For the last two decades, I have used a powerful process to outline my book manuscripts, presentations, courses and articles. The Storyboard Method was originally developed at Walt Disney Studios in the 1930’s to organize images and create storylines for movies.
The process has since evolved and continues to be utilized by all kinds of writers and creatives. The Storyboard Method is an efficient way to help you get your ideas out of your head and onto paper so you can get organized and start writing your book.
Step One: Use the Storyboard Method to Outline Your Nonfiction Book Manuscript
To use the Storyboard Method, take a stack of 3×5 cards or sticky notes and capture all your content ideas on individual notes. Content ideas for a nonfiction manuscript may include:
- Narrative stories you plan to tell, each listed on its own notecard
- Key points you want to make (prescriptive nonfiction)
- Real-world examples
- Hypothetical examples
- Case studies
- Statistics you want to cite
- Lessons learned
- People you want to interview
- Excerpts or quotations you want to share
- Exercises for the reader to complete, if applicable
- Articles, blog posts, reports or podcast episodes you want to repurpose into book content
If you’re like me and you jot down notes and ideas in a variety of places (I have them on my phone, on scraps of paper on my desk, and in documents on my computer!), then you will need to round those up and transfer your ideas to individual cards. This process may take you several days or a week or more, depending on how you feel about the amount of content you have for your project.
Step Two: Organize Your Notecards or Sticky Notes
Once you feel you’ve captured at least 85% of your content ideas, the next step is to organize the individual notes. I do this by spreading them out on my living room floor. The goal here is to start developing your chapters by putting the notes in a logical order.
Create chapter headings on cards to develop columns, such as chapters 1 through 10, and place those side by side. Next, begin placing each of your notes under a chapter heading, moving and organizing them as you go to create a logical flow and order for your information.
By the time you have placed all your notes, you should have a solid visual representation of your book outline.
Step Three: Modify Notes Until Complete
Once your notes are organized into chapter columns, you will likely notice that some chapters are too short and need to be bulked up, while others are too long and need to be separated into other chapters. Move the cards around and adjust as needed until your chapters look balanced. Ideally, your chapters should be roughly the same length throughout.
If you find you need to expand content for any chapters that look light, you could add more case studies, statistics, interviews, narrative stories, etc.
Step 4: Transfer Your Notes to an Outline
Once all your note cards are in order and your chapters look balanced and complete, transfer those notes into a document that will become your book outline. An outline becomes your compass for writing your manuscript, helping you navigate through the writing process. But outlines aren’t permanent. Your outline will likely evolve and change as you write your manuscript.
I like to print out my outline and keep it in front of me while I write. Then I can tick off topics as I complete them, make notes about changes or additions I want to make, and draw arrows to move content around. If I make a lot of adjustments or notes, I update the original outline and print out a fresh version.
Step 5: Start Writing Your Nonfiction Book Manuscript
Working from an outline can make your writing process easier because the basic structure is determined. Some writers start at chapter one and work through each chapter sequentially, but this isn’t a hard requirement. If you feel compelled to work on chapter 8 one day, chapter 2 the next, and chapter 10 next week, that is perfectly fine. The goal is to find your flow and be as productive as possible.
Step 6: Get Your Manuscript Across the Finish Line
Writing an entire book manuscript can sound like a herculean task, but when you break it down into bite sized pieces, you might be surprised by how much progress you can make.
Consider this: Three typed pages equals about 1,000 words. If you set a goal to write three pages just three times each week, you would achieve 36,000 words in twelve weeks.
If you bumped that goal up to writing three typed pages five times each week, you would achieve 60,000 words in just twelve weeks.
You can do this!
Like this article? You will love our course:
Write Your Nonfiction Book Manuscript in 90 Days
This popular course is offered live on Zoom twice each year through the Nonfiction Authors Association. You will learn how to:
=> Follow step-by-step processes to identify your writing goals and get clear about your target audience(s).
=> Craft a working title and write a compelling book description.
=> Create a detailed outline of your manuscript.
=> Make your book stand out in any crowded genre.
=> Set realistic weekly writing goals and use proven techniques to make the writing process easier.
During live meetings, we have gentle accountability check-ins (no pressure!). We also address questions, brainstorm solutions, and discuss the topic of the week. This is a judgement-free zone! Whether you reach your weekly goals or not, you will receive the support you need.
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Learn more about the course: Write Your Nonfiction Book Manuscript in 90 Days.
