As a writer, you understand the painstaking time it can take to write a book. What if you discovered you could write a book in one week? Would you feel less overwhelmed? While it takes more than a week to create a standout book, focusing on efficient writing techniques can help you speed up the process and meet your goals in a timely manner.
In fact, sometimes the faster you write the better the process goes. Many writers lean toward perfectionism and struggle to draft content due to their desire to make every sentence perfect. While we should strive to write the best book we can, getting that initial draft down is imperative to your overall writing success.
When you draft first and then edit, you give yourself the freedom to make mistakes that you can correct later. Sometimes the best plot points come out of mistakes you never would have made if you struggled for days over that first page.
So, how do you write a book in just 7 days?
If you employ these four strategies and see how quickly you can knock out your first draft. Let’s start with outlining and a mind map.
Start With A Great Mindmap & Outline
When you sit down to write your first draft it’s crucial to know which direction you plan to take your story. If you sit down with a general idea but have no plan on what happens or how your characters get to the last page, you’ll likely spend more time staring at the blinking curser than typing.
Specifically for nonfiction, a good mindmap is an imperative factor to your overall flow. Whatever genre you write, start with a mindmap and a solid outline. Mindmapping will help you collect your thoughts, organize them, and lay out a direction for your book.
Once you have your ideas organized you can begin work on your book outline. Transfer your mindmap ideas to the chronological order in your outline. This will ensure you include all the necessary pieces, you know what builds on what, and will show you where you may want to add or subtract information from a specific section.
Embrace The Speed Of Dictation
Now that you know your content, where it goes chronologically, and how you want to use it to build your story, it’s time to start the drafting. This is where the power of dictation comes in. Even if you are an efficient typist, most people can speak much faster than they can type.
If you want to write your book in just seven short days you will likely want to take full advantage of dictation. Embracing the speed of dictation can cut your project time by hours or even days.
Dictating your work will also help you when you feel exhausted from typing. In fact, dictation is a great way to continue working. You can bounce between typing and dictation without exhausting yourself in either capacity.
Now not only can you write your book in record time, but you can do so without exhausting your voice or your fingers. When you feel tired of typing simply turn to dictation and vice versa.
Dictation can be especially helpful when writing nonfiction. While fiction relies heavily on storytelling, nonfiction relies heavily on voice. Both voice and storytelling are essential no matter what genre you write, but dictating your nonfiction project allows your unique voice to shine through.
Time Blocking
We all have the same amount of time in a day and the same number of days in a week. The difference between you and the next person is how you spend those hours. Time blocking is a helpful way to contribute to a self-imposed writing deadline and contribute to your success.
If you say you plan to write a book in a week but you don’t plan when the writing will actually take place, you’re setting yourself up for a disaster. To help yourself succeed, block out specific hours of the day and commit to that specific writing schedule.
Note that when you time block writing time, it is strictly for writing, not research. You already created your mindmap and outline. It’s time to write. Whether you choose to type or dictate during your time blocks, make sure you are getting words on the page during your allocated time.
If you are an early riser, consider creating your time block in the morning when all is quiet. If you work best at night, try holing up for a few hours in the evening and getting your word count in before bed.
Whenever you time block, stick with it. This writing time is key to meeting your deadline.
Writer Retreats
Whether you believe in writer’s block or not, are introverted, or need to sourround yourself with people, writer retreats can be the silver lining you need to make it to the finish line of your book. Choosing to take several days to focus on the writing craft with like-minded individuals can give you the push you need, not to mention the time necessary, to finish strong.
There are many types of writing retreats in a variety of locations. While this type of writing investment falls in between a writing conference where the focus is on workshops and networking and writing residencies which center on writing alone.
A writer retreat allows you some of each, combining the two into a creative experience that can help you meet your goal. You will have time alone to get your word count in, but you will also surround yourself with other writers in a beautiful space to help you get in the creative mindset.
A writer retreat could be just the right place for you to begin your mindmap and outline process. Not only will you have time alone to brainstorm and plan, but you can bounce your ideas off other writers.
You can leave prepped and ready to hammer out your draft, knowing you put the necessary planning in and collected feedback from other serious writers.
Write A Book In 1 Week Process Starts Now
Now that you are aware that it is possible to draft a project in seven days, and you have the tools to do so, it’s time to get going on your mindmap and outline.
Tip: If you naturally tend to plot your books out, resist the urge to spend too many days on the outlining stage. On the other hand, if you usually write to discover your story, don’t skip the outline stage. It is a necessary guide as you begin this process.
Remember that writing a book in one week is not a finished product, but a draft to work with. Simply finishing your draft is a tremendous accomplishment and something to celebrate. Now that you have the tools necessary to draft your project, enjoy this week-long journey.
Then transition from your writing focus to your editing focus and get back to it, knowing you are weeks if not months ahead of the average book writer. And once you’ve edited your book and are happy with every word, line, and page, it’s time to get your project out into the world!
