Open your planning document, My First Online Book. You have already chosen your topic and purpose, identified your intended readers, defined the scope, and planned your chapters and sections. Now, prepare an initial inventory of the materials you will need.
- List the materials you already have. Include notes, documents, photographs, research, examples, useful links, and relevant personal or professional experience.
- Connect materials to your chapters. Decide which materials will support each planned chapter or section.
- Check the quality of your sources. Identify information that needs verification, updating, or clearer explanation.
- Review usage permissions. Note any photographs, illustrations, quotations, or other materials for which you need to check copyright, licence conditions, or permission.
- Identify missing materials. Write down the information, examples, images, or explanations you still need to obtain or prepare.
- Plan how to organize and protect your files. Decide where you will keep your materials, how you will name them, and how you will make backup copies.
You can record your results in a simple table in your planning document:
| Chapter or section | Materials available | Materials still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1: [Title] | [Notes, documents, examples] | [Missing information or resources] |
| Chapter 2: [Title] | [Notes, images, instructions] | [Missing information or resources] |
| Chapter 3: [Title] | [Research, links, examples] | [Missing information or resources] |
Add as many rows as you need for your own book.
Save your document and keep it updated as you collect or prepare additional materials. You will use this inventory when creating your complete book outline in the next section.
Remember: Good preparation helps you write with greater confidence and consistency. You do not need to have everything ready at once; you need a clear idea of what you have, what you still need, and how you will organize it.