Monday’s planning tip for authors

Many new authors begin writing too soon, often after paying just passing attention to their book’s content plan–or table of organization. This can be a big mistake. A strong, simple, content plan, or organization, makes it possible for authors to write successful books about even the most complicated topics, such as the historical relationship between man and music. This is the lesson taught by Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., author of The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature.

Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., displays the the power of using a book’s organization to create best-selling books about incredibly complex topics. A rock musician turned neuroscientist, Levitin is a Professor at McGill University’s Psychology of Electronic Communication Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition, and Expertise.

As he demonstrated in his first book, This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of music–that he entertainingly writes about from the perspectives of a musician, a recording engineer, and a neural psychologist. His books relate brain wave research to specific chords and musical passages culled from a broad range of music, often accompanied by interviews with the composers or performers themselves.

Although Six Songs offers an incredibly rich and diverse range of information and stories, from history, philosophy, music, and science, the book’s structure is based on discussing the role that six types of songs played in the development of human nature. These six types of songs–note the emphasis on song content and purpose, not genre or categor–include:

1. Friendship
2. Joy
3. Comfort
4. Knowledge
5. Religion
6. Love

Once a book’s spine, or structure, is identified, it becomes easy to create a complex, but satisfying, stew of musical interviews, stories of lyrics, brain wave research, and historical perspective. Without the “6 step” framework, the book would be impossible to read and enjoy. With the structure, it provides the foundation for a ssatisfying read for yourself, and a great gift for your friends who share your curiosity about “Why is music so important in our lives?”

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Takeaway. Resist the image to begin your book project by beginning to write before you have a strong, purposeful, organizing concept for your book’s content. Prepare to write by identifying a structure, perhaps based on sections, parts, or steps, that will provide the organization framework needed to display your knowledge and insights.

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