I believe that most writers have a nonfiction book in them–they’re just not always sure how to pull it out. In situations like this, I share two of my favorite exercises:
- Uncovering your book idea
- Finding your angle
If you’re not sure that you have a nonfiction book in you, here’s an exercise you can do to find a potential topic you could write about.
The “Uncovering your nonfiction book idea” exercise:
- Grab your notebook or a piece of paper
- Draw a line down the center of the page, dividing it into two parts
- At the top of the left column, write “Skills I have/things I know how to do really well”
- At the top of the right column, write “Transformations I’ve made/experiences I’ve had”
- Make lists in each column based on the prompt at the top—now you’ll have two lists of potential topics you could write a nonfiction book about
- Go through the lists and circle the topics or ideas that most interest you
- Narrow down the topic/idea and choose one
Once you’ve done this exercise, then complete the exercise below.
The “Find your angle” exercise:
The following exercise will help you find a unique and/or interesting angle for your book topic:
- Grab your notebook or a piece of paper
- At the top of the page, write your book topic (or idea)
- Brainstorm 30 (or more) different angles or approaches you can take on this specific topic
- Go back through the list and circle anything that pops out as something worth writing
- Narrow down your circled choices to one (or combine several if it works)
From doing both of these exercises, you should have a bunch of nonfiction book ideas. You don’t have to write all of them, of course. In fact, most you probably won’t write at all.
But you’ve got a whole bunch of ideas to choose from now. And maybe you’ve even proven to yourself that you do actually have a nonfiction book in you.
Share With Us
What potential topic are you considering for a nonfiction book?
I am writing a nonfiction humorous collection of Brother In Law stories called “Crazy @ss Brother In Laws”. It covers funny stories of 6 brother In laws told from the perspective of a Sister/Sister in law. For sneak peeks during the writing process follow me @MarieKorman on Twitter.