What Should You Write Your Book About?
At the intersection of what thrills you and bores you is the best content for your book.
2024 is going to be the year you write your book! Only—you have too many ideas and not enough focus. So, what should you write your knowledge-share book about?
My two cents, as someone who’s guided dozens of authors through the non-fiction book writing and editing process: write about what THRILLS you and what BORES you.
WHAT THRILLS YOU: When you write about something you love, the quality of your composition is noticeably elevated. I used to see this in my students: when they wrote about iambic pentameter, their writing was flat and dull. When they wrote about their family or their favorite pastime, their passion for the subject was palpable and they typically wrote at a much higher quality. So, consider: what do you geek out about? What topics arrest your attention? What subjects have you ravenously educated yourself on? That’s a great place to start your book brainstorming. Choose to write about a subject you love, a subject you’ve gained expertise in as a result of your own natural enthusiasm. It will inspire your best writing and help sustain your motivation through the lengthy drafting period.
WHAT BORES YOU: Wait—what? Isn’t this a contradiction of what I just said? Actually, it’s the level you graduate to after building your expertise in the thrills-department. After interviewing dozens of authors as their ghostwriter, I’ve found that their best content is the information they know inside and out. It’s the framework they’ve taught over and over as a consultant; it’s the story they’ve shared in countless presentations; it’s the knowledge they can recite in their sleep. It’s SO deeply marinated that it’s honed, practiced, and nuanced. And that means it might also feel boring! But even if YOU feel ready to move onto another field of learning, that “boring content” is perfectly ripened to share with your readers, as a result of all your reflection.
What thrills you AND bores you? If it’s a brand new shiny thrill, but you haven’t sat with it long enough to get bored yet—chances are, that idea is not yet honed enough for your book. It might even be a distraction from the content that will be your best material. If a topic bores you and hasn’t EVER thrilled you, don’t punish yourself by trying to write a book about it. You’ll be miserable!
Shoot for the content that thrills you AND bores you—that’s the material that will help you write a book conveying the fullness of your passion and knowledge. And that’s what your readers need!
