by Melinda on August 26, 2010
When you think about writing a book, do you ever feel like…
* You never have time to write?
* You have lots of ideas, but you don’t know where to start writing?
* You aren’t sure how to make all your ideas fit into a compelling book concept?
* Your writing isn’t strong enough?
* You don’t know how to make your book compelling and interesting to read?
* You’ve got an okay draft, but you’re not sure how to improve it and clean it up?
* You aren’t sure how to write your book in a way that effectively draws clients and opportunities to you?
There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you have a book inside you and not being able to get it out–whether it’s time, not knowing where to start, or being unsure about how to put together the content.
Plus, a book is an extension of yourself, in a way, that’s sent out into the world to represent you and your ideas. And that can be kind of scary, like you’re on the verge of something big, and although you know it will be good for you, you’re a little scared to jump. And you want your book to be really good. You want it to be well written; you want it to represent you in a positive way.
My first job in publishing was working at a self-publishing company that served speakers, coaches, consultants, and other experts who wanted a book to establish expertise and grow their business. For the past seven years, I’ve worked with aspiring authors as a ghostwriter, editor, and teacher. I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and I have a master’s in creative writing.
So I’ve spent a lot of time working on books and figuring out what makes them successful–how they are constructed, how the material should organized, how the author uses stories and example, and how the author leads the reader through their information.
Books have an underlying structure, a formula, with certain pieces that make them work as a whole. Nonfiction books, particularly self-help and business and essay, have core elements that are arranged and compiled in ways that engage their readers, communicate the author’s expertise in the absolute best way, and ultimately compels their readers to take action.
Once you figure out all these pieces for your book, everything will fall into place. Writing will be much easier and more productive. You’ll feel confident in your book and your writing. And your book can be finished much faster and with much less guess work.
Now, imagine having a step-by-step process that would show you exactly what to do to ensure your book is well planned, effectively organized, and as easy as possible to write and edit. My BRAND NEW Summit Book Writing Home Study System is like a blueprint for writing your best book.
And until midnight on August 31, 2010, it’s on sale. Order by then, and you’ll get $100 off the Summit Book Writing Home Study System, or $200 off the Home Study System PLUS One-on-One Coaching. Prices will be reflected at check-out. Click here to view the information page and start writing your book today.
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by Melinda on August 24, 2010
by Melinda on August 23, 2010
Imagine having an experienced writer and book editor guiding you step-by-step through planning, writing, and polishing–not just any book–but a GREAT book that your readers will love to read and will make you and your message stand out…
INTRODUCING: The Summit Book Writing Home Study System! This program is an easy-to-follow blueprint for your best book!
If you ever feel like…
* You never have time to write?
* You have lots of ideas, but you don’t know where to start writing?
* You aren’t sure how to make all your ideas fit into a compelling book concept?
* Your writing isn’t strong enough?
* You don’t know how to make your book compelling and interesting to read?
* You’ve got an okay draft, but you’re not sure how to improve it and clean it up?
* You aren’t sure how to write your book in a way that effectively draws clients and opportunities to you?
Almost every aspiring author faces these challenges, and my BRAND NEW Summit Book Writing Home Study System will show you exactly how to overcome them all!
And because I’m so excited about finally launching this program (this has been a long-time goal of mine), I’m offering it at a very special price…
Until midnight, August 31, you can get $100 off the Summit Book Writing Home Study System.
Or, $200 off the Home Study System PLUS One-on-One Coaching Package. (Sales prices are reflected at checkout.)
I’m not going to offer it at this low price again anytime soon!
Click here to find out more: http://www.summitbookwritingsystem.com
I can’t wait to share this with you!
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by Melinda on August 17, 2010
Sometimes, for any number of reasons, even the most well-intentioned writers need to put book projects aside before they’re complete. Maybe they need to get clear about what they really want to say. Maybe they have another big project they need to focus on. Or maybe they just don’t know what to do next and they move onto something else. I know I’ve been in all those situations before. So what’s the best thing you can do? Get back into it!
Just because you set something aside, doesn’t mean you’ll never finish it. All it takes is a decision to finish what you started. However, whether you set your book aside because of time, because you needed space to get clear on the topic, or because you just finished a draft and had no idea what to do next, picking up where you left off can be a challenge.
A few weeks ago, I started working on a half-finished book that I’d set aside nearly a year ago. For various reasons, I needed time away from it so I could focus on finishing other projects. And although I didn’t plan on being away for a year, the past is the past, and we do what we can. But I realized that the longer I waited, the harder it would be. And I was (am) still passionate enough about the book to make sure it doesn’t languish in this unfinished state for eternity. So I made the decision to do it. “Work on book” went back on my to-do list, and I cleared the space in my schedule to fit it in.
With the decision made, I spent an evening with my journal, thinking about what I REALLY wanted this book to accomplish. What did I most want to say? When I set this book aside, I did so, in part, because the meaning of all my ideas hadn’t become clear to me yet. I didn’t know what exactly what I wanted to say, and we all know that’s not a very productive place to write from. Therefore I decided to take a few months off to think about it. Now that I was back, facing 150 or so disjointed manuscript pages, I wanted to go into the project with the clarity I lacked before. Thankfully, those months away allowed me to return with some much-needed perspective.
After getting clear on what exactly I wanted my book to communicate, I started reading. I started at the beginning and read everything I’d written so long ago. Some parts were delightfully close to what I wanted them to be. But others were so disconnected from my new, clear message that they may even need to be edited out. Either way, I started working on it again! And no matter how long you’ve been sitting on your unfinished book, you can do the same.
Start by revisiting and getting clear on what you REALLY want your book to be about—the foundation of the book, as I like to call it—and then read what you have with fresh and critical eyes. Seeing where you need to go from there will be much easier, and you’ll be able to jump in and write with the same energy you had when you started writing the book, no matter how long ago that was!
Ready to get clear on what your book is REALLY about? My Book Plan Boot Camp will help you solidify the foundation of your book (or your book-in-progress) so everything you write will work toward your goal. (This makes writing so much more productive and easy!) To apply for the Book Plan Boot Camp, click here.
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by Melinda on August 10, 2010
One of the most common book writing challenges is getting started—taking action on your book idea and actually sitting down at the computer to write. This holds more aspiring authors back than anything else, and I spend a great deal of my time telling people where to start.
Just last week I was on the phone with a man facing this exact problem. He didn’t know where to start. So I told him about how I coach all my clients to start by making a list of everything they want to cover in their book so they can actually see, in one place, what they’re dealing with. He loved this idea, but what he said next revealed a completely different book writing challenge to me. He said, “I can do that, and then the book will reveal itself. That’s what I’m going to do.”
“Reveal itself” –wow, I thought, is it really that easy? I wish! I thought about that conversation for a while after I hung up the phone, and realized that, number one, some people must think writing is a sort-of magical process where answers just reveal themselves. And number two, I’d given this man (and potentially everyone else I’ve instructed to do this exercise) false hope that the secret to writing is book is something so simple.
The thing is: there’s nothing magical about writing a book. Some days it’s easy; some days it’s really, really hard. But it’s always a process of figuring out and addressing problems—the biggest of which is how to communicate your message to your reader in a way that keeps them engaged and leaves them with the knowledge you intend to leave them with. Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than a list to solve that.
By all means, make the list. It really is the best place to start. But don’t expect to find all your answers there. Although getting started is a major obstacle for aspiring authors, it’s only the start. From the list, you have to organize your ideas into a structure that will work and satisfy your readers. You have to show up and write every day. You have to write effective chapters that move your readers forward. You have to finish the first draft. And then you have to go back in and edit what you have. You’ve got a lot to do, and getting started is just the beginning. You have to keep going.
I talk and write a lot about getting started, and how important taking that first step is. But for every aspiring author who never starts writing their book, there’s probably one that’s been started and never finished. As a person who has devoted her entire business to helping people get their books written, I’m not satisfied with either situation.
So how do you do get beyond that initial step and actually finish your book? The most important thing you can do is commit yourself for the long-haul. Recognize that although sometimes the answers will reveal themselves, not all the questions that come up during the book writing process will resolve that easily. Learn what makes books work, so when questions and problems do arise, you’ll know how to solve them. And don’t get discouraged when the going gets tough!
Comments? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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