Okay, you've got your idea, you've narrowed it down (or fleshed it out, depending on how long or short you plan for the finished product to be) you've decided on a tentative title and you simply know you are the best person (the authority) to write this book. Now what?
Over the course of your career, you have likely gathered a lot of information on your subject, researched it, lived it, but now when you are looking at the stacks of research and reference material before you, it's overwhelming. You know you need to "begin at the beginning." Where is the beginning? It's not at the beginning of your life, or even the beginning of your career in the subject area. It's where you want your reader to begin his or her journey with you. Why should they pick up your book and stick with it until the end? Give them a reason. "Hook" them from page one. Is there an "A-HA" moment that your reader can relate to? Find that and start there.
While the process is different for every writer, many find it helpful to gather research materials, separate it into chapter piles, or set up a three-ring binder system and sort materials by chapters in a binder. If Chapter 1 looks like it will be too long or covers too many topics, shave it down and slide some of the material into Chapter 2. Conversely, if one chapter looks too short, do a bit more research to flesh it out a bit.
Go back to your high school days and write an outline. What is the major topic for each chapt
er? What are the subtopics you will cover under that major topic? You don't have to use the standard Roman Numeral I, subtopic A, B, C, etc. but you get the picture.
Getting started actually begins before you type the words Chapter 1 on a blank piece of paper.
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