Video

How to Outline Your Book: The What, Where, and Why

March 25, 2021 · 2 min read

Let’s talk about book outlines!

Specifically, the what, where, and why of your outline.

I’m a HUGE fan of outlines. But sometimes authors wonder how detailed their chapter outlines should be. Specifically, how in the weeds should they get with their content?

My advice? Get out of the weeds! Your outline should cover the following:

What you’re talking about
Where you’re talking about it
Why you’re talking about it

Everything else can wait until you’re actually writing the book.

Watch my video and I’ll give you some examples on how to get started with your what, where, and why!

The Blog

Get more posts like this one

Practical notes on ghostwriting, storytelling, and building an author platform — delivered straight to your inbox.

New posts delivered to your inbox
Behind-the-scenes on real book projects
First access to workshops and courses

Keep reading

← Previous post

Want a Book Deal? You Need a Book Proposal.

Have you ever wondered whether you need a book proposal to become an author? I speak with aspiring authors all the time who are eager to get started on their book, but they aren’t sure if they need to focus on a book proposal first. Can you skip this (often painful) part of the book…

Read

How to Write Beginnings and Endings for Your Chapters

How do you make sure your nonfiction book is a success? You write a really good beginning and ending for each chapter! It might seem obvious, but during my years helping authors with manuscript evaluations, I’ve seen plenty of great writers make this common pitfall. So, how do you write a great chapter?…

Read

Back to all posts