If you were to write a non-fiction book, what would be the topic? What would be the topic with a bit more research? Or, with five more years of knowledge/experience behind you? As quickly as possible, make a list of at least ten topics that might be interesting or exciting or fulfilling to write about in book form.
Now pick one and, again, as fast as you possibly can (set a timer if you like), make a list or draw a mind map of everything you know about that topic and what you feel you still need/want to find out about it.
Go back and try this with as many topics from your list as you like.
Maybe pause here and do the activity first before reading ahead.
…Because here are two things getting accomplished with this activity:
You are giving yourself a great deal of sub-topics to write about in essay form that are very much already in your wheelhouse. Add them to your main ideas file and write them.
You also basically just created a messy first pass of a list of chapters that you might next organize and expand and suddenly be further along with this non-fiction book idea than you realize. And then you might, yunno, actually be in good shape to start writing a sample chapter or two, get a book proposal out into the world, and take a big leap forward on that idea that’s been sitting in the back of your mind.
Let’s try. I believe in you.