While it may only take an hour to read this book, I spent four years testing this approach to writing. Now you can also write your first book in just 30 days. You'll get the practical steps to develop your characters and create your plot, and understand how to think about writing before you type the first word. If you can absorb the key concepts, this step-by-step process will even help you enjoy the writing process. At the end of one month, you'll have a terrific working manuscript, and you'll be happy about your work.

There are two popular theories about writing; you can outline the whole book ahead of time, or you can just let words fly out and see what happens. If you were heading to the grocery store, would you make a list of ingredients for the next 3 days of cooking, or do you just wander the aisles and see what jumps into your cart?

We know from experience that when you plan your purchases, you usually have delicious meals. The hardest part is the preparation time. I wish dinner would magically assemble itself, get cooked, and land in a pile of steamy deliciousness on my plate. This book will help you actually prepare a feast of words, and assemble them into an appealing story!

While these pages will direct you to the core of your story, it's only the start. The fun part is pulling the individual pieces together to make a book. If you want to have a successful month of writing, you need to prepare yourself. Part of that is the emotional commitment to sit in your chair and write every day. If you want a crappy first draft, then plan on 30 minutes a day. If you want to write something that has potential to be shaped into a published novel, you need to plan on 60 to 90 minutes a day. And that's usually why people don't ever write their books. They simply won't sit down and write. It sounds obvious, I know, but if you want to write a book, you have to spend time writing.

There are a few other reasons people never write their book...

• they think they should spend years writing it
• they should wait until they retire to write it
• or, they think they don't have the skill to put a story onto paper.

You may worry about spelling, or grammar, or fret about the proper way to assemble a sentence. Maybe you've heard stories from others who are "writing a book", and have been for years. If you think you should wait until you have time to write a book, that means you've got some residual bad programming from your school days. It's no reflection on you. School was partly designed to make us stand in lines and be obedient. Writing a book completely contradicts those lessons. While we can still be proud of our diplomas, we didn't always get the encouragement needed to develop our creativity. School did not applaud our originality, and being unique further separated us from the other kids our age.

Even now that you're a grown-up, you may still doubt your skills and talents. We will address mindset in this book, because even the best advice in the world won't help if you don't sit in your chair and write. Following these steps will let you finally share your story. It's okay that you don't know every detail yet. The important thing is your driving need to put your creative self to work, and I am here to support you. Let's get started!

Part One addressed getting ready to write, Part two is how to create your own 30 day deadline, and part three is specific writing prompts. This third section will help you generate words by using your imagination. This three step process will lead you to a successful working manuscript in 30 days.