Tips for planning your book

A good plan for your book should include the following:

Fiction

1. Describe the main characters and what they are like in terms of character, personality, appearance.

2. Describe the setting for the book: place, time, region, culture.

3. Choose the primary conflict that is resolved in the story:

a. Man versus man. Main character(s) must defeat another human being (or group of people) in some way to achieve his/her goals.

b. Man versus nature. Main character must survive an affliction or disease, a serious injury, an attack by a wild animal, a challenge from severe weather or other problems arising from nature.

c. Man versus self. Main character is confused, makes bad decisions, follows a dangerous course, and somehow is rescued from himself and finds a solution to the problem.

4. Plot. Write out step by step what happens in the story. Be sure each scene, each "story" within the book, moves toward the resolution of the problem. Be sure each character fits the plot.

Putting a plan together like this, even if it's only scratched out in rough words or drawings, will save you a lot of time when it comes to writing your book.

Non-fiction

1. Describe your reader. Who are you hoping to reach with this book? Age? Sex? Other characteristics?

2. Final result. What do you want your reader to do, think, understand, after reading your book?

3. Key points. What are the six (or three or ten etc.) points you want to make in your book?

4. References. List all sources used in any way for your book.

5. Illustrations. Give examples (well disguised to conceal the source), tell stories. Put yourself into the stories.

6. Prepare a Table of Contents including all the chapters.

This plan will help you focus on what is important to you and will enable you to start writing as soon as you're ready.