Writing a Book - How to Find Your Inspiration

Oh the myth of the author as creative genius. Sitting alone In a Paris' garret. Pounding away on an old Smith-Corona. Smoke curling around his head and ash building up on the floor around him. A bottle of wine and moldy cheese on the table beside a stack of paper. Starving while he creates his great American novel.

Personally, I prefer eating. And, while I enjoy a bottle of Vin Ordinaire as much as the next guy, my tastes tend to run to steak rather than blue cheese and day-old bread. Not to mention the fact that the popular myth is unbelievably sexist.

But even I admit that inspiration is needed.

I just tend to prefer a pound of perspiration and the increased probability of success. And of course, I write how to books and related non-fiction. So my worship of the muse is slightly skewed. But still, inspiration is necessary.

So how do you find your inspiration?

That's a hard question to answer. Oh not because I don't find inspiration. It's because there are so very many sources. So to answer the question, in this article, I'm going to pick on just one method. And then, I'll show you the process I use to turn perspiration into inspiration.

Because I'm writing non-fiction -- more specifically how-to books and eBooks -- my books focus on my readers' problems. In effect, I'm a problem solver. So my real source of inspiration is problems. Which is cool as it goes. But I really can't start with a question. That would be a case of relying too much on inspiration. So writing a book to solve a problem means I need to pick up the problem at the next stage. And effectively, that's my source of inspiration.

So what is that source of inspiration for writing a book?

It begins either with Amazon or with Google. Each of them has a category system. With Amazon, you can find the category system in a set of menus within the books or Kindle books departments. Within Google, you can find that category system in the Google AdWords Keyword tool. I generally use both to begin my search for inspiration.

Once I find a category, that interests me, I'll begin to search for questions in that category. I'll enter very generic questions like "Who" or "What" or "How" and the category. Sometimes, I'll enter use just the category selection. In any case, I'll end up with a list of search terms.

Well, not exactly.

What I really end up with is a list of questions which are being asked in that category. All it takes is a bit of manipulation. If I've started with the categories, I'll look down the list of topics and ask the journalists' six "W"s. Eventually, I'll find one that interests me. Typically, it will only be a phrase. So I'll need to expand on it slightly. I can do that by adding one of the questions and searching once again. Alternatively, I'll add a term. For example, Business strategy might lead to planning a trip. I could then add a word such as camping. And voila -- I have my inspiration.

Creating a Book - 5 Things to Do Before You Start Writing a Non-Fiction Book

Creating a book, especially for today's time challenged entrepreneur may seem like a daunting task. After all, what business person has the ability to spend weeks, perhaps months, researching, writing and preparing a book, let alone finding publishers, building a marketing program and all the other time-chomping details that go into a non-fiction book project? In order to leverage your time and make writing a book something that is not only enjoyable but effective, efficient and engaging, there are several things that you should consider doing before starting the writing itself.

    The message needs to be absolutely clear and concise. What is it that you want to convey to your readers and can you state it in one sentence? People buy a non-fiction book to be informed, helped, guided or inspired, or any combination of these. Having a clear message before you start will improve your writing immensely, improve your reader's experience and make your call to action much stronger. Writing out your clear message and taping it on the wall above your workspace will keep it front of mind.

    A working title helps the entire process by focusing your efforts toward your topic and message. Depending on whether you use a conventional publisher (who will probably have title rights) or whether you retain publishing rights, this might become the actual title of your book. Nothing prevents you from changing it as better ideas occur but writing will flow more smoothly when you have a good working title for your project. If nothing else, it constantly reminds you about what you are writing.

    An outline is virtually mandatory before beginning the writing itself. This will keep you on target, prevent you from missing out on key points, improve the flow and order of information. An outline will also keep you from going too far afield from your original message and topic. It shows you visually what research needs to be done and is an excellent start on the table of contents.

    A dedicated space for your book writing efforts will pay enormous dividends even if you do much of the actual writing at your local coffee shop. Having sources of information, books, research, pictures, outlines and all the other paraphernalia and things that accumulate during the process in one place, makes you more efficient and results in creating your book faster.

    The same time everyday for writing your own book will train your mind and your body to bring forth the ideas and creativity to make your time more productive. We work on an internal clock that revolves around a 24 hour cycle and you can use this to encourage your own book writing efforts. Just like scheduling your physical workouts for an optimum time each day, scheduling your writing time for the best "creative hour" of your day will pay big benefits.

Naturally, writing your own book requires starting with the germ of an idea, a need, or a message you wish to share. The benefits for today's business person can be enormous in increased market share, respect from peers and clients, along with a boost in credibility. All of this can lead to increased sales and profits. The research and writing of your own book sets up the possibility for being recognized as an expert in your field which attracts attention from media and customers alike. It is worth the effort to write a book that compliments your business life, but like any good business decision, planning and execution are paramount to your success.