Instructions:

Save As your document name. All instructions are between double lines. Once you write your document, simply delete the instructions and the double lines and keep what you type in below each step. You will have a completed book ready for editing!

Your Topic: __________

Two Parts:

1. Your Story

2. Help Your Reader (Tips and Advice – more important)

Your Audience (Who will benefit from what you have to say?): __________

STEP 1: THE FIRST LINE

Suggestions: Getting the news, Telling someone else, The moment that it actually hit you

Just write a line that:

1. Makes the conflict clear

2. Is true (or at least how you remember it)

3. Will get the attention of readers

STEP 2: THE REACTION TO THE FIRST LINE

Next line in a conversation, an action, or a thought that reacts to the first line. Don’t tell the whole story – just finish the thought of the first line.

STEP 3: YOUR HAPPY PLACE

Describe a happier time before the conflict arose.

It’s easier to start with some indication of the date: either an actual date, a general time period, or a time frame relative to the first line of the story (When I was a kid, Back in the early 90s, Three years earlier, etc.).

Describe the happier time, moment, or event. Carry on the story (or skip ahead) until RIGHT BEFORE the first line took place.

STEP 4: THE CONFLICT INCLUDING YOUR REACTION

This is where you pick up the story from what you’ve written in Step 3.

In this section, you tell the story of your conflict. Tell readers what happened from your point of view. You should also include your initial reaction – what you did, said, and thought.

This part of the story should end right BEFORE you take some course of action to resolve the conflict.

STEP 5: THE COURSE OF ACTION YOU TOOK

In this section, you talk about the course of action you took to deal with your conflict.

If there was a plan, talk about how you came up with that plan. If you were too impatient for a plan, talk about why you felt the need to just take the first step without more of a plan.

Then go through the steps of the action that are relevant to your topic. You should talk about why you did what you did and how people reacted or how effective the steps were.

Note: Don’t review your course of action yet. We are going to save your reflection, regrets, etc. for the tips section.

STEP 6: “WHERE ARE THEY NOW” UPDATE

In this section, you should give a sort of epilogue to your story where you skip ahead to present day. Be sure to include:

• An indication of the date (exact date, Ten years later, etc.)

• Briefly tell the ongoing outcome of your story including updates of other people involved in your story.

• Describe how the experience has changed you (if it has).

• Preview the next section by admitting to struggle and/or mistakes but taking credit for getting through it and how much you learned (which you are about to share).

STEP 7: TIPS AND ADVICE SECTION OF THE BOOK

Use questions to make a list of tips and advice based on your experience:

• What could your readers do to better prepare for the entire experience and/or different steps of the experience? What specifically could they do or plan ahead of time?

• What one thing did you do or say that gave you the most satisfaction in your experience?

• What was the most intimidating part of your experience? Did it turn out to be as bad as you thought? How can you help readers be less intimidated or somehow better cope with that part?

• What do you regret doing or saying the most? What led to it and how can you help other people not make the same mistake?

• What did you find to be the most overwhelming? What did you do/could you have done to help you with that?

• Is there something that happened that seemed to ruin everything at the time? Is there anything you could have done to prevent it? Can you warn your readers that it could potentially happen and possibly help them prevent it?

• Were there any signs/symptoms that things weren’t going well (that your readers should watch for)?

• Were there physical challenges that you encountered in your experience? Could you have prepared for them? Did you find any ways to help deal with them?

• What one trick/tip/method seemed to work/get good results every single time?

• Did you/should you have asked someone else for help at any point? What tips can you give your audience (on specific things where people can help the, who could possibly help them, what they should tell the people who could help them, what parts you think they should definitely do for themselves, etc)?

• What tricks/shortcuts did you figure out to save yourself time or effort?

• What took the longest to get used to?

• What was one of the easiest actions you took?

• What part of your experience took the longest amount of time? Did you figure out any ways to make go faster? Could any part of it be done ahead of time?

• Were there any parts of your experience that you made more difficult than they needed to be? How can you help your readers simplify?

• What specific things were the most confusing? Did you ever figure them out? Did you have to actually do some task before you were able to really grasp it? Can you explain them to your readers in a simpler way? Can you give them some resource that helped you finally understand it?

• What were the most emotional parts of your experience (good and bad)? Is there anything you can say to your readers to prepare them for those moments, help give them some perspective, or otherwise make them feel better?

• What’s often-repeated task was the most annoying? Did you come up with any ways to make it less annoying?

• Was there something you were dreading that actually ended up being fun?

• Did you avoid others/lie to others/keep things from others out of embarrassment or to protect them? Did it end up being a good idea? What advice would you give readers on that subject?

• What mistakes did you make in each step of the process? How can you help your readers avoid those mistakes?

• Are there some parts of your experience that were really similar to some other (maybe more common) experience that would make it easier to understand, plan, or do?

• What are some really unique/rare problems that you encountered, and how did you deal with those problems?

• Can you tell your readers how long specific parts of your experience took so they can have an idea of what to expect? Is there anything they can do to change that time frame?

• Did you meet/talk to other people who were also going through your situation? Is there anything you can tell your readers about what other people did/advised/taught?

• Was there a time when you went against the advice of someone else (or something you read somewhere)? Did it end up being a good or bad thing? Can you tell your readers about that piece of advice? Maybe if this happened, you have something to say about advice from others in general?

• Did people judge you or say mean things to you during your experience? Can you tell your readers what happened, how it made you feel, and what you’d recommend if it happens to them, too?

• Is there something that you wish someone else had told you that would have made some part of your experience much easier/faster/better?

• Are there things that you often forgot? Would it be good for your readers to remind themselves of specific things with email reminders, calendars, or notes?

After you come up with your tips, go over them and figure out how to sort them into good categories (convenient/relevant for the readers)?

STEP 8: CONCLUSION WITH OPTIONAL RESOURCES

In this section, you can give a brief, encouraging conclusion where you can include optional links to your website where the readers can find additional resources.

Resource ideas:

• Tips cheat sheet

• Troubleshooting cheat sheet

• Depending on topic: Printable calendar plan, recipes (or recipe newsletter), “in case of emergency” printable plan