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Can you imagine a football game, where the coach paces on the sidelines until the end of the third quarter, then suddenly says, “Hey, guys, I saw some glaring errors in those plays. Let’s see if we can get this game back on track before it ends”? You might wonder why he didn’t get involved a little sooner.
When you are three quarters of the way through writing your book, it’s pretty late in the game for a book-writing coach to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. If you are like most authors, you could have used some advice earlier in the process.
A sports coach gets involved long before his team takes the field. That should also be true of a book-writing coach. In sports, it’s called training and practice; in writing, it’s called planning and polishing. This is one of the reasons you hire a book coach to begin with.
Regular feedback during the writing process will not only keep you on track in terms of meeting your goals, it will also ensure that your book follows your plan from start to finish. As the author, you are often too close to your work to see the flaws and inconsistencies. Your coach will provide an objective and knowledgeable outside perspective.
Here are some of ways in which a book coach helps you follow your plan:
- Before you even begin writing, you and your coach will do some serious brainstorming about content, organization, and writing style.
- With your coach’s guidance, you will outline or mind map main areas, fill in key points under each main heading, and write a paragraph summary of every chapter.
- Beyond merely “editing” your summary paragraphs, your coach will analyze each one and discuss it with you. Does it clarify the chapter’s main points? Is the writing style consistent? Are the grammar and punctuation correct? Does the chapter help achieve the book’s purpose? No? Let’s try again.
- When the chapter summaries pass muster, you will begin to write your first draft. There are many ways to work with a book-writing coach; the one I recommend is chapter by chapter. As you complete each one, your coach will read it, make notations in the margins, edit, and discuss his or notes notes with you. The advantage of this method is that, if you happen to veer off course, you will know it before you get too far into the writing process.
Coaches play valuable roles in every step of writing a nonfiction book, but getting you moving in the right direction and helping stay there is one of the most important. For more information on book coaching, contact Bobbi Linkemer at bobbi@writeanonfictionbook.com,
Also, see these articles on how a coach can help you write a nonfiction book:
About Bobbi Linkemer
Bobbi Linkemer is a ghostwriter, editor, and the author of 12 books under her own name. She has been a professional writer for 40 years, a magazine editor and journalist, and a book-writing teacher. Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs who want to write books in order to enhance their credibility and build their businesses. Visit her Website at: http://www.WriteANonfictionBook.com.
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