How to Write a Book

Paper Presented by
Jason Mashekwa
HOD: Malasha Combined School
Ndola
During SOSTAZ HODs CPD
Mufulira
Presentation Outline
Part 1
Book writing - Getting Started

Part 2
Book Writing Process

Part 3
Evaluation Criteria
 Part 1

Book Writing – Getting Started

 How to Write a Book: Part 1

How many of us have been thinking of

writing a book?

What type of book do you want to write?

Why have you not written it yet?

PROCRASTINATION
 Common reasons you procrastinate when writing a
book:

You’re not sure how to get started

It’s terrifying to spill your guts to the world in a book
You feel insecure about your writing before you’ve
even started
Afraid of getting negative book reviews when you do
eventually publish
Worried that even if you do write your book, nobody
will buy it and you’ll end up with low book sales for life
You’re not sure how to take your idea and turn it into
an actual book
Remember that all authors have been exactly
where you are right now. Every successful
writer—from William Shakespeare to whoever
you can think of—began by staring at a blank
page.
 
So, you’re not alone!
 How To Come Out Of The
Procrastination Mode
1: Think Like a Writer
Before you sit down and type a single word, take
some time to adopt the right mindset. This is one
of the most frequently overlooked steps
in becoming a published author, which is a big
reason why so many people fail to finish their
books.
 2. Find Your “Why” for Writing a Book

Before you open your laptop and start

daydreaming, you need to answer one question:
‘What’s my reason for writing a book?’
 
Writing a book is rewarding, but it requires hard
work. It requires emotional labor, long nights (or
early mornings), extended weekends, and facing a
constant self-critical process
 Popular reasons for authors to write a book:
Authority: To build credibility.
Money: For financial gain, business success, or to make a living
Grow a network: To meet and connect with others in the industry.
Passion project: To share an empowering story for the greater good.
To have an escape: A mental escape can help you deal with real-world
problems.

To give others an escape: when writing fiction, you might want to give

others struggling a safe place to go.

Have the power to change lives: Books change lives and your message
could empower others to make a change in their life .
 Remember
There are no wrong or right purposes for writing
a book. Your WHY will be unique to you.
 
Once you’ve established your WHY, let that
purpose help focus your writing. By keeping your
purpose at the forefront of your creative process,
you’ll make the writing process quicker and
smoother than you thought possible.
 3. Stop the Excuses for Not Writing
the Book
You’ve figured out your WHY and articulated
your unique purpose for writing a book. But the
question is:
Why are you not writing?

The answer is:

 
You have too many excuses!

Let us look at some of these

 Excuse 1 – I don’t know what to write.

You may not realize it, but you have a lot to

write about.

The easiest way to start writing your

first book is to choose a topic you’re
comfortable with.
 Excuse 2 –  I don’t have enough time.
How long does writing a book take in the first place?
Find an hour a day you devote to something
mindless—social media, video games, internet, or TV
—and start writing instead.

And if you don’t have an hour, try 30 minutes. Even 5

minutes 3 times a day can be a source of massive
writing productivity.
 Excuse 4 – I am “not an expert.”
You don’t need to know everything about your topic.

As long as there’s a knowledge gap between you and the

reader—and as long as you’re helping to fill that gap by
teaching them the things they don’t know— you’re expert
enough to write a book.
 
So stop worrying about “not being an expert!” If you’re
passionate and knowledgeable about a topic, then you are
100% qualified to write a book about it.
 Excuse 5 – My first draft must be
flawless.
A draft is a work-in-progress, and the goal is
simply to get it on paper.
 “Done is better than perfect.” So, you don’t need
to be perfect
 All you need is a system for finishing your book.
There’s no such thing as a perfect book or a
perfect writer. The most important distinction is
between authors who finish their books and
authors who don’t.
Schedule Your Book Writing Time
Develop a writing habit and plan it out
Set a deadline for writing your book
Actually Write Your Book
Don’t let your book end up in the graveyard of dreams.
 
Write One Chapter at a Time
An old adage says that the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
 
Don’t Edit While You Write
 Note:
As you write your book: Think reader-first.
Every decision you make about your
manuscript must be run through this filter.
 
Reader-first, last, and always.
 Part 2

The Book Writing Process

 The Writing Process
The basis or foundation for writing academic books is
the syllabus. For you to write a good book, approved for
use in schools, you need to study, understand and
religiously follow the syllabus. Your book outline for
whatever subject should be based on the syllabus.

Understanding the Syllabus

As an aspiring author, you must have studied the
syllabus in your subject area to understand its structure
and components. Let us consider this together.
 
Here is an extract from the Geography Syllabus.
As you can see, the syllabus for every subject has the
following aspects:
Topic
Sub-Topic
Specific Outcomes and
Content part comprising
• Knowledge
• Skills and
• Values
 
To write a text book, you need to breakdown the syllabus
into these components and come up with your book
outline. Let us see how this can be done:
 
Breaking Down the Syllabus For The Purpose Of
Book Writing

Step 1
Break down the syllabus into topics:

Step 2
Break down each topic into units
(Make use of sub-topics as units)
 Topic:1
Agriculture

 
Unit 1
Land Tenure Systems
 
Unit 2
Irrigation Farming
 
Unit 3
Bad Agricultural Practices
 
Unit 4
Soil Conservation
Step 3
For each unit, write down its specific
outcome

Turn the specific outcomes into

subheadings by removing the active verb
 
 Topic:1 Agriculture
 Unit 1
Land Tenure Systems
Land tenure
Types of land tenure in Zambia
 
 Unit 2
Irrigation Farming
Factors that favour irrigation farming
Effects of irrigation farming on the environment
  

Unit 3
Bad Agricultural Practices
Bad agricultural practices and their effects
 
 Unit 4
Soil Conservation
Soil conservation measures and sustainable agriculture
Zambia’s agricultural potential in the SADC region
 Step 4
For each specific outcome write down
the knowledge content as indicated in
the syllabus
 Unit 1
Land Tenure Systems

Land tenure
Legal right to use of land
 
Types of land tenure in Zambia
Traditional/customary land
State land
Leasehold and freehold
 Unit 2
Irrigation Farming
Factors that favour irrigation farming
Topography
Availability of water supply
Soil fertility
Markets
Transport
Labour
Capital availability

Effects of irrigation farming on the environment

Salinization
Water-logging
Water borne diseases
Pollution
 Unit 3
Bad Agricultural Practices
Bad agricultural practices and their effects
Bad practices:
Overstocking
lack of fallowing
mono-cropping
poor land tillage methods

Effects:
destruction and displacement of wildlife
deforestation
pollution
desertification
soil degradation
 Unit 4
Soil Conservation

Soil conservation measures and sustainable agriculture

Crop rotation
contour ploughing
mulching
terracing
fallowing
strip cultivation
organic farming
agro-forestry
Zambia’s agricultural potential in the SADC region

Abundant arable land

adequate rainfall
good soils
large market
human labour
power
enough water for irrigation
favourable government policy
 PART 3
EVALUATION SPECIFICATIONS
The evaluation criteria has ten (10)
parts (categories). The weighting for
each part is as follows:
 CONTENT 30%
Content is the type of knowledge, skills and
values in a specific
It is the coverage of syllabus topics in a
material which is unpacked through specific
outcomes. The content of a learning area is
broken into measurable specific learning
outcomes.
The following aspects will be considered
when evaluating your book
Coverage of syllabus topics in the material
It is expected that textbooks should adequately cover the
outlined topics and sub-topics in the syllabus

Coverage of intended outcome/s

The syllabus of each learning area/subject breaks down the
content into small measurable outcomes.
The outcomes in a specific learning area subject are usually
arranged in a spiral order with the simple appearing first and
the complex following in that order.
Materials intended for teaching and learning should
adequately cover intended outcomes in a subject so the
learners can acquire the prescribed knowledge, skills and
values of subject at a particular age/grade level.
 Other areas to be considered are
Sequencing of content in the material
Depth and Appropriateness of material to age/grade level
Appropriateness of length to the time available
Correctness of concepts stated
Correctness of principles stated.
Sufficiency of examples given
Relation of examples to life situations in Zambia
Relation of examples to the topic/s
Integration of cross-cutting issues
Indication of type of knowledge, skills and values required.
Inclusion of relevant background information in the
Teacher’s Book/Guide
 TEACHING METHODOLOGY 25%
The material should provide a variety of teaching methods such
as learner centred, lecture, inquiry, teacher exposition, research
etc. Teaching methods need to be suitable and effective in order
to help the learner acquire the intended knowledge, skills and
values. The following will be considered:
Clarity
Appropriateness and suitability
Encouragement of learner-centred approach
Availability of the teaching/learning resources
Balance between theory and practice
Adequate coverage of topics
Provision for revision work
Provision for remedial work
Appropriateness of time for learning/teaching materials
 CULTURAL/CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES 10%
Cross-cutting issues are challenges that affect a cross section of society. They
affect the livelihood and development of society. If education is believed to
be an urgent of change, it should be used to address such challenges as:
 
HIV/AIDS, Poverty, Child Abuse, Drug and Substance Abuse, Environmental
Degradation, Life Skills, Gender Sensitivity Governance, Human Rights,
Population and Family Life, Health and Nutrition Reproductive Health and
Sexuality and Climate Change.
 
Also to be considered under this are:
Representation of authentic life in Zambia
Demonstration of gender sensitivity
Representation of cross-cutting issues
 ACTIVITIES 5%

Learning activities are set tasks that are given to

learners to do in order to foster the actual
learning and achieve the learning outcomes. The
following will be considered:
Appropriateness and number
Range from simple to complex
Relevance to the outcomes
Relevance to real life situation
Stimulate learning
 LANGUAGE 5%
Language is a mode of communication. It should be simple,
clear and straight forward. Aspects considered are:
Clarity of text.
Appropriateness of language to age/ grade level.
Precision and conciseness to the referred content.
Correctness of grammar and spelling.
Gradual introduction of the new terms.
Consistent use of new terms..
Gender sensitivity.
Usefulness of the glossary
 EXERCISES AND TESTING 5%
Evaluators will consider:
Appropriateness
Effectiveness
Relevance
Stimulation
Adequacy
Encouragement
Availability of equipment