Week 4: The Book Writing Process
In Week 4, I taught the students about the book writing process and how necessary it is to spend some time preparing for the writing process before starting to write. Many people start writing a book too soon but do so without a plan. Before they know it, they’re lost in a sea of writing fragments with no idea where to go next and very little structure on which to build their book.
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Download a 78-minute MP3 of this class to listen on your iPod, MP3 Player, or computer media player.
Although preparation seems like a boring and passion-killing task, it is crucial to the task of writing a book. The time you spend on preparation at the beginning will enable you to reach your goal of writing and completing a book. It’s like getting a paycheck and spending 100% of it on things that bring instant gratification. When all that money is gone, there is nothing left to show for it. But if you take 10% of that paycheck and put it in a savings or investment account, you’ve just created something that’s going to profit in your future.
In this week’s class, I talked about the Power of Focus, then I explained about the importance of defining boundaries for your book and it’s ideas.
I also gave the four steps necessary to write and complete a book:
- Ideas & Brainstorming
- Research
- Outlining
- Writing
These steps are generally done in this order. You probably don’t want to do research or brainstorming after writing your book! Similarly, it’s better to get as many of your ideas out on paper before starting your research or creating an outline.
Finally, I had Zachary Gudelunas give a 20-minute presentation on a powerful brainstorming technique known as Mind Mapping. He demonstrated this technique using free software available for the Macintosh and created a mind map illustration in front of the class, working with Angelo Jeanpierre to map out ideas for Angelo’s book about restoration.
Zachary then helped Kristina Waggoner create a mind map for her book using a whiteboard so the class could see the process using another student’s ideas and using a traditional pen-based approach rather than using computer software. Kristina became instantly hooked on mind mapping after admitting that she finds it very difficult to get her ideas down in outline form.
Next week, I’ll be handing out and going over a 10-page worksheet that will help the students discover and define the parameters of their book. This worksheet will be the foundation for each author’s book. Next week’s class will be very practical and very fun!
No homework was assigned for this week.
NOTE: A class video should be available by Thursday evening.
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Aaron McMahon is the author of These Signs Shall Follow and How to Write & Publish Your Book. He is a graduate of all three years of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry where he interned for associate pastor Kevin Dedmon. Now, Aaron continues to work with Kevin Dedmon, Chris Overstreet and others at Bethel Church in Redding, California to support our mission: worldwide and personal revival. 
Hi Aaron,
I am SO thrilled with your bookwriting class. I truly praise the Lord for the opportuity to learn what you have to share. Last week and tonight, Feb.3rd, I am missing class due to back problems, sitting hurts my low back. I will certainly be there next week.
Meanwhile, I copied and pasted the notes from WEEK 4 and will check tomorrow for WEEK 5, but do not see the video of the class to be able to watch? Am I not getting it? Didi I miss something? Yikes, I don’t want to miss anything…I don’t know about MP3′s or Ipods, not the most high tech person….thanks for any help.
Blessings,
Mary Stephens
Your class has awakened me to a whole new outlook. Not just in writing but it is a pyridine shift in my thinking.
Mind Mapping… A right brained outlook to writing and life organization.
Hi Aaron,
Your class and the handouts are so very helpful. It is so exciting to have such a clear structure because it really helps me to stay focused. I am having trouble viewing the live class. Can you help me? I’d like to see week four and five. God bless you and thank you for your help for helping authors to fly.
Sandy
Just so everyone knows… I did record video for Week 4 and Week 5 but the audio came out very poorly. I’ve been trying to find time to clean it up or somehow use the audio from another audio recorder I used for the MP3. But then I have to try and synchronize the audio and video together so you don’t see my mouth moving a quarter second early or late. I’m not sure when or if I’ll be able to accomplish this. For now, all I can say is check out the MP3 available at the top of this page. Each week, I’m getting better at learning these technical details so I can finally offer good quality audio and video on a consistent basis.