Reading time: 4.08

Hey Reader,

“I am profoundly slothful,” said Fran Lebowitz, successful author of two books of essays — Metropolitan Life and Social Studies.

This, after she’d spent a decade — yes, TEN YEARS — not writing anything.

Puts my dodgy, creatively dry days, into some kind of perspective.

I don’t know why Lebowitz struggled to write more than one chapter in a decade, any more than I know why you might have a bad writing day.

Sometimes, I don’t even know why I’m not writing.

But I do know this: not writing is at least as exhausting to me as writing.

Procrastination and frustration are the worst.

It feels — really feels — like my soul is shrivelling and disappearing into a pit, leaving me a withered husk.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a bunch of ideas that might help if you’re struggling to write a nonfiction book you desperately want to write.

Here’s one you might want to try now.

Stop trying to write the book, and, instead just write.

Figure out what’s in the way and see if, by identifying it, you can cut it down with your pen which is indeed mightier than a sword.

Maybe a Big Book is too big.

Maybe start with a chapter.

Or a sentence.

Or leave the idea of a Big Book alone altogether for now and instead do something smaller…

A MicroBook!

• 100 pages or less
• 10-30,000 words
• 5-10 chapters (or no chapters at all)
• Drafted in 8 weeks
• Published in 10-12 weeks (depending on you, of course)

MicroBook Magic Season 7 begins on April 28.

Come and join us and be amazed at what you can achieve in just 8 weeks!

Here’s how it works:

Pre-program. Attend my Kickstart Your Book masterclass (free if you sign up to MicroBook Magic, £50 if not — but if you then join, I’ll knock that £50 off your fees).

Week 1: Onboarding week. In Circle, you’ll get the full curriculum and schedule and a tiny step to take each day to get you ready to write your MicroBook.

• Set up your workspace
• Schedule your writing + commit to it in public
• Welcome ceremony group call: introductions, aims + ideas, and my feedback on your Big Idea, and anything you’ve written so far, make your writing commitment plus a Q&A
• Watch the short welcome and get started videos
• Set your writing goals
• Revisit your Big Idea

Week 2: A running start

• Watch the reader journey video + create your reader journey
• First group call: my feedback on your reader journeys plus a Q&A
• Watch the short teaching videos on your conclusion, outline, and writer’s mindset
• Finess your outline (or dive in if you’re not an outliner) using the Book on One Page template (video accompaniment).
• Set your writing goals for the week
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Celebrate this week’s achievements in Circle

Week 2: Keep going

• Second group call — feedback, Q&A, and planning for the week.
• Watch the short teaching videos on the chapter plan, your introduction, + writer’s block.
• Set your writing goals for the week + WRITE!
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Celebrate this week’s achievements in Circle

Week 3: Writing + editing

• Third group call — feedback, Q&A, and planning for the week.
• Watch the short teaching videos on your about page + structural editing.
• Play some writing games if you’re feeling stuck.
• Set your writing goals for the week + WRITE!
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Week 4: The details
• Fourth group call — feedback, Q&A, and planning for the week
• Watch the short teaching videos on beta readers, ISBNs, front + back matter, and line editing.
• Set your writing goals for the week + WRITE!
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Celebrate this week’s achievements in Circle

Week 5: The finishing touches

• Fifth group call — feedback, Q&A, and planning for the week
• Watch the short teaching videos on book cover design, layout + formatting, and proofreading.
• Set your writing goals for the week + WRITE!
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Celebrate this week’s achievements in Circle

Week 6: Avoid looking like an amateur

• Sixth group call — feedback, Q&A, and planning for the week
• Watch the short teaching videos on how to avoid looking like an amateur — self-published doesn’t mean scrappy.
• Set your writing goals for the week + WRITE!
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Celebrate this week’s achievements in Circle

Week 7: Publishing + Launching

• Seventh group call — feedback, Q&A, and planning for the week
• Watch the short teaching videos on publishing options, self-publishing, and launching your book.
• Set your writing goals for the week + WRITE!
• Join us in office hours for short Q&As + quick feedback
• Celebrate this week’s achievements in Circle

Showcase Week 🎉🎉🎉

• On the 8th Tuesday, at the same time as our usual calls, we’ll have an Author Showcase to celebrate and share your MicroBooks with the rest of the group and with friends, family, colleagues, and perhaps perfect strangers from the internet.
• We wrap up everything you’ve worked on, make sure you have what you need, and I’ll let you know how I’ll be supporting you after the program ends.
• For those who’ve upgraded to MicroBook Mega, I’ll remind you to book your calls if you haven’t already, and give you all the details you need to get your book typeset.
• Onwards and upwards!

If you’d like to join us, I’d love to have you. Write your book by the end of Summer!

Hop over here and secure your place today:

Let’s not leave it a decade before you get your idea into the world, eh?

TTFN,

Vicky