1,000 Words Per Day Writing Challenge

Here’s How to Create A 30,000 Words E-book in a Month and Start Earning.

Practical steps to produce a manuscript with 1,000 words a day

Introduction

Do you want to write a book and see yourself as a published author one day? I know many people do. However, they are anxious and even afraid to write a book.

It looks like the metaphor of a pie in the sky for new writers. Writing a book is not a mystery and, indeed, not rocket science. There is a straightforward recipe for it.

The secret ingredients are commitment, habit-building, timing, measurement of progress, and rewarding yourself. Of course, you need to have something valuable to share with a broader audience.

As an editor of my publication, one of my roles is to assist writers in moving out of their comfort zone and creating valuable content in their stretch zone in a flow state. Many writers over the past year appreciated my approach and provided constructive feedback on it.

This is not a theoretical article. I have been there and done that.

Therefore, I want to provide practical, achievable, and solid advice with guiding actions.

There are also many experienced writers on Medium who have published hundreds of articles. They qualify for writing a book by converting their articles into book chapters. But they are hesitant and don’t know where to start. My aim is to guide these writers and repurpose their articles for creating books.

My aim is to make all contributing writers to my publications become published authors in this journey. Therefore, I created a specialized publication called ILLUMINATION Book Chapters. Many authors have already joined and shared several chapters from their published books.

I have a clear vision to help aspiring writers. I want every single writer to become a published author eventually. It may sound like an ambitious goal, but I am dedicated and here to help those interested and committed. However, you need to take personal responsibility in this volunteer-based contract. My role can be a facilitator and an orchestrator in this symphony.

ILLUMINATION Book Chapters have a clear roadmap for serving as a platform for aspiring writers to become published authors. It is designed to meet the specific requirements of published authors and aspiring writers. We created a collaborative community to support writers and readers. All levels of writers collaborate and cross-pollinate in this ecosystem.

While it is a publishing platform for accomplished authors, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters resembles a publishing gym for new writers to strengthen their writing and publishing muscles.

How To Create Book Chapters

From my experience, writing a chapter of around 1,000 words takes half an hour. With formatting and editing, the total time is an hour. Perhaps for new writers, this may require an effort of two hours in the beginning.

By investing a small number of hours, you can create a book and monetize it in several ways.

Let me show you how.

Specific steps for creating a book

1 — Create a mind-map of your book

First, you can start drafting the framework for your book.

The framework can include titles for each chapter. You can compile the titles and subtitles as the table of contents.

Here is a sample mind map for one of my books.

2 — Define and describe your book

To define your book, you can ask the following questions and write your answers in your draft introduction chapters.

What is my purpose for creating this book?

What will I achieve when the book is completed?

How will I feel when I complete the book?

What key messages do I want to convey to my readers?

Who is my audience?

How do the chapters relate?

How can I integrate these chapters?

How will writing this book support my transformation and expansion?

After answering these questions, you can write one paragraph about each chapter.

Here we go; your introduction chapter is ready.

Possibly you created 1,000 words by defining and describing your book idea.

Congratulations. Step one is achieved.

3 — Start your first chapter

Create a quick mind map for your first chapter.

Free-Mind is an excellent tool. You can also purchase a commercial one if you are into mind mapping. It is not just for writing. I use it for public speaking, scholarly work, and even for my technical design work.

You can use paper and a pen if you don’t like using digital tools. It is your choice. The goal is to create a visual representation of your book idea so that you involve multiple parts of your brain.

Here are the steps that will help you complete your first chapter.

Next, copy and paste your chapter definition from your introduction.

Create bullet points from your mind-map.

Try to create around five to ten key points.

Write 100 words for each point.

Format your chapter. Use Grammarly to proofread it.

Then self-edit your chapter. Use this checklist to ensure your chapter meets the required standards for publication.

Submit it as a draft to ILLUMINATION Book Chapters.

When you receive feedback, update your chapter.

Ensure you reply to those who comment on your chapter.

4 — Repeat the process for subsequent chapters

Start chapter two and repeat the process in all upcoming chapters.

You don’t have to wait until the next day for subsequent chapters.

Authors use different methods and tools. An effective way for me is to add all chapters to a Word document.

As I have new ideas, I just enter the idea into the relevant chapter.

This process speeds up creating more content in a shorter time. As you keep adding content, your book starts building itself. You see tangible results.

To keep the ball rolling, commit to submitting one chapter a day.

If you have time, you can do two chapters. But don’t stress yourself. Over-stressing can be counter-productive.

5 — Write in your productive times

Writing when you are in a low mood is not productive.

You need to find your high-mood times and focus on only one thing: completing a single chapter. Multi-tasking is not productive. Turn off your phone and other distractions.

In your low-energy times, you can still add bits and pieces to other chapters.

Here are some guidelines on how to manage your time and be more productive in your writing.

6 — Reward yourself

When you successfully complete and publish a chapter, reward yourself with your favorite food, drink, dress, makeup, spa, or whatever tickles your fancy.

When you reward yourself, the small spikes of dopamine can help you keep your motivation.

7 — Set a timer

Allocate 30 minutes for raw writing. Do not get tempted to research or edit your chapter. If a point requires research, just put a reminder it needs to be searched later.

I know it is tempting to edit and research, but it does not do much good from a productivity perspective.

Set another timer for the research activity, something around 20 minutes, depending on your needs. But ensure you set the timer; otherwise, your brain will take you to social media, news, and all the interesting but unproductive sites.

Self-discipline is essential, and the most effective way is to set a timer. Some people use the Pomodoro technique. But never overstress yourself. As the Pomodoro technique suggests, take a five-minute break after every 25 minutes.

I usually stretch or hop on a trampoline for five minutes and jump to uplifting music. Ensure that a five-minute break rejuvenates you and keeps you motivated to write.

8 — Self-editing with precision

The same approach applies to editing.

Set the timer for 30 minutes and carefully edit your chapters. You can use an online dictionary and thesaurus when you are editing.

When editing, ask yourself these questions:

Is this sentence conveying my message?

Is this sentence and paragraph clear enough for my audience to understand?

How can I make this sentence and the paragraph clearer?

Keep your paragraphs as short as possible. My style is to include only one idea. I know that readers get lost if we try to include more than one idea in a paragraph.

If the idea is extensive and complex, you can extend them into multiple paragraphs.

For self-editing, I read sentences backward. This technique is beneficial in detecting typos and other errors. As it is a novel approach, the brain gets more alert. It is a great technique to improve cognitive reserves as well.

Here is guidance for self-editing.

9 — Create a book cover

You can create a book cover using many free tools. The most popular one is Canva. I use Adobe Photoshop.

But if you have no design and computer skills, you can delegate this to a professional. I know that on some sites, people create a cover for $10. Some of my friends use Fiver to get their book covers designed.

10 — Write your final chapter earlier

From my experience, if you write your final chapter first, writing the other chapters can be much easier.

You can reverse-engineer your chapters.

11 — Publishing and Selling

This article only focuses on publishing your chapters as a manuscript in my publication, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters.

In a subsequent article, I will guide you on turning your manuscript into a published book and self-publish on various online platforms. I will also guide how to repurpose your content, market, and sell your books.

Here is guidance on selling your books.

12 — Become a prolific and popular writer.

Here is guidance on how to be a prolific writer based on my experience.

Here is how to write content guaranteed to get views and reads.

You might check out the attached story to increase the chance of writing viral content.

Conclusions

If you are passionate about writing stories, your next goal can be turning your stories into e-books.

If you can write hundreds of articles on Medium, you are qualified to write a book. Repurposing your content and writing a book requires creating a structure and logically linking and integrating your stories supporting a central idea elaborated with multiple sub-ideas.

The size of a book is usually demotivating factor for writers to attempt to write a book. Patience, self-discipline, and an iterative and pragmatic approach without falling into the trap of being a perfectionist can help you complete your book in the planned time.

If you join my 100-day writing challenge and produce daily, within the next three months, you may create three manuscripts that can be transformed into great books in the near future.

100-Day Challenge For New Writers

This challenge is an opportunity for you to get started. I will help you on this journey; contact me on our Slack workspace. And many writers and readers can help too. You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Say goodbye to your comfort zone and shine.

We also have a publication specializing in the needs and concerns of freelance writers. It is called SYNERGY. Join this publication and collaborate with many fellow writers who can give you useful insights into your writing, publishing, and content marketing journey.

Here is guidance on tripling your income. I provided the details in the attached story.

For inspiration, you can check many authors who submitted remarkable chapters to ILLUMINATION-Book Chapters on Medium.

Sample Curated Collections for New Readers

You might find links to recently featured stories by the ILLUMINATION Amplifier.

Hand-Picked Articles #172, Hand-Picked Articles #173, Hand-Picked Articles #174, Hand-Picked Articles #175, Hand-Picked Articles #176, Hand-Picked Articles #177, Hand-Picked Articles #178, Hand-Picked Articles #179, Hand-Picked Articles #180, Hand-Picked Articles #181, Hand-Picked Articles #182, Hand-Picked Articles #183, Hand-Picked Articles #184, Hand-Picked Articles #185, Hand-Picked Articles #186, Hand-Picked Articles #187, Hand-Picked Articles #188, Hand-Picked Articles #189, Hand-Picked Articles #190, Hand-Picked Articles #191, Hand-Picked Articles #192, Hand-Picked Articles #193, Hand-Picked Articles #194, Hand-Picked Articles #199

Here are the last five curated collections from ILLUMINATION main.

Curated Collection #132, Curated Collection #131, Curated Collection #130, Curated Collection #129, Curated Collection #128, Curated Collection #133

Here are the recent collections from ILLUMINATION-Curator.

ILLUMINATION Reading Club, Curated Book Chapters of Illumination #01, Outstanding Stories — Volume 86, Outstanding Stories — Volume 87, Outstanding Stories — Volume 88, Outstanding Stories — Volume 89, Outstanding Stories — Volume 90, Outstanding Stories — Volume 91.

Helpful Guides for Contributors

Onboarding Pack for New Writers

New writers, please read this pack before submitting your stories.

Guiding Posts on our Publications

Publication-related stories can be accessed via this collection.

Meet Editors of Our Publications

Collection of Editor Bios

Introducing Writers Bios

Curated Writer Bios

You might find the links to our publications in the following list.

ILLUMINATION ILLUMINATION-Curated ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR ILLUMINATION Book Chapters Technology Hits SYNERGY Readers Hope Illumination on YouTube Illumination Gaming ILLUMINATION’s Blog

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life. If you enjoyed this story, you might check my 12 Bullet Proof Life Hacks That Helped Me Thrive.

Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers

Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, and acetylcholine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

I aim to educate, create awareness, and empower my readers to take control of their health and well-being.

To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.

Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.

Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.

As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.

Sample Humorous Stories

Apparently, I Was a Dog in a Previous Life

Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment

Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling

Amygdala Hijacks: A Humorous Approach to Emotional Mastery

My First Humorous Lecture to Science Students in the 1990s

7 Hilarious Reasons Why Your Vitality Plays Hide-and-Seek

8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite

5 Funny Yet Real Reasons We Accumulate Visceral Fat

The Quirky Side Effects of Keto Diets

Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.

I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.

If you enjoy writing and storytelling, you can join Medium, NewsBreak, and Vocal as a creator to find your voice, reach out to a broad audience, and monetize your content.

You may also check my blog posts about my articles and articles of other writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I share them on my website digitalmehmet.com. Here is my professional bio. You can contact me via weblink.

You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 24K+ writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background.