Free Time with Jenny Blake

072: How to Start Writing a Book, Course, or Workshop


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Going from “zero to one” on a big creative project can be intimidating. If you want to write a book or create a course, where should you begin? Hint: grab a pen and paper and a stack of index cards, not your laptop.


Key Takeaways:

  • Start big projects by asking: what is the key transformation I am hoping to inspire?
  • There is magic to the number 3: it fits in with how we understand the world. When shaping the main pillars of the transformation you’re creating, see if you can break it down into 3 key parts. 
  • People learn in many diverse ways, and as a communicator, try to give them as many different methods for understanding a concept or idea as possible including memes, metaphors, mantras, quotes, statistics, diagrams, research etc. 

  • ⭐️ Permission

    Forget being linear. You don’t have to start at the beginning and end at the end. Dive into the sections that energize you the most first.

     

    ⭐️ Do (or Delegate) This Next

    Indulge your desire for stationary — purchase a tall stack of index cards and start breaking your next big project idea into smaller, bite-sized chunks, then move them around on a big surface (like your dining room table) until themes emerge.

      

    📘Books Mentioned:

    • Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business 
    • Pivot 
    • Life After College
    • Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences
    • How to Begin: Start Something That Matters

    • 🔗Resources Mentioned

      • Free Author Toolkit
      • MBS.Works
      • Alexandra Franzen 
      • Alexandra Franzen’s Feel, Know, Do Framework

      • Related Podcast Episodes

        • Free Time Episode 34: Organizing Research and Ideas - Notion Walkthrough #1
        • Free Time Episode 36: Shaping Big Ideas - Notion Walkthrough #2
        • Free Time Episode 38: Tracking Progress Toward Finishing a Book (or Big Idea) with an Essay Tracker - Notion Walkthrough #3

        • 🎁 Give yourself (and a friend) the gift of Free Time as we head into 2022: Preorder and submit proof of purchase to get early access to the audiobook as part of the Buy One, Get One, Give One holiday bonus!

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          Free Time with Jenny BlakeBy Jenny Blake

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