Introduction
  • Welcome!
  • What You'll Learn
Understanding Your Motivation
  • Why do you want to write this book?
  • What is the emotion you want to capture?
  • What is the message you want to send?
Getting Inspired to Write
  • Who inspires you?
  • What fascinates you?
  • What places inspire you to write?
How to Brainstorm for Results!
  • The Best Avenue to Your Brain: Scribbling, Notes, & Doodles
  • Unleash the Power of Free Association with Mindmapping
  • Coffee! The Writer's Ally
Some Great & Some Little Known Brainstorming and Research Tools
  • Collecting Thoughts and Research Using Evernote
  • Similar to but also Different than Evernote: Microsoft's own One Note
  • Zotero: For Academic Research and Citations -- but also for fun
  • Other Note-taking Software
  • Paper Options (notebooks, note cards, etc.)
Understanding Story Structure
  • Outlining: Pros and Cons
  • Outlining Your Novel: Recommended Reading
  • Using Timelines and Calendars
  • The Hero's Journey
  • Recommended Reading for the Hero's Journey
  • The 3-Act Structure
  • Goals and Obstacles: The Quest
  • The Rising Storyline
  • Story Structure
Main Characters
  • Your Protagonist(s)
  • Your Antagonist(s)
Secondary (but Essential) Characters
  • The Mentor
  • The Sidekick
  • Creating Characters: Recommended Reading
  • Know Your Characters
Wrapping it Up
  • Conclusion