Lock the promise

One reader

Describe one person who will read this book, in a paragraph: what they know, what they want, what keeps them up at night. Not “everyone interested in productivity”. One person you could picture opening the first page.

One question

What does the book answer for them? For non-fiction, a question (“How do I run a bike shop without burning out?”). For fiction, the dramatic question (“Will she get her daughter back?”). Write it in one sentence and stick it above your screen. Everything in the draft serves it or goes.

A rough ending

Know roughly where you are going: the conclusion you will argue, or the last scene. It will change, and that is fine. A draft without an ending in sight wanders; a draft with one has a direction.

Map it

List every chapter (or every scene) with one line each: what happens or what it argues. Twenty to forty lines. This is your compass for the month, so it is worth the three days.

Set the target

Choose the length and divide by the 25 writing days ahead. For 50,000 words, 2,000 a day. Pick the time of day you will write, every day, and protect it in your calendar now.

Done when

The reader is described, the question is in one sentence, the map is written, and your daily writing block is in the calendar.