I have an idea.
I want to write a book about said idea.
But... How do I start? How do I get going? How do I gain momentum?
To answer this question I resorted to my favorite source of information--youtube. A lot of really smart people are on there and I love learning from them. I almost prefer youtube over google. Why? Because it isn't overcome with ads and eHow and all those other "informational" sites. I say "informational" because I don't really think they're all that helpful. But that's just me. Anyway, I found 3 major tips on how exactly to begin the process of book writing. Most of the information was regarding novel writing, but I do still think it can be applied here.
I'm going to have a post designated to each one of these things totally breaking them down. I'll link each one when that post goes up. These are just a few quick points to get you thinking.
Let's get into it.
1. Write a "why" and put it on your fridge.
What? Ok--let me explain:
A "why" is basically your purpose. It's why you're putting all the time, all the thought, all the money into this book. Now, your "why" should NOT be "I want to make money" or "I want people to notice my book and make me famous". Nope, your why should be "I want to share (insert idea here) with people and get them excited about starting their project" or "I want to inspire my readers with (insert idea here) and drive them to action" or even "I want to write a book because it's been something I've always wanted to do".
Then, put it somewhere where you'll see it often. This will keep you motivated on the days when you do. not. want. to. write. a. single. word. It'll also give you a basis for everything you put into this huge body of work. You'll do it for the why, not for the money or attention.
2. Come up with a title.
Apparently, from what I've gathered, this is an excellent way to start off a book writing journey. It's the first thing that your readers will see when they come in contact with your book. And if you'll go a bit hypothetical with me for a moment, it's the first thing from your book that you will ever see. It's almost as if you're revealing your book to yourself as you're writing it. So give yourself a good solid title and that will get you motivated to continue, just as it will motivate your audience to buy in the future.
3. Come up with a color scheme.
COLOR. My absolute favorite thing in the whole entire world. Because I love color so much, this could be difficult for me. So many choices. If you relate to that, here are some tips:
-Pinterest. Make sure you have a few free hours and go on Pinterest and search "color schemes". Pick one you love and use it as your inspiration.
-Your favorite color can be the best thing to choose simply because you're not going to get tired of it. If you have always loved purple, consider going with a monochromatic purple color scheme and add one pop color for interest.
-Though it may sound cliché and cheesy, nature has got it going ON when it comes to color combos. Take a walk, find some flowers, snap a pic, and try to match the colors.
-Look at the colors of your clothes. This will give you a great indication of the colors you're naturally drawn to. Use these and you're bound to love the finished product.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Using any of those tips requires matching the colors you see to the colors you end up using for your book. I recommend HTML Color Codes for this. Scroll down a tad and play with selecting your color. Then, write down the code it gives you (this is called a HEX code). These codes are universal across all platforms so whether you're using Pic Monkey or the blogger template designer you can type in this code and get the same color.
For example, the magenta used in my blog header is #d00069.
All right, that's what I've got. Like I said earlier, my next three posts will break each one of these things down.
See you then!
