How to Write a Nonfiction Book

  1. Procrastinate by proofreading a friend’s novel because you are all about giving back to the writing community.
  2. Play some video games.
  3. Open up all the notes and outlines. Despair. I thought I had better notes. This isn’t an outline; it’s a list of facts. I’m supposed to make a story out of this? Shit shit shit.
  4. Strap on headphones and dig into writing anyway, though the draft is beyond terrible. It is embarrassing.
  5. Come up for air an hour and a half later when the dog nudges you for the afternoon walk and dinner. Guess the writing started going well at some point.
  6. Walk and feed the dog, feed the cats and the rat, and grab an apple for yourself. Writing needs fuel!
  7. Finish up a not-so-bad 2000-word draft of chapter 3 that includes two racing crashes from the early 1900s and an all-caps New York Times headline (“VICTIMS TOSSED IN THE AIR”).
  8. Achievement unlocked: not cooking dinner and dibs on the beer in the fridge.