12/22/2019 Outline a Book Using The BookMap | Download Template

[DOWNLOAD] The BookMap:

Simplify Your Brainstorming &
Outline a Book Using This Template
Posted on October 21, 2019 | by Chandler Bolt

Trying to get into the writing groove, but nd yourself getting tripped up when you try to start an outline?

It happens to all of us! Because of that, I have the perfect solution for you right here in this article.

I want to introduce you to a book-outlining system you can use to dramatically speed up the time it takes
to write a book—while making the whole process simpler, easier, and less intimidating.

Better still, I’m sharing a free template (below, no opt-in required!) you can use to go through this
process for your next book (and your next book, and your next, and your next).

It’s called the BookMap, and it’s about to become your secret weapon for outlining books faster and
more easily than you ever thought possible.

You CAN Write a Book (And This Will Make It Easier)

You might think that most authors grew up getting straight A’s in English class, and that their teachers
loved them for being such amazing wordsmiths.

Well, you would be wrong!

Believe it or not, I got terrible grades in my writing classes. Teachers hated my papers—truth be told, I
wasn’t that strong of a writer—and as a result, I hated writing.

That might sound surprising for someone who turned out to become a 6-time bestselling author. But
it’s true.

Lucky for me, I didn’t give up on writing a book just because I didn’t know how to do it. Instead I sought
out a mentor who knew what they were doing—and his advice helped me to write my rst book and
make it a huge success.

I’ve continued to use that system for all my subsequent books, which has helped me to write my books
in just a fraction of the time it takes many other writers.

Now I’m paying it forward and sharing that advice with you.

Download Your Book Outline Template

Yes.

We really did create an easy, ll-in-the-blank style book outline template in Google Docs for you to
use.

All you have to do is ll out the information below and get your outline, complete with front and back
matter, along with resources to guide you through the chapter-by-chapter outline.

The BookMap: Your Key to a Solid Book Outline

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So many people want to write a book…but they get overwhelmed at the thought of all that work. They
don’t know what to do or how to get started. As a result, the entire process seems impossible.

Well, that’s not going to be the case any longer. Not for you.

Click below to download your FREE mindmap for outlining:

Download your Non-Fiction Mindmap Here

Download your Fiction Mindmap Here

The BookMap is the key to getting your book project off the ground in just a few hours. It’s a template
you can follow to quickly pull together all the subjects you want to write about and organize them into
topics that will become the chapters of your book.

(RELATED: 7 Strategies to Start Writing Your Book Today)

Here’s how the BookMap works:

Step 1: Print out the BookMap and have a few clean sheets of paper ready.

Step 2: Use the BookMap template to draw your own map with everything you know about that topic.

Step 3: Organize those sections to form your book outline.

(Note: don’t let your ideas hold you back! It may be a little di cult to t all your ideas onto one page and
that’s totally normal. Don’t think smaller just because you have less space :).

Now let’s dive into each step in a little more detail.

Outline a Book Using The BookMap Step 1: Choose

Your Book Topic
First things rst: you have to download the BookMap. There are 2 versions of this (free) download—one
for ction books and one for non ction books.

As you can see, the BookMap is a kind of mind map that’s been pre- lled with the most relevant
questions you’ll need to answer to write your book. And no matter which version of the BookMap you’re
using, you’ll notice that the center question is the same:

What’s your book topic?

So rst, go ahead and choose a topic. What do you want your book to be about?

For a non ction book, this could anything that…

Is a hobby of yours

Is related to your occupation

You are passionate about

You consider yourself an expert on

You’re curious to learn more about

And for a ction book, think about what you’re inspired to write! Do you love mysteries, or coming-of-age
stories? Are you fascinated with a particular event in history, a speci c person, or a concept that can be
dramatized in a novel?

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12/22/2019 Outline a Book Using The BookMap | Download Template

Another tip is to think about the kind of books you love to read. That’s usually a good indication that you
will enjoy writing that kind of book. If you love reading romances novels or science ction books, then try
writing one yourself! Because you’re familiar with the genre, you’ll be able to shortcut the learning curve
and will probably be surprised by how great a story you can write in your very rst try.

Once you have a topic, move on to step 2:

Outline a Book Using The BookMap Step 2: Fill Out

the BookMap
Now that you have a topic for your book, the next step is to brainstorm everything you know about that
topic by lling out the BookMap. This will help you get all the most important and relevant ideas down on
paper, making them much easier to work with.

Here are some of the most important prompts to answer when you’re writing a book:

BookMap Prompts for a Nonfiction Book

What problems are you helping people to solve? A lot of people make the mistake of writing about
themselves—the things they love, the things they nd interesting—without stopping to consider what the
reader wants.

What are your reader’s problems and frustrations? How can you help them to solve those problems with
this book?

Example: I know from experience that new moms have a hard time losing that baby weight—especially
since you’ve got a little infant taking up all your time now. So I’m going to help new moms overcome this
frustrating situation with a book that will help them make smarter choices in the kitchen and ultimately,
feel better about themselves.

Lessons you’ve learned: Think about how you have personally grown over the years, as it relates to this
topic. What are the biggest things that you’ve learned?

How have your views changed and evolved over time? This can be an insightful thing to brainstorm,
since it can help you get a better idea of where your readers are probably at right now and some of the
challenges they’re facing.

Example: One thing I learned in the process of losing my baby weight is that you can’t beat yourself up
every time you make a mistake. Doing that will only lead to more emotional eating!

Stories & examples: People learn best from hearing stories about real people overcoming real problems.
What stories can you remember that will help you to illustrate your points more effectively?

Example: My friend Mindy tried to lose her weight through exercise alone, without changing her diet.
And she continued to gain weight—until she nally realized that she needed to change the foods she
was putting in her body.

Ideas to explore: What concepts or themes can you bring up in your book? Does your topic relate to any
deep ideas or universal truths that might resonate with your readers?

Example: One idea I want to explore is the importance of self-esteem. Yes, it’s important to be at a
healthy weight…but what really matters is the way you feel about yourself—no matter what the scale
says!

Other books you’ve read: Have you read any other books on the topic? If so, did those books have any
helpful messages you can include in your book?

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12/22/2019 Outline a Book Using The BookMap | Download Template

Example: In Dr. Berg’s book The New Body Type Guide, he talks about how your hormones can impact
your body shape. This could be a helpful thing for women to learn about, so they can realize not
everything is under their control.

Topics to research: Are there any other topics you would like to include in your book, but you might need
more time to learn more about? If so, make a note of them so you can remember to do a little research.

Example: I’d like to do more research on insulin and learn more about how carbohydrates affect fat
storage.

Frequently asked questions: Are there common questions, myths, or misconceptions about your topic
that people have? If so, your book gives you a great way to bust those myths and enlighten people with
the truth. Try to think up at least a few common misconceptions.

Example: “Should I avoid eating fat?” This is a common question for many women. Some people think
that eating fat will make you fat…but the truth is, eating healthy fats can actually help keep you feeling
fuller, longer so you can stick to your diet.

Ready to get started outlining your non- ction book?

BookMap Questions for a Fiction Book

Main characters: Who are the main characters in your story? Flesh them out and start to learn more
about who they are and what their purpose is in your story. Make sure to include your protagonist,
antagonist, and any important supporting characters.

Example: Sarah is a stubborn teenage girl who becomes convinced that her neighbor is a serial killer.

Background: Explore your important characters’ backgrounds. Where were they born? What was their
childhood like? What’s the educational level? What are their beliefs? Where do they work? Flesh out your
characters until they start to feel like real people.

Example: Sarah was betrayed by her best friend in 5th grade, and as a result she has a hard time trusting
people.

Character development: How does each character change and grow (or regress) during the course of
the story? What causes this change to occur, and what effect does it have on the other characters?

Example: Sarah learns to trust other people which helps her to escape from the killer and bring him to
justice.

Theme: What larger ideas do you want to explore in this book? Betrayal, love, friendship? How do the
events of your story shed a new light on these concepts?

Example: I want to explore the concept of trust, and why you can’t always do it alone in life.

Scene & setting: Where do your story take place? Is it a real location, a historical one, an invented one?
Be sure to think about different factors like the climate, geography, culture, and government. How do
these things affect the characters in your story?

Example: Sarah lives in a wealthy suburb where crime like this is very uncommon, which makes it that
much more terrifying to Sarah’s parents.

Major events: What are the big turning points that take place in your story? Your best bet is to
brainstorm a long list of dramatic events so you can choose the options that t best in your story.

Example: At one point, Sarah sneaks into the neighbor’s house looking for clues—and she discovers a
bloody knife in the basement! Before she can get out, however, she hears the front door open upstairs…

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12/22/2019 Outline a Book Using The BookMap | Download Template

Climax: The climax is where your story reaches a crisis point. Tension and drama are at their highest,
and the protagonist faces his or her worst fears—and they either succeed, or fail, for good. Don’t lock
yourself into one climax here. Instead, brainstorm a few possible climax ideas so you can choose the
best one.

Example: At the story’s climax, Sarah is forced to trust her new friend Alex to help her escape from the
killer’s basement.

Conclusion: Your conclusion takes place after the climax, at the very end of your book. What happens to
your characters when it’s all said and done? Do they live happily ever after, or face a tragic end? Once
again, feel free to brainstorm several possibilities. You don’t have to lock yourself into one ending just yet.

Example: It’s a happy ending for Sarah, who survives the killer and grows as a person. But the ending is
bittersweet because of all the tragedy the killer has left in his wake.

Ready to get started writing your ction book?

Outline a Book Using The BookMap Step 3: Organize

Common Topics into Sections
The nal step in this process is to look at
your BookMap and combine all the related
topics into sections. Those sections will
become the chapters of your book.

There are a couple of ways to do this.

You could write them out on a separate

piece of paper, keeping them organized by
section. Or you could use different colored
highlighters to connect the ideas in your
BookMap visually.

No matter how you choose to do it, the idea

is the same: combine all the related ideas
together.

Non ction example: Maybe you have an

anecdote that would serve as a great
example for one of the lessons you want to
share. In that case, group those 2 things
together—they deserve to be in the same
chapter.

Fiction example: Maybe one of your

character traits really seems to resonate
with one of the themes you want to explore
in your book. If so, group those 2 things
together—this way you’ll know to use that
character trait as a way of exploring that
theme in your novel.

Once you’re done with Step 3, step back

and take a look at what you’ve completed.
Phew! Step 2 is a long one, I know. But trust me—by answering those questions, you just took a MAJOR
step forward in completing your book.

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12/22/2019 Outline a Book Using The BookMap | Download Template

You now have all the topics you need to write your outline.

(RELATED: How to Boost Your Writing Productivity and Write Your Book)

That, my friends, is the outline for your book!

Yep, believe it or not, you just outlined an entire book. Now you have a detailed roadmap of exactly what
to write about in each and every chapter of your book.

And that’s huge, guys!

See, the rest of the process—actually writing the book—is so(ooo) much easier when you know exactly
what to say in each and every chapter.

So give yourself a pat on the back. Because in a lot of ways, you just nished the hardest part of writing a
book.

Are you not happy with the progress that you're making towards your
book?
Do you want a step-by-step system that will get you closer to your goal
every single day?

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