Oh, your readers, your readers. They need to be part of your experience; they need to be engaged till the last letter.
Start Building For Your Readers
When you are trying to determine what content your readers need from you, think about building a bridge across a chasm. Your reader wants to get to the other side but there is a Grand Canyon sized hole in the way. The gap, of course, is not a physical gap but a knowledge gap.
To fill in the chasm on the left-hand side, we have all the people who will read your book. On the right-hand side, we have the outcome the readers want: all the goals, dreams. Who they want to be. What they want to do. What skills they want to have. How they want to feel.
In the middle, write out what they are missing to get to the other side. This is the content of your book.
Example: Scrappy Rough Draft
I reviewed a book called Scrappy Rough Draft. Let’s use that as an example. On the left-hand side, we have people who want to write a book but are struggling to put together a draft of the book they know they have inside. On the right-hand side, we have those same people with finished drafts in hand.
• Who they want to be: confident and productive
• What they want to have: writing skills, time to write, knowledge of the steps
• What they want to do: finish the draft
• How they want to feel: excited and hopeful for their future as an author
In the middle are the answers. Here are some chapter titles:
• The science of self-talk
• If you don’t know where/how to start
• Harnessing the power of “Yes, and…”
• Who they want to be: confident and productive
• What they want to have: writing skills, time to write, knowledge of the steps
• What they want to do: finish the draft
• How they want to feel: excited and hopeful for their future as an author
In the middle are the answers. Here are some chapter titles:
• The science of self-talk
• If you don’t know where/how to start
• Harnessing the power of “Yes, and…”
Download the filling in the gap worksheet and start building a bridge for your readers. https://authornationtube.com/resources/
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
– Keep writing
Melody Ann
Author Nation is your go-to resource for becoming a successful nonfiction author, from planning to promotion and everything in between. Download the resource for the stage you are in.
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