Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. I’m B, midwife of big ideas and book development partner for writers and non-writers alike. And for the next few minutes, you are my author.
Don’t worry. That doesn’t commit you to anything more than what you’re doing right in this moment. Because the best authors are simply people who show up as themselves, for themselves and for their readers.
Today, we’re making space for a simplified 5 Minute Outline.
Over the past few months, I’ve been in the trenches of articulating the Clarity Spectrum—a new set of book categories based on what an author intends to create for a reader.
When I talk about story being in our bones, I don’t just mean that it lives deep in us. I mean sometimes bringing it forward feels like extracting some core piece of you and reassembling it in a way that can feel helpful to someone else.
That’s what this articulation has felt like for me.
Every last second has been worth it.
And I’m not just saying that because I’ve been able to use the Clarity Spectrum for its intended purpose.
The work of the articulation created its own kind of value.
When we’re writing for a purpose rather than trying to create written products, we are affected just as much or more than our readers.
Our perspective is honed while our stories take shape.
We become authors while our words become books.
In some cases, the intention we set out with can come to fruition even if the book never does.
Case in point: there is probably a book version of the Clarity Spectrum somewhere in my future. But I didn’t have to wait for it in order to bring that vision to life right now.
The most interesting part about that perspective so far came together with a client just last week, during the first session of her Clear Direction Analysis.
She’s been hanging out with me and the various iterations of my content since my very first 5 Minute Outline article, and she’s seen the wonkiest versions of my tools and concepts.
So when I worked us through the two questions that get almost everyone to their core Clarity type, I paused to put it in the context of the other concepts she’d learned to use over the years.
And the explanation surprised me, even as I said the words: The 5 Minute Outline revolves around just two questions.
The two questions that are in the quiz. The two questions that you can ask yourself at every stage of writing. The two questions that pull you out of performance space and back into connection with the message you want to deliver to the person who needs to hear it.
At the end of each book type’s page, they are written like this:
How does this book fit into my larger work in the world?
and
What would help my reader most in this moment?
There are variations on these questions, of course, just like every time I guide a 5 minute outline I spend each minute varying the primary question in order to hold you in that space and hopefully open that door a little bit wider.
But underneath it all, the only thing we really have to focus on is what you’re delivering and what the reader needs to be able to receive it.
Today, instead of mirroring another book or digging into a specific type of book, we’re going to take the 5 Minute Outline down to those most basic levels.
This can be used for any layer of a book’s structure, from the topmost outline to unlocking a subsection within a chapter.
(If you are new to this space, you can catch up on the 5 minute outline process here.)
As always, we’ll begin by writing the numbers one through five on a piece of paper, clearing some space to be relaxed and reflective, and then dive in.
Minute One/Number Three: What do I want to offer my reader?
Remember that beginnings are hard, so we’re not going to start there.
This question is arguably the only one you ever have to ask yourself when writing.
It usually brings up the material that’s most accessible and ready to be delivered, and it always brings your attention back to that “something more” that pulled you to write in the first place.
So we’re not going to overcomplicate or lead this question too much.
Move your pencil to the number three—we’ll get back to numbers one and two soon—and write the question “What do I want to offer my reader?”
Take a deep breath. And let’s begin.
[Timer starts]
What is it that you want to offer your reader?
The whole reason for writing…for putting in this time and energy…
It’s about so much more than the accomplishment or product at the end of it all.
There’s something you want to deliver…to say…to share…to provide…to unlock…
Zoom in on that one thing, releasing all of the context and everything else that feels like it goes with it.
If you delivered nothing else to the reader with this bit of writing, what would that one thing be?
[Timer stops]
Now stop writing and quickly review what you’ve written.
Even if you sat down with the intention to create an outline instead of to write, this question alone could unlock flow and get you writing. When that happens, don’t stop yourself.
Sometimes these exercise extend far beyond five minutes or roll into far more than an outline.
Let them.
When it doesn’t, circle the thing that seems closest to the one message you want to deliver, then shift your pencil to number one on the list as we get ready for minute two.
Minute Two/Number One: Where am I meeting my reader?
Our two core questions can be distilled down to “What am I offering my reader?” and “What do they need in order to receive it?”
Before they can receive anything from us, we need to understand where we’re meeting them.
Picture running into someone on their way into or out of their apartment.
Maybe they’ve been grocery shopping, or they’re heading out to work or on a trip.
Their hands are full, they have a plan for the day that starts with getting out the elevator or down the stairs and into their vehicle.
It’s also possible that they’ve sought you out and have caught you on your way to work. They see your presentation in hand and realize it’s exactly what they’ve been looking for, and they want to stop to talk.
Is this a conversation in the breezeway or do you need to share a commute because it will take awhile?
Each of these interactions would be different, even if the planned conversation is basically the same.
We need a moment to acknowledge our circumstances and shift our attention, so that’s how we’ll open our outline.
Next to number one, write “Where am I meeting my reader?” and take a big deep breath…
[Timer starts]
Think about the message you want to offer.
Who are you imagining offering it to?
Where are you meeting them?
Where is their attention right now
Is it on their frustration? Pain? Problem?
Is it on their curiosity? Their preoccupation?
Are they looking for you, or are they caught up in some other process?
Where are you meeting them right now?
[Timer stops]
Now stop writing, and once again circle what seems most relevant or interesting, at least for right now.
Whatever emerged in this minute does not have to be a perfect hook or an ideal opening.
But it will build an empathetic connection with this very real reader who will interact with your message as part of their very real life.
With that in mind, let’s shift to number two in your list, and we’ll move on.
Minute Three/Number Two: What is my reader holding?
This minute will probably bring up the biggest range of ideas, so be ready to write down absolutely everything that comes to mind.
In most cases, it’s where the bulk of the content will go—and where the reader will connect with you the most.
Building on the empathetic connection that the last question created, continue to imagine meeting the reader in a real interaction, and visualize the takeaway that you’re offering as something tangible that you want them to take away.
If our second core question is about what the reader will need in this moment in order to receive our message, then part of that reception will be to make room in their hands.
Some takeaways are heavy and require us to clear out a lot of space in order to hold it safely.
Others are light and can be added to that grocery bag in their hands or slung over their shoulder.
So with that in mind, write “What is my reader holding?” next to number two, and take that big, deep breath.
Ready, set…
[Timer starts]
What is my reader holding right now?
This will vary based on where we’re meeting them…
Perhaps we’ve already helped them set an old misunderstanding down, and now they’re gripping a broken mindset.
It’s possible that this is our first interaction with them and their arms are full of beliefs, misconceptions, confusion, and old habits.
The bigger the offering we have for them, the more they’ll need to set down.
The more micro the offering, the less room they’ll need to make.
What do they need to put down before they’ll have room for the thing we want to deliver?
What are they holding?
[Timer stops]
Now stop writing, even if you have plenty more to list out. This is enough for now.
And I still want you to circle the most significant thing or things that you see in this list—just know that each of them will likely become relevant in turn as you begin to write.
Now let’s shift down to number four on the list, remembering that we already named what it is we’re offering on number three.
We’ve also named how we’re meeting the reader and what kind of time and space they need to be able to create in order to receive that offering.
The final two minutes will make sure they are ready to embrace that offering and move on with it in hand.
Minute Four/Number Four: What helps my reader pick up what I’ve offered?
Not everything is for everyone, but knowing that sometimes does us a disservice.
It makes us read beautiful words or see powerful processes and think, “That’s nice, but it’s not for me.”
When you’re taking this much time and injecting this much intention into your writing, there are people you know it’s for. Mostly because you’ve been that person and you know what it’s like to receive this message, to embrace this offering, to make this change.
If we continue to picture that apartment complex interaction, it might be the polite “Oh, no thank you, I couldn’t” that comes just before a “No really, I want you to have it” insistence.
Only, this is bigger than baked cookies—or, to keep the scenario going, an extra copy of a presentation.
Picking this offering up may require some heft.
Carrying this offering may change the trajectory of their day.
Accepting this offering may require some self-love.
Before the reader can take what you have for them, they’ll need to know without a doubt that it is for them and that they have what it takes to receive it.
On number four, write “What helps my reader pick up what I’ve offered?” and remember that is deep diving that we’re doing here.
We can only get so far in one minute, and that’s okay.
Let’s see what comes up.
[Timer starts]
What does your reader need to see, hear, or believe in order to know that this message…process…offering is for them?
What helped you when it was your turn to pick it up?
Was it a story? Someone else’s experience?
Was it a result? Some expert approach coming to life?
Was it a new reality? Some sort of exploration bringing something surprising to light?
Perhaps it was simply a direct truth coming from a trusted source.
What does your reader need in order to say, Yes, thank you. This is for me, and I think I am ready to hold onto it.
[Timer stops]
Alright—stop writing. And remember we’re using this process to better understand what we already know.
If a direct connection doesn’t come up just yet, trust that more will emerge once you’ve written through the chapter to this point.
And as always, if something you wrote here stands out as especially resonant, circle it, and let’s wrap up at number five.
Minute Five/Number Five: What does my reader need to expect now?
Sometimes, writers confuse these last two minutes, thinking that the reader will only pick up the offering if they believe only positive outcomes are on the other side.
This not only limits us to writing about proven processes with easy outcomes—it also sells the reader short and limits what they’re able to receive.
While every offering, every takeaway, comes with its own weight and its own outcomes, there is one universal component that they all need to have: the truth.
Imagine that the apartment complex scenario was all about you offering them a bag full of cookie ingredients.
And these ingredients are special.
Gourmet, high end, rather finicky ingredients that need to be stored and prepared in particular ways.
The potential exists for the absolute best cookies they’ve ever tasted, after a magical experience for the person who enjoys that sort of process.
But now imagine that you’ve panicked at the last minute, worrying that they will feel put out by the process and anxious about the particulars.
Since you still want them to have those cookies and you hope they’ll catch on, you only tell them about the intended outcome. You say there are gourmet cookies that will change their life, and then you move on.
They’re very obviously not going to experience any of those outcomes.
When we’re honest about what the reader can expect from this offering, we give them full agency to accept it.
And yes, the possibility exists that they will say, “I can’t bake these right now, but maybe someone else can.” And it will feel a lot like rejection.
But without opening the door to that possibility, we also remove their ability to choose that process when it’s the right time.
We set them up for failure and self-blame when they don’t have an amazing experience. And we cheapen the offering for everyone involved.
So. With your pencil at number five—and a solid craving for cookies unlocked—write “What does my reader need to expect now?” and we’ll map out our ending.
[Timer starts]
What does your reader need to expect from picking up this message, process, or concept that you’ve offered?
Think about the thing you’re offering…the person you’re offering it to…where you’re meeting them…what they’ve had to set down…what they’ve had to do to pick this up…
What happens next?
What other work do they have to do?
What other beliefs are going to change?
What will get lighter? What will get heavier?
How is their concept of themselves, their work, their struggle, their world going to change?
[Timer stops]
Stop writing, and if you blocked out multiple ideas, circle the one that feels most resonant.
Outline Recap
Now, shake all of your muscles out and take a couple of good deep breaths.
And when you’re ready, you should be able to re-write or type up a basic five-point outline from what we’ve circled here.
That outline will tap into the two things that matter most at any level of writing: What you’re here to offer, and what your reader needs in order to receive it.
Where am I meeting my reader? Whatever you’re writing sits at the intersection of what you’ve already offered and where their attention is now.
What is my reader holding? How much room do you need to help the reader make in order to add the new insight, process, belief, or experience that you have for them?
What do I want to offer my reader? It can feel like the whole book, the whole chapter, the whole article, the whole section is the thing that we want them to have—but it really comes down to this one thing. The two points in the outline before and after this moment are only making sure they can embrace that offering.
What helps my reader pick up what I’ve offered? This is where you make sure the reader knows that you’re offering this specifically to them.
What does my reader need to expect now? The truth is a gift. Don’t withhold it from them, even if it means not everyone will be ready to carry it just yet.
And one last time, remember that our goal here is to unlock a sense of flow in the direction of the larger work that we’re here to do in the world.
In some spaces, with some content, all you have to ask is those two baseline questions: what am I offering right now, and what does my reader need in this moment?
Ask those questions of the next book…the next chapter…the next paragraph.
Use them to press into the message that’s already welling up inside you, so that it overflows onto the page as the gift that it’s meant to be.
Everything else is just wrapping paper and bows.
Hey, thanks for creating this space with me today. Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.
Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.
And so will I.
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