10d • General discussion
"Where do I start?"
Before you write a single chapter, you need to answer one question: what do I want my reader to be able to do, think, or feel differently at the end of this book that they can't, don't, or won't right now?
Get that answer right and the rest of the structure starts to fall into place. You're not trying to include everything you know. You're building a journey from where your reader is now to where you want them to be.
A business book that works usually does three things, in this order:
1. It meets the reader where they are. It names their problem or frustration. If your reader feels seen in the first chapter, they'll trust you for the rest of the book.
2. It shifts how they think. Before you can change what someone does, you usually have to change how they see the situation. This is the part most business books skip, and it's why some feel like a list of tips rather than a genuinely useful read.
3. It shows the reader what to do. Practical, actionable, and sequenced so it builds. Not everything you know, just what they need, in the right order.
If you're staring at a blank page wondering where to start, try this exercise.
Write three sentences, one for each stage:
Sentence 1: "My reader is currently struggling with / frustrated by / stuck at..."
Sentence 2: "By the middle of my book, I want them to understand / believe / see that..."
Sentence 3: "By the end, they will be able to..."
Don't overthink it. Write the first honest answers that come to you, even if they feel rough. You can refine them later.
Those three sentences are your book in miniature. They tell you where you're starting, where you're going, and what the journey looks like in between.
Every chapter you write should be moving your reader from sentence one to sentence three. If a chapter isn't doing that, it probably doesn't belong in the book.
Most people find this takes about ten minutes. What comes out is usually more useful than a chapter list they've been fussing over for weeks.
Drop a comment if you want to share what you came up with.
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"Where do I start?"
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