[00:00:00] This is the Vanessa Barrington Show.
[00:00:06] We have all been there. Maybe you've got 10 different ideas. Maybe it feels like you're writing 18 different books at once, or maybe you've actually started your book, but every time you sit down to write, it just doesn't come together. Maybe you find you're writing a little bit and then you stop. You come back to it and it just feels disconnected, and then someone asks you that tough question, how's your book going?
[00:00:32] And you say, uh, yeah, good. But internally, you know something's not clicking. If that is you, you are going to want to tune into today's episode. Keep listening because. I'm gonna help you see why your story may not be landing, how you want it to, and what you can do about it. Alright guys, let's jump in.
[00:00:57] Hi, I'm Vanessa Barrington, also known as the book doula, founder for Healing House Publishing, psychic Medium, and a woman on a mission to heal the world through stories.
[00:01:07] If you're a healer, coach, creative, or expert, I help you turn your. Story into a published book and a global movement that builds authority, impact, and legacy. This is not a writing podcast. It's a show where I explore voice, truth, spirituality, and what it really takes for you to trust yourself and share your story with the people who most.
[00:01:29] Need it.
[00:01:30] This is the Vanessa Barrington Show.
[00:01:33] Hello, hello, and welcome to this week's episode. Now, if you are writing a book, maybe you are struggling at the moment and you might feel like something's just not clicking. You can feel there's something powerful inside of you and you know you've got a story that's really meaningful and you wanna share it with the world, but it's not landing on the page that way that you wished it would.
[00:01:55] Here's what I want you to understand. That feeling. It's not because you're not disciplined enough. It's not because you're not too busy, and it's not because you're not a good writer either. It's because your book doesn't yet have a structure strong enough to hold it. In today's episode, we are gonna be talking about something that is rarely explained properly, and that is book structure, not surface level structure, not beginning, middle, and end.
[00:02:25] I'm talking about the deeper architecture of your book, the thing that determines whether your book flows. Connects, holds attention and actually lands with your reader because structure is what turns ideas into a book, writing into authority and a message into real impact. And without it, even the most powerful story falls flat.
[00:02:50] Now, before we go deeper into this topic, if you are already feeling that moment of, okay, this is exactly where I'm stuck. I wanna invite you into something. I am running a free training, which is called the Fail Safe Method, to write your book in 30 days, even when you've got a million priorities. And inside this free training, I'm gonna show you how to write your book in 30 days or less.
[00:03:15] So that you can leave your legacy and start making real impact with the people that need your story. This is my proven method for how my authors go from scattered ideas to finishing their manuscript in months instead of years. Really specific practical steps that you can implement straight away, even if you've tried before and didn't finish.
[00:03:39] Now let's talk about why structure changes everything. Most authors I work with don't actually have an idea problem. The thing is, ideas are actually a dime a dozen. What they have is pages of writing notes. Voice notes, half written chapters, notes on their phone. They've done the thinking, they've done the journaling, and maybe they've even started writing.
[00:04:06] But what they don't have is a structure that connects it all. And often when people land, in my world, that's where they're at. They might have been struggling for a few months, or maybe even years. They've done some writing, or maybe they're sitting with the idea, but they're just not sure where those pieces belong.
[00:04:24] So the process. Of writing the book feels scattered heavy and inconsistent, and eventually they just stop. Now, there is a phase where messiness is necessary in the creative process, and I wanna honor that. Okay. This is what we can call the composting phase. It's where ideas come in. You're gathering thoughts, you're getting curious, you're following threads where things can feel a bit all over the place.
[00:04:51] That is all really normal. That is part of the process. Okay? But here's where most people get stuck. They stay in that part of the process for too long. They keep collecting ideas and things without ever structuring the story. So instead of compost turning into something fertile, it just becomes clutter and clutter becomes overwhelming.
[00:05:14] Okay? Now there comes a point in every person's journey when they are writing a book where you really have to move from expression into construction. This is where you stop asking, what else can I add? And you start asking, what am I actually building? Because a book is not a collection of ideas. It is not just a bunch of thought bubbles stitched together with some nice sentence transitions.
[00:05:44] It is a guided experience for your reader and structure. What creates that experience structure is also the thing that will give you creative freedom when you are in the messy middle of your writing process because it's something you can come back to. It's something that will help you know what your next step is in the process.
[00:06:07] Let me show you how this shows up in real life, okay? Because most people don't realize that they have a structural issue. They think I just need to keep writing, or they might think I'm just struggling to find time. But what's actually happening is they're writing and the chapters aren't flowing into each other, or the message feels repetitive or unclear.
[00:06:29] Or the reader doesn't know what they're being guided towards because it's all kind of messy and you can feel that messiness as a writer. So that results in you second guessing everything you're writing, or you might actually push through all of that, get to the end of the first draft, and something just still feels off.
[00:06:47] That feeling, my friend, if you are in that, is not a writing problem. It's actually a structural problem when your structure is clear. Everything changes. Okay? You sit down to write and you know exactly what the chapter needs to do. There's no second guessing and kind of going, oh, I wonder what I'm supposed to write about today, or, where does this belong in the story, or Should I leave this in or out?
[00:07:12] You know exactly what's going on, not just what it's about, but what role each piece of material you are putting in place. You are no longer guessing the process, you're executing on it. And this is where momentum is built because clarity on your structure creates creative freedom and it also removes resistance.
[00:07:32] Now let's talk about something that's really important. You might still find that you have multiple ideas for your book. Even having done that, that is totally fine. But structure itself, when it comes time to landing your structure. That's going to require a decision because you cannot write 10 books at once.
[00:07:54] You can, and that's up to you. I'm not here to convince anyone to do that, but I am gonna say it's gonna be messy. Okay? You need to choose the one thing that has the strongest through line, the clearest transformation, the thing that feels complete, the central truth of what you're writing about. And if you haven't yet seen or listened to my conversation about the macro idea in the previous episode, you're gonna want to go back and have a listen to that.
[00:08:23] Now, this doesn't need to be perfect, okay? But you do need to have completely built out your structure. I talked about this in the last episode, where you might have an idea for a book and let's say, you know, you wanna write a book about your divorce. Now that is not a book yet, okay? That is a topic, and that's not even a macro idea.
[00:08:42] It's just raw material. It's just a raw idea of something you're wanting to pursue. What you need to look at is what is the journey? What changes from the beginning of that story to the end? What is the reader actually being led through? Now, the book becomes about a transformation, not just something that happened to you, and that's what is going to make your book powerful, and I wanna anchor this, okay?
[00:09:05] Because you don't need to see the entire book perfectly. In fact, nine times out of 10. What I have found having birthed many books, is that you may map your structure, write the book, get to the very end of the process, and then still recognize that there are changes that need to happen in the structure.
[00:09:23] That is completely fine. That is just part of the creative process, okay? You don't need to have the entire thing laid out at the start. You don't need every chapter figured out. You do need though a strong foundation, a structure that can hold the next step. That's it, and that is where everything is gonna build from.
[00:09:41] Without this step, you will find the process very challenging. It will involve starting, stopping, rewriting and over time. It extends the process and what happens there is you start to doubt your ideas. And also what I see sometimes with authors is it can then disconnect them from the original idea because it's taking them so long to actually get the story down.
[00:10:06] And this is really why I created this free life training as well, because I don't want you sitting in this loop any longer. I don't want you wrestling with what is the through line of my book. Once you understand the structure, everything gets to be so much easier. It anchors you and holds you in a way that nothing else does really through the process.
[00:10:32] Okay? So if you're interested to get access to that free training, you can head to the show notes and you'll be able to register there. The process I'm gonna take you through in my training is the exact method that my clients use. It's structured, it's practical, and it works even if you're feeling overwhelmed, even if you feel like you don't have the time.
[00:10:52] Even if you've tried before and you haven't been able to finish, you're gonna quickly notice that this training is a little bit different to maybe any other writing courses that you've attended. And I think that's because we're also working on that deeper layer. Okay, so we're looking at the subconscious and what's going on there, not just the practicals of putting the words on the page.
[00:11:13] So I would love to invite you along to that. It's really gonna help you. If you are someone who has been struggling with this, um, I want you to finally know that you're not alone. Okay? This, this is so common. In fact, 95% of the people I speak to, um, that are at, at any stage in the writing of the first draft process.
[00:11:34] Are usually struggling with structure. They have a structural problem, and when you have the right support behind you and you understand how to navigate that, it makes the process so much easier. So stop chasing more ideas and really I invite you to sit down and start to really map out what is the structure for this book?
[00:11:56] What is the narrative arc for this book? What is. The through line or the central truth of this story if it helps you go and have a listen to last week's episode as well. 'cause that's really gonna help you understand what I mean by that central through line, that macro idea. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love for you to take a moment to rate, review and share it with someone who you know needs this information as well.
[00:12:21] I wanna thank you so much for listening and I hope that you. Get some light bulbs going off about your structure and I hope it's something that you decide that you are ready to do and that you're gonna have a crack at. As I said, it doesn't need to be perfect, but it's something that you do need to start working with 'cause it's going to make the whole process so much easier.
[00:12:41] Alright guys, have a beautiful rest of your week and I will be back in your ears. Next week.
