I’m more of a hare than a tortoise in my approach to writing. And frankly, that’s not a good thing when you’re working on a book. So I’m going to step back into a pre-editorial mode for a week or so to compile more notes, key
points, resource links, quotes, print-outs, etc. for each chapter.
Several helpful readers suggested this below. And
my agent and friend Elizabeth Wales reminded me today that
stepping back into a non-editorial (read “non-judgmental”) mode can be hugely productive.
It’s
called “assembling” a non-fiction book so that you have all your
information – organized and retrievable – at your fingertips. Elizabeth
suggested that I make a master list of what’s in each file. Then as I start writing I can refer to the master list to find tidbits, ideas
or quotes that might fit into whatever chapter I’m working on. Of course, there’s a new article everyday on blogging. So this is going to have to be an iterative process.
Onward. Building a book one brick at a
time… or is it one blog post at a time?
P.S. Feel free to add more tips on writing below. They’re helpful and so encouraging!
Useful Links
Writing Nonfiction by Dan Poynter (talks about “building” a book)
The Clockwork Muse by Eviatar Zerubavel (thanks to Christine Larson for the tip about this marvelous book)