Question: As a writer I deeply admire, I’d love it if you could share your steps into writing a book with me. I’m thinking about writing one (or several, haha), but I have no idea how to start. It’s kind of intimidating. Thanks in advance, and God bless you. ~ L.C.

Answer: Thank you for that encouragement and for reading my books! I feel so blessed to make a living as a writer. don’t follow a single mechanical writing process, but here’s what I generally do.

1. Write about something you’re passionate about. It may be a topic you know well or want to know better. Writing is part of how I think through a question or problem. I can think more clearly if I put my thoughts down on paper, writing to discover the answer to my burning question. And I have a lot of questions! To me, the Christian faith is still so new and fresh. I am in constant wonder at the depths of God’s Word. There is so much more to learn and so many truths to put into practice. Most importantly, I want to know Jesus more deeply. I hope my passion translates into my writing.

2. Come up with a title. I start dreaming about a book by coming up with dozens of titles. I make list after list, highlighting the titles I like and crossing out the ones I don’t. Coming up with the title helps me think through the book’s big idea.

3. Make a list of potential chapters. Imagine what topics you would need to cover. Give each chapter a title that summarizes what you want to cover. Put yourself in the shoes of someone approaching the subject for the first time and ask what you need to cover first, then last, and all the steps in between.

4. Create a seven-point outline for each chapter. Count on every chapter having an Introduction and a Conclusion. That’s two points right there. Then, put down five more that explore the big idea logically. Write each point as a subheading summarizing what you want to say in that section. You can add more subheadings later but start with five.

5. Research, research, research. Study the subject you want to write about. Avoid shallow thinking, straw men, and mischaracterizations. I can usually tell when an author hasn’t thought through his subject or is writing something shallow because he’s publishing for the choir. Those kinds of books make me feel like I am wasting my time. Aim to do right by the truth. Of course, not everything you research has to make it into the book. You can both know a subject well and write simply and concisely about it. If you get a case of writer’s block, deeper research can inspire you to break through. Add chapters to the book or take some away as you learn about the topic.

6. Write daily. Even if you can only sit down for five minutes, write. Every sentence you put on paper gets you closer to finishing your book. And usually, if you can make time for five minutes, it will turn into ten or twenty.

7. Edit mercilessly. I love this part. To me, writing is mostly rewriting. I have a copy of Ayn Rand’s Anthem that reproduces her corrections to the original manuscript. I love seeing how she blacked out words, phrases, sentences, and whole paragraphs! It’s very satisfying. I think of writing in terms of sculpting in clay. You throw chunks of clay on the armature and build up your desired basic shape. Then, you start scraping, cutting, and refining. You keep adding chunks here and there and scraping and smoothing over until you have what looks like a head. Then you refine, refine, refine. Writing is the same way. I probably re-write every chapter a dozen times or more.

8. Read your work out loud. Reading out loud and listening to how your sentences sound can help you catch their rhythm and cadence better than reading alone. It will help you recognize when a sentence is flowing and if it’s awkward.

9. Devour good English stylists. Great writers can inspire you to write better. I always do better if I’m “competing” against someone better than me. I like to read C. S. Lewis, David Bentley Hart, Raymond Chandler, William Carlos Williams, Roddy Doyle, and P. G. Wodehouse (among others) to set a very high benchmark for excellence in writing. I’m nowhere near their level, but it’s fun to try.

10. Pray to be useful to the Body of Christ. I didn’t take up writing until it was for ministry. Jesus died to save me. He gave me salvation as a free gift. It is hard to express how grateful I am for that. While I can never pay Him back, I can serve Him and His people through the written word, sharing the good news with believers and unbelievers. Knowing that I am building up His body is very fulfilling, motivating, and keeps a fire in my fingertips.

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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

Read his latest book, The Five Points of Free Grace for free, buy it from us, or from Amazon.