The 'Steven Pressfield' Style Approach To Setting Out A Non-Fiction Book
Practicing The Write Stuff Issue #3
Yesterday I uploaded the draft of Book #23 to Amazon and ordered a proof copy. Book #23 is a music book and it weighs in at 167 pages. Making it the longest music book I’ve written.
It’s also been the most complex to write with the number of different elements I needed to include.
Writing started on September 25th, so it’s been written quickly. (Note…I’ve only writen Mondays to Fridays….in a normal month I’d probably have written on weekends too, but it’s Rugby World Cup month so Friday night to Sunday night have been dedicated rugby watching time.)
Thoughout that writing process two parts of the writing process kept me focused and allowed me to progress from start to finish in that time period:
A detailed outline that’s broken down into 6 main sections and 74 sub-sections .
When written those sections are one to four pages long. So discrete pieces of content.
This is the first book I’ve written using this format and in this Issue of PTWS I want to talk about this format and why, if you want to write a book (and you should), the benefits of using this format.
Let’s start 30 years or so ago…
Exhibit #1. James Patterson - Jack and Jill
Back in the mid 90s when I was thinking about writing some serial killer style thriller stories I had a slew of these kind of books in a pile to read. Jack And Jill was in that pile…and I remember picking it up one evening and starting to read it. I ended up reading it in one sitting, finishing around 4AM to finish it.
With hindsight I’d say there were two principle reasons why:
I liked the characters and I liked the story and man, I wanted to know who Jack and Jill were and how the story played out.
The book was written in a style that I came to associate with James Patterson (but that he developed based on other writing). Patterson used short chapters, maybe 1 to 4 pages each) plus writing techniques to make you want to read on (like open loops, smash cuts, and so on).
Here’s a screen grab video I made of the book in my Kindle reader…so you can see for yourself how short the sections are:
Exhibit #2. Steven Pressfield - The War Of Art
Other than further Patterson books that I read, I wasn’t consciously aware of this ‘short chapter’ technique anywere else.
Until The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield.
Here’s a screen grab video of the first few sections of The War Of Art…so you can see the short chapter/short section format being used in a non-fiction setting:
You can see two specific writing techniques in this sample (or in the book):
Some of the sections are as short as a couple of paragraphs.
Each section has a heading, e.g. Resistance’s Greatest Hits, Resistance Is Invisible, Resistance Is Internal. And so on.
Writing in this format allows the reader to consume pages swiftly, which helps build a sense of momentum and progress as they read through the book. This reading momentum is enhanced by using short paragraphs. And lots of white space.
Paul’s Note: I try and read (or listen) to this book at least once a year. You don’t have to, but when you do read/find a book that resonates with you make sure you schedule readings of it every 12 to 18 months. Each time you come back to it, you are a slightly different person (as a result of your experiences) and you will learn different lessons.
Exhibit #3 More Steven Pressfield - Nobody Wants To Read Your Shi*t
I remember writing to Steve in the early 2000s - only the second piece of fan mail I’ve ever written - and asking him if he was going to write a sequel. To my suprise he emailed back and said he had no plans to write a sequel. So when Seth Godin persuaded him to write Do The Work in 2011, which was then followed by other titles in this unofficial series, I bought and read them all.
Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t is my favourite Pressfield non-fiction book. This is the book (IMO) to model if you want to write in this style. Here’s another short screen grab video to check out:
Key points to note:
Each section has a distinctive title layout: the number of the section, a solid line underneath and then the title of the section.
Each section is written with short paragraphs. Sometimes one word paragraphs. So it’s easy to read.
The book is structured in sections. There is an introduction followed by seven sections and then an eighth section which serves as a coda. Each of those sections are then subdivided into the numbered and title short sections mentioned above.
Book 5 (which starts at Page 145 in my paperback copy) is titled NONFICTION. If you want to write non-fiction, you should buy the book and read this.
Steve talks about how The War Of Art was created in Sections 104 to 109. If you want to write non-fiction, there are some great lessons in these pages. For example:
#4 The War Of Art Wasn’t Written - It Was Assembled
Although Steve wrote The War Of Art, the guy responsible for structuring it was Shawn Coyne, Steve’s editor at the time. As Steve says in Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t:
It’s worth buying Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t for Steve’s summary of how The War Of Art was put together:
The bulk of the book were individual lessons/ideas that Steve had written for various students. With no order. No coherence. That he suggested be collected into a book. So note: each section was written as a standalone; no organizing principle.
Shawn Coyne spread the pile of single and double page essays on the floor and split them into three parts: Part 1 Resistance; Part 2 Turning Pro, and: Part 3 The Higher Realm.
The resulting book was first published in 2002. At time of writing it has nearly 27,000 reviews on Amazon and an ABSR of less than 1000 which means it’s selling approximately 70 to 80 copies a day in the US. Plus worldwide sales. Plus audible sales. And Kindle sales.
I’m convinced part of the success is because of the ‘format’ that these books were written in.
#5 The Advantages Of Writing In This Format - For The Reader
Here are the benefits for the reader of a book written with this structure and formatting:
Reduces the overwhelm from reading. There are no dense paragraphs of text to wade through. There’s lots of white space on the page.
Because you turn pages quicker than you would with a traditionally structured and written book, a sense of momentum builds. This helps you move forwards through the book.
Most readers will read the book the first time from start to finish. Long term and deeper learnings come from multiple readings. It’s easy to pick up a book structured in this way, turn to a section at random and read from there. (For several years I used to take a paperback copy of The War Of Art with me everywhere and just read sections at random.
#6 The Advantages Of Writing In This Format - For The Writer
Here are the benefits for the writer of a book written with this structure and formatting:
If you outline in advance you can write the book in any order. You don’t have to write from Page 1 to The End. That reduces the resistance to getting the job done. It’s much easier to write 70 short sections than it is to write 10 longer sections.
Instead of writing chapters or sections that last for 10 pages or more, you’re writing sections that are shorter. Maybe 4 pages tops. Just as the reader generates a sense of momentum as they go section by section, so does the writer.
Because this format is easier for the reader, the chances of readers consuming your book increases. The more readers consume your book, then implement, then get results….the more they’ll come back for your next book. Or other product offerings.
#7 Summarizing The Key Elements Of Writing A Book With This Format
Here are the key elements of writing a book in this format:
Outline the book to start with. You need an introduction. And then a number of larger sections. Those sections should have a ‘narrative drive’ to them.
Outline the sub-sections. Each sub-section should be short. That’s one to four pages. Maybe five pages at a push.
Each sub-section should be numbered and given a title.
When you write the sub-section, use lots of white space and short paragraphs. Make it easy to consume the writing. Bulleted lists also help.
To help ‘hook’ the reader so that they read the book, use writing techniques like open loops, foreshadowing, connections between sections, and so on. (For extra credit, deconstruct Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t purely from the viewpoint of techniques used to push the reader through the sections.
I’ve written my latest music book in this format - here’s a screencap video so you can see. Note that the book was uploaded to Amazon yesterday and the video is taken of the book in Amazon’s KDP ‘Previewer' tool:
You should see how there are no ‘walls of text’ on the page. Make it easy for your reader to consume your content.
#8 The Ride Out
This style of putting a non-fiction book together is something that I’ll be using going forwards in my non-fiction book writing.
But you can use it for shorter form content too.
Look at how this newsletter issue is laid out…the ideas are the same. The main thing that’s different is the scale. Instead of outlining a 167 page book, I used this “Pressfield Style” to outline and write this week’s 14 page newsletter.
There’s plenty of ways you can leverage the ideas in this issue.
Practicing The Write Stuff Issue #4
In Issue #4 of PTWS we’re going to start talking about deliberate practice and writing. From a historical perspective, the first writer to use deliberate practice style techniques to improve his writing was Ben Franklin…that’s the subject of PTWS#4 next week.
See you then.
Paul