Now that you have a better idea of where your chapter is going, take some time to not only rearrange your existing work, but to start filling in each section. Hopefully a bit of structure will jog your mind for additional stories and points to be made.
You should also make notes throughout these early drafts about information you’ll need to look up. Nonfiction requires quite a lot of research, so you can’t skip out on the hard work that’s coming up next.
Nevertheless, have fun writing what you can, being sure to fit each new story and point into the rough outline you’ve created. You’ll need to start paying attention to your beginning, middle, and end, ensuring that you’re taking your readers from A to B throughout each chapter and throughout the book in general.
Keep in mind that each additional piece of writing may alter the shape of a chapter, the order of chapters, or even the content of a chapter. I have deleted sections, split chapters in two, and repeatedly shuffled chapter outlines throughout this process.
Hang in there and keep writing.
Posts in this series:
- Start writing what you know.
- Brainstorm ideas for the rest of the chapter into a draft outline.
- Continue writing based on this outline
- Integrate quotes and research into the chapter
- Read through the chapter to sharpen the outline and fill in gaps.
- Revise your chapter draft.
Ed Cyzewski: Author // Contemplative 