Do you know what the hardest part of writing anything is? It’s not finding the time (although that is so hard). It’s not getting started, although, wow, that is a challenge.
It’s nailing your “core message”.
That was the challenge I issued to the authors at my Book Outline Bootcamp yesterday. “Write down the overarching message of your book as a single sentence.”
If you mention you are writing a book, people might ask you all the time – oh, what’s it about?
Which is when you might start stumbling over your words. It can be discouraging to hear yourself sound so uncertain. Apart from the fantastic feeling it is to nail your core message, there is a side benefit. By sharing your core message, you start piquing interest in your book.
The path to nailing your core message has several steps. Clarity about your reader, understanding their problems and desires, and then succinctly explaining the problem you solve and the promise you will deliver.
In a nutshell, your core message is your promise to your reader.
What I love about my Book Outline Bootcamp (part of my program, Brain to Book in 90 Days) is the opportunity for authors to get feedback as they write. My clients help each other to refine their ideas and their words. It really boosts everyone’s confidence to get that help (and to see that other aspiring authors can encounter challenges, too).
That meant each participant wrote their core message yesterday and went on to complete their book outlines.