“What’s use in writing if I know no one will ever read my stories?’ He looked at me for some kind of comfort or wisdom; luckily I was ready with answers. I don’t know much, but I do know world is constantly changing, and I also know a bit about Internet.

“Well, you could quit altogether, become a door to door knife salesman, or if it’s really bad- hey, suicide’s an option! But seriously, you’ve been locked away in your room reading and writing for too long, things have changed brother.”

Johnny looked up from where he was holding his head in his hands. He snorted, “What’s answer then? Don’t tell me it’s your bloody Information Technology computer world; you guys think you’ve got all answers. You probably also have recipe for world’s best pizza, equation that solves riddle of space travel, a new gadget that regulates bowel movements, and ingredients necessary for a deodorant that makes chimpanzees smell like roses!”

Johnny’s face lit up with an intensity I hadn’t seen in ages, his cheeks went bright pink as his words sputtered out in rapid succession using last of his current breath. However, I stayed calm. Hey, these Tai Chi classes were obviously doing their job!

Before that can happen though, you’ll need a plan to get you underway.

MANAGING YOUR TIME TO SPEED THE PROCESS

The only time constraints are those of your own making. This is not a race and you are not competing with anyone else, so don’t rush.

Make out an action list for every day of your new adventure but don’t overload it.

Never start on tomorrow’s work today. Tomorrow will be time enough.

Take a break when hit a snag. Rest, go for a walk, watch a movie – and come back refreshed.

You will work best during your most creative time of day or week. We have already established that for some people, that is very early in morning; for others, late at night or over weekend. Try to discover when your creative moments occur and capitalize on them.

Don’t work when you’re tired or jaded. You run risk of turning out garbage and opening door to disillusion.

When you’re surfing Net for information, always be on lookout for items of relevance to your project. These could be in form of articles and reports. They are in public domain, so incorporate extracts if you feel they would enhance your content. If you need author consent, ask for it; permission will not be unreasonably withheld.

OPENING SEPARATE FILES FOR EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROJECT

You will have many matters to attend to (often simultaneously) in process of writing up your material, converting it into book format, and preparing your output for publication. Make job easier and cut down dramatically on your workload by creating separate computer files of every aspect of project; files you can refer to instantly.

oResearch findings oWorking notes oDraft copy oStructuring list of contents oAuthoring resources oPreface oBack cover blurb oGlossary oIndex oPublishing options oProposal for publication

Coordinate your activities this way right from start and production of current and future produce will look after itself. It will flow off assembly line like honey dripping from a spoon.

WHY THOSE WORKING NOTES ARE YOUR STOCK-IN-TRADE

Your various researches will have provided you with an ever-growing batch of working notes (stuff you have copied to a computer file or pulled down from web sites and printed out); notes that you should always have readily to hand when working on every aspect of overall project. These notes are stock-in-trade you will refer to frequently in fulfillment of your sundry assignments.

WHY GOOD AUTHORING RESOURCES ARE ESSENTIAL