It happened just like that. Really.
I didn’t even have an outline. Not even a tentative heading. I had no idea that I should write an ebook on this topic. Yet, I wrote one, from scratch. Here is the story:
It happened that I had to go to a place for one whole week where there will be no internet, whatsoever. Usually when I have to go offline for a bunch of days, I do the following:
1. I schedule posts for these days so that things are up and running while I am away.
2. I brainstorm a week earlier to get a handful of topics to write on while I am away.
3. I carry with me some material (ebooks etc.) for reading to train me and keep my blogging motivation up.
This time I did 1 and 3 but not 2. I just couldn’t get the time.
For the first two days of my ‘away’ time, I was reading one of the ebooks I carried with me. Somehow deep inside me, something was pricking- ‘I am not writing’. I tried to brainstorm for ideas, but the mood didn’t set up.
The third day I felt really bad about not writing for 2 consecutive days, so I picked up a very old project and started writing on. It is an ebook on ‘Relationships’ which I am planning for the long term. I have the outline for the book and a couple of chapters already written. So I just started working on a new chapter.
But as I was writing, a pop up was distracting me too much so that I could not concentrate on my writing. Wait, it was not a pop up on my browser (remember I am offline) but it was in my mind.
I neglected the distraction about 4 to 5 times, but it kept on coming back. I then said to myself ‘Okay let me hear it’. Now it was not a distraction but a little idea. I usually never leave ideas out; I opened a word document and started typing out what my mind was saying. It was just crazy notes- nothing in a sentence and nothing in concise form.
I saved it and went for dinner.
When I came back after dinner and looked into it, I was delighted. The idea was so cool.
And, what I have typed turned out to be an outline for a good ebook. I wasn’t planning anything in this direction at all.
I just started to expand on my outline and the ideas and in 4 days, my ebook is almost complete. I say ‘almost’ because I had the following tasks left to finalize it:
1. Adding links
2. Final proof reading
3. Things to add to the Bonus Resources chapter
Apart from these, the ebook was complete. I just couldn’t believe myself and I have never written an ebook so quickly (imagine in just 4 days) and without any prior plan or outline.
What made me write this? How I suddenly became so productive?
I was asking these questions to myself many times as I came back to work. I wanted to find out the answers to these questions because I could use any tips for future and I could also help you, my readers, with those tips to get more done.
