What Do You Write about if Life Is Good?

A Twitter follower asked me the above question the other day, and her inquiry sparked a blog post. What do you write about when you haven’t endured some sort of crisis? Is disaster a prerequisite for a good story?

I remember sitting in a conference and getting a little ticked off as I listened to a publishing house editor promote the idea that the best and only way to write is from one’s pain—not discomfort or struggle but tragic, devastating pain. Without that kind of pain, she suggested, it wasn’t possible to be an excellent writer.

Baloney. Continue reading

Five Ways to Recharge after Publishing a Book

Last summer, after submitting the final manuscript for my book, I felt completely drained. While part of me was elated for having completed an eight month labor of love, other parts felt depleted. I poured everything into my book, and then the project was over.

Continue reading

What’s Obvious to You May Be Amazing to Others

How to Get Over the Fear of Writing and Publishing

“The brave are simply those with the clearest vision of what is before them—glory and danger alike—and, notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”
—Leopold (Hugh Jackman), Kate and Leopold

It takes a certain amount of bravery to be a professional writer or book author. It isn’t the act of writing itself that feels dangerous. You can write in your journal all day and end up feeling refreshed and lighter for having been so honest with yourself. The security of knowing no one will ever read those words liberates your fingers to fly.

Danger isn’t inherent with the penning, but the publishing.

“How do you get over the fear of putting yourself out there?” I’ve lost count of the times clients and fellow writers have asked me this question. Continue reading

The 3 Most Difficult Steps to Easy Success

“How the heck do you do everything you do?”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked that question throughout my life.

Most people expect some simple answer that will fix that part of their life that causes sleepless nights, family fights, the “I wanna puke” feeling and worst of all, shame and emptiness.

Here’s the reality: Success has never been easy. It’s never happened overnight, and, without your best effort every stinkin’ day, it can’t happen! Continue reading

The 2 Biggest Lies that Hold Writers Back…(Including Me)

CONFESSION. I don’t believe in “writer’s block.” I think this label is nothing more than a convenient excuse for us to delay our writing dreams.

Before you lock me up in the loony bin, let me peel off the mask by pull back the curtain. I wrote 6 traditionally published books, coached over 60 authors on their book projects, and ghostwrote 3 books for high-profile clients.

But I’ve also:

Justified watching movies to “research” for my next book.

Avoided a deadline because unloading the dishwasher seemed more thrilling.

Hit the disc golf course to find inspiration for my next chapter

Wasted more than a few days satisfying a “Platform Building Fix” on Facebook and Twitter.

Bottom line. All these activities seemed noble at the time. And yet, they merely created space between my current state and my calling.

Maybe you can relate? Continue reading

How to Give a Great Interview

You want the world—or at least your niche—to know about your book, but how do you get the message out? Interviews, particularly radio shows and podcasts, can be an extremely effective medium for spreading the word.

I get that. I know that interviews are important, but they also make me a little nervous. As a writer, I’m generally on the other side of the conversation—the side asking the questions. I want to get better at being interviewed, and I know I’m not alone in that desire. That’s why I asked Tim Knox, host of Interviewing Authors, to share his advice on how to give a great interview. Continue reading

Non-Traditional Advice for Busy or Undisciplined Writers

This is supposed to be an article about how to be a focused and intentional writer. It’s supposed to equip busy people with tools and techniques to fit writing into an already full life.

• I could tell you to wake up at 5 a.m. and write for an hour. Do it every day, no matter what.
• I could tell you to write 1,000 words a day before you do anything else.
• I could tell you to write something even if you don’t know what to write.
• I could tell you to “write ugly” and clean it up later.

That’s all good advice and it might work, but it’s never worked for me.

I am a broken writer, yet somehow I’ve managed to complete two books. Continue reading

What It Takes to Complete a Book

Sounds so glamorous.  I remember the first time I turned down an invitation to lunch with the words “Oh, I can’t… I’m writing today.”

“Really?” my friend Laurie replied, “what an awesome way to spend the day! I can’t wait to read your book!”

Nodding and smiling, I left her fantasy intact. I knew in my heart a “writing day” wasn’t just creativity flowing but sometimes meant hours of starting at the cursor blinking and trying to string some words together in a semblance of creativity, thought and inspiration. The myriad of other tasks on my to-do list wrestled with my discipline to actually write. It’s a sad state of affairs when cleaning the bathroom looks more enticing than squeezing out another paragraph from a very dry well. Continue reading

3 Ways to Get Your Readers’ Attention

The book was fantastic, but no one was going to read it. Not, at least, in its current state. The author had packed his* manuscript with helpful information and practical advice. The content and his message had real potential to help his audience. But only the most dedicated readers would push past the stale opening line.

Most chapters either dove right into the content with no introduction or started with a statement detailing what the chapter contained. “In this chapter we’re going to learn about….” A line like that makes a great note as you’re planning your writing. In fact, I encourage writers to identify what they’re going to include in each chapter when they outline their books. But when it comes to your hook—the words that will draw readers in and keep their noses in your book—“In this chapter,” isn’t effective; it’s boring.

Other common issues muddied what could have been a great reading experience but, since this is a blog post, let’s stick with one topic at a time. Here are three powerful ways you can get your readers’ attention. Continue reading