avatarEllie Jacobson

Summary

The author is preparing to embark on a Blog-Your-Own-Book (BYOB) challenge, with a structured plan to write and publish a nonfiction book over four months, culminating in self-publishing on Amazon.

Abstract

The author is gearing up for the Blog-Your-Own-Book (BYOB) challenge, inspired by Shaunta Grimes, which involves writing a book through daily blog posts throughout August and editing in September. The plan is to brainstorm and draft posts in July, publish daily in August, edit the collection into a cohesive book in September, and design the cover and layout in October. The author, who has previously participated in David Majister's 30-day Medium challenge, aims to transform scattered writing ideas into a tangible book, leveraging the support of the writing community and the structure of the challenge to overcome self-doubt and procrastination.

Opinions

  • The author acknowledges the potential craziness of undertaking another writing challenge while still engaged in a 30-day Medium challenge but is enthusiastic about the new project.
  • They express a preference for handwriting ideas during the brainstorming phase, finding it less inhibiting than typing, despite not liking their handwriting.
  • The author values the importance of planning and organization, intending to use Scrivener to keep the project on track.
  • They are committed to writing a minimum of 15 posts in July to stay ahead for the August publishing phase.
  • The author plans to publish the daily posts on Medium and is considering setting up a dedicated publication for them.
  • They anticipate the editing phase in September to be crucial for ensuring the posts transition smoothly into book format, aiming for multiple rounds of edits with breaks in between for perspective.
  • The author admits to being a novice in self-publishing and intends to seek guidance from experienced writers like Shaunta Grimes for the design phase in October.
  • The motivation behind this challenge is to move from thinking and dreaming about writing to actively pursuing and achieving writing goals.
  • The author quotes Sylvia Plath to emphasize the importance of overcoming self-doubt in creativity and expresses a desire to connect with and support other writers participating in the challenge.

Blogging My Way to a Book

My plan to make this writing challenge work

Photo by Bich Tran from Pexels

I’m a sucker for a good writing challenge. Or I’m just a sucker. You decide. I remember reading about The Blog-Your-Own-Book (BYOB) challenge from Shaunta Grimes last year. I wasn’t ready to do such a thing a year ago. I did a happy dance when I read she was hosting the challenge again this year.

Am I crazy? Yes, for writing that is. I’m in the middle of week two of David Majister 30-day challenge but thinking about another challenge. Is that challenge cheating?

I brainstormed through some ideas and have settled into one that I’m excited about writing. But before I leap into another writing project, I need a plan in place.

My Plan

I need a game plan, otherwise I will go off the rails. Seriously, it’s not a pretty picture. The challenge kicks off on July 1st. There are four parts, broken up from July through October which I feel is a doable project schedule.

July: Planning

In July, I’ll continue to brainstorm my project idea. I have already decided I will write a nonfiction book that I will self publish on Amazon when I’m done. In this challenge, you will publish one post per day in August. In July, I will start drafting these posts, so I can get a head start. I don’t want to write them all in August. No, thank you!

When I brainstorm, I free write ideas in my notebook. I hate my handwriting and am a faster typist, but I enjoy handwriting ideas. I don’t edit myself as much. Then use Scrivener to organize my projects. My goal is to write a minimum of 15 posts in July so I’m ahead of the game in August.

August: Publish Daily

The goal of this challenge is to publish 31 articles in 31 days during August. Again you can write them ahead of time, which is what I suggest. You can publish your posts anywhere, on your personal blog, here on Medium, or on social media. I will publish them on Medium. I think I may set up a publication for these posts. I will aim to write 500 words for each post, give or take.

September: Edit

This will be the time to look at the project as a book, not individual posts. How will I arrange the book? Do I need to write additional posts or fill in between posts to bring the project together? I don’t want the book to feel like I simply copy/pasted a bunch of posts together. I will smooth out the edges so the articles flow together to create the first draft. My goal will be to edit several times during September. I like to leave some time in between writing and editing. Give myself (and the words) time to breathe.

October: Design

This part I know very little about since I’ve never self-published on Amazon before. I will need to design the cover and set up the book layout. I will turn to the expertise of Shaunta Grimes and other writers here on Medium about that part.

My Why

I’m tired of thinking about my writing ideas and dreams. “One day, I will . . .” thoughts. I’m ready to do. I have notebooks and virtual files of ideas. They need to live. I need to write them. On June 21, 2020, I wrote in my journal, “I need to focus on my goals. I want to be a writer. I know I can do it. I need to work hard on this.” So here I am.

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Sylvia Plath

I’m excited about participating in this challenge. It feels a tad less scary when I know other writers are doing the same. If you’re joining this challenge, leave a comment! I want to support other writers in any way I can.

Let’s connect! You can find me on Twitter, Instagram and of course here on Medium.

Writing
Creativity
Books
Nonfiction
Byob
Recommended from ReadMedium
avatarEllen "Jelly" McRae
I Self-Published My Book. Two Days Later, I’m Full Of Regret.

Here’s everything I wish I’d done differently in the publishing and book-writing process.

12 min read
avatarDerek Hughes
How I Got Paid To Write (With Only 9 Month’s Experience)

3 tips anyone can use to earn money writing

4 min read
avatarJanice Harayda
What Nobody Tells You About Breast Cancer

Anne Boyer lays bare the brutal realities in a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about her life with the disease

7 min read
avatarPostingDad
I Can’t Do This Any More

Photo by Jacqueline Day on Unsplash

12 min read
avatarFelicia C. Sullivan
How To Write — Even When You’re Not Writing

A deep-dive into my process with examples

17 min read
avatarJeffery Smith
The Impact of Remote Work on My Children

My son said something that was a little alarming and troubling which has led me to deep thinking about the impact of remote work. My son…

4 min read