Tuesday’s writing tip for authors

Never totally neglect your book, even on your busiest days! Even if you only have even 10 or 15 minutes available, devote them to your project. Even a short working session maintains your momentum, keeps your brain engaged, and proves your commitment to your project’s success.

When just a few minutes are available, look for ways you can contribute 1 or 2 short, self-contained, text elements. Examples include:

• Sidebars. Perhaps you can add a sidebar describing examples, case study, a user profiles, that will add interest to a topic addressed in the current chapter.
• Glossary. Perhaps you could define 3 or 4 words introduced in the chapter that may confuse some of your readers.
• FAQ’s. Look for opportunities for sidebars answering frequently asked questions associated with chapter contents.
• Efficiency tips. Perhaps you could add a sidebar containing shortcuts, suggestions, and tips, that can save reader’s time.
• End of chapter content. If you don’t have much time to devote to the main text in the chapter, concentrate on preparing a chapter summary, review questions for the end of the chapter, or preparing a segue that will introduce readers to the contents of the next chapter.

On days when time is short, it’s not so much the amount of pages that you write, as it is the fact that you remained engaged your mind with your topic, rather than ignoring it completely. Just getting re-involved with your project, if only for a few minutes, will pave the way for more productivity tomorrow–and help keep writer’s block at bay.