Repurposing

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an author of a book, but you can't see yourself ever finding the time to make it happen? If so, you are exactly like the vast majority of authors, before they write their first book. How do they start?

Some authors book time away, and spend marathon sessions writing chapter after chapter. Others record their thoughts verbally, then improve their writing after transcription. And finally others realize that a book need not be written all at once, but can be written page by page, over a course of several years.

This last approach lends itself well to those who are writing a blog. It also provides another reason to actually start one. Here's how:

1) Make sure that your subject is focussed on a topic that an audience would be interested in reading.

2) Using the outline mode of your word processor, create sections, then chapters, then sub-parts within each chapter. For example, if you were writing a book on the subject of book-writing, the first section might be called Before you start, the next would be called Writing and editing, and the final one Book marketing. Within the first part you may have chapters called Why write a book, Research techniques, Preparing your workspace, etc. Within each chapter the sub-parts would be 3-6 paragraphs in length.

3) Each of the sub-parts essentially becomes a blog entry. When it comes to writing your blog, however, there is no need to go from the front of the book to the back: you can write your entries in any order you like. Just remember, once it's written, copy-paste it back to your outline.

This week's action plan: Very few people actually have the need (or desire) to write a book. But the concept of repurposing is applicable to just about everyone. This week, before you start on any large task, ask yourself - and others - whether the problem has been solved before. If it has been, find a way to reuse the knowledge, instead of starting from scratch.

Randall Craig is an expert on Social Media Strategy and Social Media Policy; to find out how his workshops, webinars, and keynotes can help your team or add to your event, contact him through www.RandallCraig.com, or by email at editor@ptadvisors.com.

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Copyright © 2010 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: Oct 19, 2010