There is an old riddle: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: one bite at a time. This old puzzle offers good advice for many things in life. Anything that seems overwhelming at first glance can usually be broken down into manageable chunks. Writing a book is no different.

Naturally, it starts with an idea. Maybe you have the perfect idea for the next great American novel. Or perhaps you have some knowledge about something that would be of value to others if it were put in a book, something that the eager public would rush to buy at the bookstore. The idea is really the easy part. I imagine most people, if pressed, might have some idea of ​​yours that they have floating in the back of their heads. Your idea is probably why you are bothering to read this article.

Now, translating the idea into something readable, well that’s a different story. It seems easy enough. After all, they are just words. We all know the words. We talk, right? And read? How difficult could it be, then, to take our idea and put it on the printed page? The answer to that depends on the person. Some people are very adept at it, others struggle. So far I have written about 200 words here. For some, that would take about an hour. For others, two minutes. For others, an entire afternoon. (It took me four minutes, in case you were wondering.)

If you are one of those who would struggle, you would probably benefit if you took your idea and broke it down into manageable parts, much like the elephant analogy. Some parts are obvious. Begin with an introduction and end with a conclusion. These are the easy parts. An introduction sets the tone, lets us know what to expect, maybe even gives us a preview of what’s to come. A conclusion closes it, summarizes it, lets us know what we have just read. The middle, on the other hand, is where a lot of people get stuck.

This is why you probably shouldn’t attempt the book without a decent outline. Brainstorm the idea – Think of all the things you want to write about related to the idea. Jot them all down on sticky notes, arrange the sticky notes in a logical order, and you have the framework for an outline. Now you just have to complete it. Write a paragraph about each part of the outline. Make a note of each piece as to how it fits in with the rest of the book and what is the purpose of the piece. Ask yourself what the reader should come up with after reading the article. Your outline will end up basically mirroring the chapters in the book, and your groundwork to think through each piece will really give you some great direction. Basically, you now have a roadmap to follow.

Now all you have to do is write. Check out your outline, start with the first chapter, and dive right in. Don’t worry about the quality of the writing at first. Just put the thoughts in your head on the page. You can worry about the quality later. And you should worry. There is an adage that professional writers know all too well: most writing is rewriting. For every minute you spend writing, you should spend five minutes revising, revising, rethinking, and rewriting. Maybe even more. Unless your name is Clancy or Grisham, your writing needs improvement. It will not work out at first. It never does. Even for us professionals. Guess what? I just rewrote this entire paragraph.

Eventually, you will get your project to a point where it looks pretty good. Unfortunately, that means you still have a long way to go. At that point, get someone you trust to read it, someone you know who gives you an honest opinion. And then send it in for a professional edition. Have someone who makes a living write for him. Do this regardless of your level of competition. Even as a professional writer, I often get another professional writer to review my work well.

After all that, go back to the keyboard. Do your revisions and polish everything. I’m sure it’s ready now, right? Well, not really. By now, you are too close to that. Put it aside. For a month. Maybe six months. Then pick it up and read it. There is a ninety-nine percent chance at that point that you will find something wrong with him, something incomplete, something missing. Back to the keyboard.

In the end, you will have your masterpiece. It will certainly be worth all the work. And it’s a lot of work. Almost everyone underestimates how great it really is to write a book. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. If you have a good idea, go ahead.

Another option: Consider hiring someone to do all of that work for you. Ghostwriters exist strictly for that purpose. They have the skill and experience to make your book come true. Think of it this way: Just because you have an idea of ​​what color you want to paint your house, that doesn’t mean you have to paint it yourself. Hire a painter! That’s what they are for.

Either way, print that idea out. Express yourself There is one thing above all else that I am sure of: the world can always use one more book!