|
|
| Writing Information |
|
|
|
|
7 Weapons to Conquer the Giant Procrastination Keeping You from Your Book Dream
Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project, lately? Like the author, many writers get hung up with wrong thinking about writing and completing their books. They feel like a loser because they have stopped and started countless of times over the years. They fail to realize you actually become a winner the minute you start moving toward your worthwhile goal. Instead they continue procrastinating until they give up. A client confessed she thought writing a book was too hard. Knowledge and know-how can be formed into a weapon that will destroy the power of procrastination. Using the 7 weapons below writers can conquer the giant procrastination and finally realize their book dream. Weapon #1 Do it Now! Now is better than later. Remember you become a successful author the minute you start moving toward your worthwhile book goal. I don't know anyone that regrets they wrote a book. But the author has met plenty of people that regret they didn't do it sooner. Weapon #2 Invest time in designing your passion points "top marketing spots" beforehand! Spend time on developing the passion points designed to sell more before your book is even completed The passion points are the title, cover, thesis, audience, benefits & features, mini sales letter written as introduction and back cover copy of each book. For example, at least half of the book's success will be on the title you choose. Weapon #3 Know you don't have to be a degreed expert, great writer or do loads of research. Write books you are interested in and want to learn more about. As you look for information, talk to experts and write, you become the expert. Find out what questions your readers will want answered. Organize them into categories which become your table of contents and eventually your chapters. Remember there are interested readers who are waiting for your helpful information. Weapon #4 Realize your message is significant and deserves your attention, love and time. Consider what your readers need and want. If your book shares something unique, encouraging, useful, entertaining, it is important enough to be written. Think about your gift? God gave you your gift to share with others. Our gift back to God is what we do with it. The loving care you put into your gift (book) the more rewards await you. Weapon #5 Recognize your book will sell with your marketing efforts It's true not everyone will want to buy your book. Yet there are plenty of your targeted audiences that will want your entertaining or helpful information. The world awaits your self-help, how-tos, business, or poetry book. When you take the time to touch their emotions with something that benefits them, they will pull out their credit card or cash and pay the price. Top selling non-fiction topics are self- help, mysteries, parent/children, sex and romance. Remember women buy 78% of all trade books. Weapon #6 Realize the journey doesn't have to be long or difficult. Invite your friends and family to brainstorm with you as peer editors. Ask for their feedback on the thesis, title and chapters - one at a time. Don't become isolated in your thinking. Opening your writing process up to others will give you a better feel for what your readers may want. Enroll in a writing and/or publishing class to elevate your thinking. Join a critique group to get feedback. Subscribe to newsletters and read articles on book writing to get tips that will help you on your journey to a successful book. Weapon #7 Acknowledge publishing has changed and doesn't have to be too expensive, too long and too difficult anymore. Technology has advanced the publishing process into new realms. Traditional publishing has normally taken one to two years. With e- Book and Print on Demand (POD) printing technologies, an author can see their quality looking book in print within a few months or less. Remember if you get to some parts of the project that's beyond your skill or know-how consider coaching and other professional services that will carry you over anything blocking you from writing, completing and publishing your successful book. If you have been succumbing to procrastination, take a different strategy use the perspective and 7 weapons above to overcome any giant called procrastination keeping you from fulfilling your book dream. � Earma Brown, 10-year author, entrepreneur and book coach
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Money Trails for Writers I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you once had to debate (or discuss) the saying: "The pen is mightier than the sword." If you were arguing 'for', you would have been able to come up with many examples of how words triumphed over muscles. Writing the Chapters of Your Life: Surprising Insights Using This Special Journaling Technique List-making is a favorite journaling technique and is often used to quickly jot down a numbered record on topics like "my beliefs," "my pet peeves," "the things I hate about myself," or "my strengths." However, there's a special type of list technique that moves beyond a simple itemization and into the realm of significant self-awareness. Got an Idea? Turn it into a Novel in Thirty Days or Less! People can't believe I did it, but I did. I wrote my first novel, The League, in about 30 days. I never spent more than two hours on any given day, unless I wrote then went back to edit. I also found and signed with a publisher in one month (see my article, Whatever It Is, Publish It Now, for details on this). Friends, family, and colleagues are fascinated when I tell them this. It's not possible, they say. Then, I enlighten them. The Hard Facts About Editing Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo a love interest on a first date, selling your work on the Internet, or submitting a query to an editor, you can never make a second first impression. It's true. It's just one of life's hard facts. Writing - Copyrights and Trademarks Protect You When most people consider writing a book, they don't think about Trademarks. However, I highly recommend that you leverage your writing for multiple purposes, and that's why registering a Trademark for your concept is a good idea. If you use your writing as the basis for workshops and other products, it's in your best interests to protect your concepts with a Trademark. A Writers Personal Cheer Squad We all need a cheer squad. Nonfiction Idea Generators The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject to write about. Unless you're a student or a professional writer no one is going to select a topic for you. That means you have to come up with your own themes. If you're like most writers, your subject matter will be things that interest you. I used the headings listed below to generate ideas for my writing. Hopefully these idea generators will help you become a more productive writer. Going On A Word Diet There are three ways to write a first draft. One is to ink whatever surfaces, in whatever order without regard to grammar, spelling or staying on topic. After the free write, the points, and message extracted for notes or an outline. Time is its adversary and clarity chisels its way forward slowly. Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor? Part 1 If you either want to write a book to help others create a better life and boost business or you already have your book nearly finished, you may need book coaching to answer all of your questions "What step to take next?" Many writers think that all they need is a good editor and their book will be ready for publishing and promoting. The Writers Identity: Exploring the Writer Within Les Edgerton writes in his book, Finding Your Voice, that the best way to find your voice is to write autobiographically. "Writers will never find a powerful, evocative voice until they learn to be bone-deep honest with themselves, open and vulnerable." I believe that Mr. Edgerton is on to something. In my experience, the best writers are the ones who dig deep within themselves and pull out the rawest pieces of who they are, filling their pages with words that leave their audiences wanting more. If I could interview an author whom I admire, I would most want to know what helped him or her get to that magical place. Ferreting Out Work FERRETING OUT WORK The Power of Punctuation Punctuation, when used creatively, is powerful. Note, however, that when I say 'when used creatively', I don't mean that you can make up the rules. Personal Journaling - Strategies To Make It Easy Recently I was watching the Oprah show and it was about doing something really great in someones life. Was it buying them a special gift? Or taking them out? Not really. 5 Ways to Break the Story Spell You sink back into your favourite chair with a new book in your hand. With a barely perceptible sigh of anticipation, you turn to the first page. Ah, there's nothing like starting a brand new novel... Amazing Ways Writing Articles Can Improve Your Business How to get a lot of traffic to your website FREE? Writing articles. This is one of most cost effective way to promote your website - it saves you a lot of money, in the meantime, you get a lot of valuable visitors. The following are a few tips for your reference. Write Strategy: Think, Believe, Attack Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE. Do You Plot With Your Character In Mind? Creative Writing Tips ? Five Golden Rules for Writers Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how much you love to write, there are probably days when you'd rather clean ditches than face another blank page. Turning Your Journal Into An Idea Bank A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in assigning articles to reliable, experienced writers, or even allow those writers to peruse them for topics to write about. 10 Things that Keep You from Writing Your Book? and What You Can do About It 9 out of 10 professionals and small business owners have at least one book or information product inside their head, but lack the time and organizational skills to get it out into digital or print form.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |