on Writers Helping Writers:

Every writer’s journey is unique, but we all experience one iconic moment: the decision to stop thinking about writing a book and actually do it.

And then? Euphoria. Finally, our ideas will live on the page! We imagine characters, plot twists, and future readers clutching our book, unable to put it down.

Of course, this high usually curdles into terror because now we must write the book. And we have zero clue as to how to do it.

It’s overwhelming; we can see the finish line but have no idea how to get there.

With any big goal, the best way to achieve it is to break it into manageable pieces.A great first step for writing a first book is to map the route, start to finish. Here’s what that might look like.