Here’s a fun exercise to help you get started on your book. Exercise? Fun? I’m kidding right? No, I’m not—not in this article anyway. Next time I definitely will be, so watch out. For now, let’s have a look at a way of getting those creative juices flowing. Remember, we’ve all got to start somewhere.
You have only ten minutes. This makes sure that the exercise is enjoyable, so don’t go hard on yourself. Ready?
On a sheet of paper, or on your keyboard, make a list of possible chapter titles—anything that springs to mind. It doesn’t matter how many you come up with—just go for it. The titles don’t have to make sense, they may not even seem relevant. The idea is to simply make a list right off the top of your head. And, the more you think about it, the less useful it will be. Go on, have some fun and see what happens!
Done it?
How did you go?
You’ve allowed your unconscious and pre-conscious minds to do a whole lot of work. Now you can examine your list and flesh out the titles with a couple of sentences, then one or two paragraphs, and then maybe a page or two. And there you go, your first draft flowing into being.