now.