How to Write a Book Chapter
I’m working on a book project right now. I will have more information about it when I officially sign the contract. I typically don’t start writing until I’ve signed, but this is a unique and compressed timeline so I’m working on it now, which is why my newsletters have been less consistent.
I thought I’d write about how I go about doing this. This will be my eleventh book. Rather than telling you how I write the whole thing, I’ll tell you how I approach each chapter. The way to complete a big project is to break it down into smaller projects. Staring down the barrel of ten or twelve chapters can be intimidating, even if you’ve done it before. But writing a chapter doesn’t seem so bad.
And I go even further than that. To make a chapter less intimidating, I write it in sections. I’m an outline guy. I hated when my teachers made me do these, over and over again, in school but man did it pay off. I’ve been using outlines for my writing as long as I’ve been writing. Sometimes they are just doodled on a napkin as the idea is forming in my head during church. At other times I had to sit down an
First, at the proposal level, you should outline your chapters. This tells if your idea is even book-worthy. If you can’t think of at least ten substantive chapters, you are probably dealing with an essay and not a book. That’s okay. Some essays will be more widely read than books.
But assuming you have a book and you have chapter titles and you stop cleaning your desk and calling your moms and catching up on those documentaries and get yourself into your seat to start writing, it helps to write in manageable sections. Right now I’m working on a chapter on the Apostle Peter. First part was his early life and calling. The second part is some of the highlights of his life during Jesus’ earthly ministry, the third part is the Passion/denial narrative and the last part is Peter’s renewed calling and his leadership in the early church. I can take each one of these and commit to finishing it in these manageable chunks.
The benefit of arranging a chapter like this is two-fold: it gives you a section of writing you can get done in a short burst to feel productive and it helps the reader follow along as you move through your chapter.
A few other tips: I rarely finish a chapter in a single setting. I gave myself permission to do that several books ago and it’s so freeing. I also start counting study time as writing. Reading is writing. Just this last weekend, I was a little frustrated about not getting much on paper. But then I quickly realized that the studying, the reading, the absorbing of information is part of the writing process. At some point you do have to cut off the information flow and write and there is a sense in which if you are not careful your writing is just footnotes and block quotes and is absent your personality. So you have to balance this. But for the most part, don’t guilt yourself for hours spent reading. Lastly, I often start a new days’ work in a book by editing a prior section. I’ve found that editing my roughest work stretches the writing muscles and draws me back into a creative mindset.
I don’t know if this look at how I write helps you. Writing a book is a much different beast than any other writing. When I write articles, I can typically finish them quickly and in one setting. But book chapters are harder. So I have to kind of push myself.
Oh and one more thing: when I’m writing a book I always, always have these voices in my head, at least early on, when I begin a draft. These voices tell me that the book I’m writing is dumb, that I’m unqualified, that it won’t sell. I have to steel myself with the reality of what is true: A publisher is commissioning me to write on this topic during this time with my own unique, God-given voice. Even as I’m writing my eleventh book I’m still battling these thoughts. You’ve got to push through them.
Interesting Links
Are you watching “The Last Dance” on ESPN every Sunday night like I am? As a child of Chicago, who lived immersed in the culture of the Chicago Bulls dynasty, it’s appointment television. Here’s a good profile of one of my favorite (and underrated) players from that time, Toni Kukoc.
How’s the US doing in fighting the coronavirus? You might be surprised to know we are doing surprisingly well compared to most other countries. Ramesh Ponnuru has a good analysis of where we’ve done well and where we’ve failed.
I’ve been reading Peggy Noonan for all of my adult life. Her columns, in times of crisis, are almost always pitch perfect. And here she doesn’t disappoint, when asking “What Comes After the Coronavirus Storm?”
What will our cities look like after the pandemic? A fascinating look here from Derek Thompson in The Atlantic on how this could reshape our urban landscapes.
What I’m Reading
Almost finished with Tom Holland’s book, Dominion, which I highly recommend. What I love about it is the way he works surgically through history to demonstrate how Christianity has influenced the world in ways you expected and in many ways you might not have expected.
I’m also reading The Leadership Formula by Juan Sanchez, a pastor in Austin. Juan is a good friend whose ministry I’ve admired.
Personal Projects
I’ve been working with BH toward the release of my book, A Way With Words in August. I’m also working right now on another book project. I’ll have more details once I sign the contract.
This Week on The Way Home Podcast
Derwin Gray joins me to talk about how he is shepherding his church through this difficult time, as well as his new book The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches about Finding True Happiness. He is the founding and lead Pastor of Transformation Church (TC) in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
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