Much of the content I create is non-fiction, so I've had plenty of chances to experiment with various writing processes. If you know a subject well, but struggle with the blank page, the following technique might work for you.
I used this technique while creating content for a website I own called
www.E-BookMarketingSecrets.com. I wanted to build a substantial piece of free content to entice visitors to sign-up for an email list. The result is a video called "The 7 Secrets of Profitable E-Books".
This is leading to a print product, so hang with me. (It's currently in e-book format - but it could easily be adapted into a print book. In fact, I printed it up in booklet form while I was editing the content.)
The video was created by building a PowerPoint style presentation (technically, I used the Google Docs tools to make it.) The presentation was based on an outline I created using the FreeMind mind mapping tool to brainstorm the topic.
Once the slideshow presentation was completed, I hooked up a headset mike and used a screen recording program called Camtasia to capture the slides and my voice as I talked through the material. The end result was a video that clocked-in around 45 minutes long.
The video is a great asset and I used it on the website. But, I wanted to get more benefit from the content. So, I saved the audio as an MP3 file and went to elance.com and posted a job for a transcription of the audio. Eventually, I selected a $50 bid from a woman with a good track record for transcription (friends tell me I can get an equivalent result for about $30 over at odesk.com).
When the transcript came back, I loaded it into Open Office and formatted it. Then, I started working on editing the text. I tended to repeat myself here and there, so I cut some of that. Other sections needed tweaking for clarity. But, overall, it was much easier to revise than to start from scratch.
The edited text came out to 43 pages in e-book format.
I added a download of the e-book to the page on the website where the video is displayed. Now, visitors who prefer text can access the content through the e-book.
It took me less than 8 hours to create the slideshow and record the video. The transcript took a couple days and then I spent another day doing the revisions and formatting.
Using a similar approach, you could easily create a 120 page book on a familiar subject in a week or two.
Andrew
