START WRITING YOUR BOOK TODAY

4 stars out of 5

For much of my non-retired life (and on a freelance basis since I pulled the plug on the daily grind), my primary occupation has been writer and editor - every single word of it nonfiction. Along the way, I've conducted employee development seminars on a variety of topics like interpersonal communication and business writing. Now and again, I've toyed with the idea of writing some kind of how-to book. If I learned anything from reading this book, it's this: It ain't never gonna happen.

Hold on - don't panic. It's not because I, or you, can't dredge up enough how-to "stuff" to put in there. It's not because the author makes the process sound overwhelmingly difficult (quite the opposite, in fact). But if I had to pick the most important lesson in here, it's that actually seeing my book (and yours) in print requires total commitment to making a plan that will get us from start to finish - and then sticking to it no matter what. As I used to tell the folks in my seminars, all the daily charts and worksheets and motivational tricks in the world may help light your fire, but it's YOU and you alone who can accomplish what you need or want to accomplish. And quite honestly, at this stage of the game, I just don't have that drive (my late mama would call it "gumption").

But if you're still hem-hawing around (another of mom's faves), you'll get a ton of inspiration by reading what the author, a writing coach, has to say. No, you won't learn the nuts and bolts of writing - no instructions on grammar, punctuation, spelling or syntax are here except to say that if you don't have those down pat (actually, even if you do), you'll need to hire experts if you expect to sell your finished book to anybody outside your immediate family. And that brings me to another important point: the likelihood that you'll get rich by penning a book - or even several - is somewhere between slim and none. That's not meant to discourage you, but rather help you go into the book-writing process with your eyes wide open.

In seven easy-to-read chapters, you'll get tips on how to develop writing routines - hit or miss just doesn't cut it - as well as setting up and revising your first draft, getting the most from "beta" readers and pulling the whole thing together in a manuscript that's reader-ready. Helpful appendices (or appendixes, depending on which stylebook you've decided to follow) serve up resources such as books, blogs and podcasts. There's also more details on topics mentioned in the chapters, like creating a reverse outline (one that's done, the author explains, after the book is written). In the end, the book should give you a leg-up on what you need to do to get up, get started and get it done. Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy.

Start Writing Your Book Today by Morgan Gist MacDonald (Paper Raven Books, June 2015); 140 pp.