How to organize your content when starting a book
The hardest part of writing a book is getting started. The next hardest part is organizing all the information. Oftentimes you have so many things to share that it can become too much and cause you to stop your progress.
While we all have our own organization styles and approaches, there are a few tried-and-true things you can do. You might start with an outline, create a list, or write on a poster or whiteboard of what you want to include. Some people like to use index cards or sticky notes with one topic or chapter per sheet. This makes it easy to rearrange the order of contents later on. Others also like using spreadsheets, hanging file folders, or even apps such as Evernote or Dropbox.
Don’t worry at this point about what you want to name the chapters or book, or even the final product. The more important priority is to decide the goal of your book — to tell a story? To send a message? To share your experiences? — and what information to include. Keep in mind that you can always change this later on.
Once you’ve gotten an idea of what you want your book to be about and what information you will include, start writing parts. You might want to plan the book in order, or just write bits and pieces here and there and then put them all together at the end. Use a system that works for you, but make sure you get something down on paper.
It’s your book, your process — and so you can organize your content any way that works best for you when starting a book. Contact us today to get some guidance on how to organize your contents.
Video description: Savory Words owner Trudy Suggs sits in front of a beige wall that shows the Savory Words sign. Behind her is a simple wood-and-metal desk, with several Savory Words books held together by typewriter-design bookends, and a lamp. Trudy is wearing a teal green shirt with a gray cardigan over; she has on dangly silver earrings.
Image description: A square with rust bars on top and bottom shows on the left in a brown block, in white text, "How to organize your content when starting a book." On the right in white is a picture of a blank hardcover book. Below that is the Savory Words logo.
