The Secret to Effortless Book Writing: 3 Points Per Chapter

(This is a chapter of my upcoming book that is already an Amazon #1 Best Selling Book, Mini Book Straitjacket: How to Finish Your Non-Fiction Draft in 7 Days or Less)

You've laid the foundation for a successful book and now it's time to fill in the outline.

With the Mini Book Straitjacket, you'll be adding points underneath for each chapter. This will give you clear direction and also subheadings for your chapter. It makes it easy for you to write and keeps the information organized for your reader.

By embracing this structured approach, you'll guide your reader through the chapter and ultimately to the transformation they seek.

Choose 3

You will choose three points for each chapter.

By focusing on only three major points, you will be forced to choose a specific direction for each chapter. There isn't enough time to visit everything you know on a topic unless you can fit it into three major points. The forcing of a decision is the process of editing before you even begin typing.

It provides structure and stability to your chapter.

Mini Sequence

You can structure your three points as a mini sequence.

While your entire book may take someone through how to write a book, your chapter might detail the steps involved in writing a book blurb. Your three points could then break down that one small process into three steps or stages of the book blurb creation process. It's a way to guide your reader in a how-to format without overwhelming them with a long list of chapters.

Here is an example.

In the chapter on "Marketing Your Expertise" in the Simple Online Business Model, I broke down the things a business owner should do on social media each day. The mini sequence was to comment, connect, and create. Look at your chapter that you are working on.

What are the three major steps someone will have to take to be able to have success?

3 Options

You can also use your three points to present options to your reader.

Show them three different ways they can tackle the subject of the chapter. This allows you to explore different ways to achieve the same result without presenting a dizzying list of options. The enemy of progress is paralysis by analysis. Take away all the options and just leave three on the table.

The previous chapter in this book is a great example of giving three options.

I made you choose which of the three outlines you wanted to use for your book. This gave me a chance to present options, but hopefully, you weren't paralyzed and confused with too many options. People need options.

But more than options, they need you to show them the path to success.

Progressive Thought

Your three points could also be a progressive thought.

Each point guides the reader through understanding one aspect before building on it in the next. If point one is essential for understanding point two, use these points to logically lead them through this new knowledge. This approach provides a clear and cohesive progression of ideas.

It is your job to figure out what they must know and create a point for it.

Even complex things, like eating healthy, can be broken down into three points.

CHAPTER: Healthy Eating POINT: Recognizing Nutrient-Dense Foods POINT: Understanding Portion Control POINT: Knowing How to Read Food Labels

The difficult part of writing is figuring out how to divide complex thoughts into simple, understandable points.

Top of Mind

Your points should be top of mind.

These aren't things you need to go digging for. If you have to take a walk to think up these points, you might be thinking too hard. The logic should be so simple that it flows out of you and into the reader.

Like a natural conversation with a friend, you wouldn't take a walk mid-conversation and then come back to continue talking.

Write These Fast

Shoot from the hip.

Most of the time, your first thoughts are the best thoughts. The simpler the thoughts the better. While we as authors love feeling smart, the reader hates feeling dumb.

Your book is for the reader.

Keep their transformation in mind.

What do they need to execute on this stage of their journey? That is all they want and need. Look at your chapter title, write down three big things for it, and move on to the next chapter.

You should be able to do the three major points of all your chapters in one sitting.

Stuff You Already Know

I hear people scoffing in disbelief, but let them.

I'm assuming you are writing about stuff that you already know. The reason why so many legacy non-fiction books can take a long time to outline is because they are writing about things they don't know about yet. If there is a lot of research and you don't know the answer to the problem, then yeah it is going to be hard to outline.

Stick to what you know and you'll breeze through this.

You do not need to go learn lots of new things to write this book. A mini book that builds on your authority is taking what you know and sculpting it. You are taking a tool and removing things you know, not adding to them.

Everything you need is already inside your head, write it down.

Can Always Update

The great news is that you can always update it later.

When you begin to write a chapter you may have an epiphany on how you can better walk a reader through the chapter. Great, do that. Don't spend hours or days on the initial outline.

Updating and revising is natural and good.

The biggest hurdle you face is actually making progress on your book.

An example of points changing is the first chapter of this book. I overhauled the first two points of the chapter entirely. You can see them below.

Chapter 1: Promise to the Reader Make a POWER Promise to the Reader

1. Title Problem Offer of Solution
2. Subtitle Title & Subtitle

Your outline can change, just get these points down and you can update if needed as you go.

Exceptions

As with anything, there are always exceptions to my own rules.

I have stuck to the three key point rule in most chapters of my mini books. There are times though that I have deviated. I'd like to walk you through when there are the acceptable times to deviate from this standard outline.

I just want to make sure you don't get confused and overwhelmed with options.

Frameworks

A great exception to the three point rule is when you have a framework.

If your framework describes how to accomplish the topic of your chapter, deviate from the standard three point rule. You can expand to six, seven, or however many points your acronym or framework is. The goal is to have it be logical for the reader and a framework will keep that logical flow continuing even if more than three points are present.

I used this exception in a chapter in the Simple Online Business Model.

Instead of listing three points about utilizing an email list, I used my REFLECT acronym and framework as the points of the chapter.

R – Review posts E – Extract additional insights F – Find more angles L – Link to personal experience E – Expand with details C – Call to action T – Tie back to core framework

You can do something similar if you have a framework.

Bullet Points and Lists

You can use bullet points and lists in the same way as a framework.

Sometimes a list of things is the best structure for a chapter. If you need to list off the options or steps for how to accomplish something and it doesn't fit neatly into three points, list them out as your points. I don't recommend doing this frequently, but occasionally using this as an exception will not break your mini book.

If done properly it will provide variation to your chapters and provide even more clarity to the reader.

Let's look at an example of when this would be appropriate.

You are trying to tell the reader about the top email marketing platforms. Instead of forcing a choice from three platforms, you may want to provide a list of the top seven. List out the email providers as the points of your chapter.

This won't feel like a random list to the reader, but a logical flow.

Adjustments

When you make an exception you will need to make adjustments to the chapter.

If you double the points from three to six you may need to reduce your word count per point in half. This will reduce the overwhelm the reader may encounter if they begin reading and see seven email provider options and a ton of text for each one. These types of adjustments should be done on a case by case basis.

Because these adjustments can be distracting to writing, I like to make exceptions rare.

I had to made adjustments in one of the chapters of the Mini Book Model.

I listed out the type of writing formats as the points of the chapter. I realized though that if I went into detail about every format the way I typically did for each point, the chapter would have been too long and lose the quick hitting feel of a mini book. So I called an audible and went with a non-standard format.

It was more of a comparison of the formats than my traditional writing style.

(See the image below for example)

Finishing your main points for each chapter is liberating.

You are one step closer to having a book that will transform your reader's life. You may feel that you haven't been able to fit everything you wanted into each chapter, but that is the point. We only want to focus in on the most important.

You'll also have an opportunity in the next step to go into more detail with sub-points.

Action Step: Outline Your Chapters with Three Key Points

For each chapter, identify three key points that you want to cover. These points should be top of mind and easy to recall without extensive research.

1. Decide on the Structure: Choose whether the points in the chapter will form a mini sequence, present three options, or follow a progressive thought process. Ensure that each point logically flows from one to the next.
2. Write Them Down Quickly: Jot down your three major points for each chapter in one sitting. Don't overthink it—shoot from the hip and keep it simple. This will provide structure and stability to your chapters and help you maintain a clear focus.
3. Refine as Needed: Remember, you can always update and refine your points later as you write. The goal now is to get the initial outline down to guide your writing process.

By completing this action step, you'll have a clear and organized outline that will make writing your book more manageable and keep your content focused on delivering value to your readers.