You are here: Home / Archives for inspiration
May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A “magic pocket”

The tools of the author’s trade used to be simple and few–something to write with, something to write on. Today we have a lot more help–or distraction, depending on your proclivities.

The computer, with its keyboard, spell-checker, dictation software, gorgeous printing, great organizing abilities, has become indispensable for me. I love to type, and have always hated to write. Typing is liberating for me.

I don’t use spelling and grammar checking features, usually–although I am grateful for it catching my rare spelling mistakes. But I love being able to move things around, to search-and-replace, to change typefaces–like a carpenter who loves her hammer and saw, I love the computer-based tools of my trade.

And then there’s the Internet. Wikipedia. Google. I have to force myself to get up and move around, to focus my eyes on objects at different distances, because I get so engrossed with the almost-infinite wealth of information at my fingertips.

So when I come across a truly useful innovation, I get excited. Dropbox.com is one such.

At first it seems like another “hard drive in the cloud”–a site that lets you store your stuff and access it at your convenience.  They’ve been around for years.

What makes Dropbox special? Like so many other amazingly popular developments–think iPod, Facebook, iPad–it’s not the originality of the functionality that makes the wonderfulness. It’s the overall feeling that gears, buttons, levers, and waiting time are out of the way. It bring me back to something Nicholas Negroponte said years ago, when asked what’s the next step beyond personal computing: “Intimacy” was his response.

I think a lot of Apple’s magic, a lot of why the simple Google search screen instantly became more popular than AltaVista, Yahoo!, and others, can be explained by that word, “intimacy.” These engaging experiences feel disintermediated. We feel as if we are in direct contact with what we’re trying to do, with nothing in the way.

That’s how Dropbox feels. You download a program to your Mac, PC, or Linux box. It sets up a special folder on your computer. Anything you put in that folder is automatically, invisibly synced with a secure storage location in the cloud. Any other computer from which you access your Dropbox account–and even your iPhone, with some limitations–can then access the same information. Dropbox makes sure everything is all in sync, all the time.

It’s free for up to 2 gigs. (You can get additional increments of 250 megs for each person you refer, up to 8 gigs; that’s why the link above is my affiliate link.) For 50 gigs, it’s $9.99/month or $99.99/year.

What would you use it for? Well, backups, for one–painless, unattended backups. Sharing large files, for another.

Dropbox says it’s like a magic pocket–put stuff in it from any computer, retrieve it from any other. I like that image.

Filed Under: book love, book writing, inspiration, tech, write a book Tagged With: , , , , , ,
May 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lots of ways to write a book

You may think there’s only one way to write a book, even if you’ve read my free book on the subject. You name it, plan it, structure it down to the sub-chapter level, then write it.

That’s the way I teach, and it works very well. But it isn’t the only way to produce a book. Here are several others that may suit your needs:

  • Interviews. Find leaders in your niche and interview them. Tell them you’re going to transcribe the interviews and include them in a book. (Don’t forget to ask how many they want to order.)

    The interviews don’t have to  be very long. An ideal length will result in just a few pages of material.

    Pick a unifying subject for the book: “What’s the Biggest Problem in (your niche), and What Do the Experts Say about It?”

    You can conduct the interviews over the phone and record them. You can also package and market the recordings; don’t forget to get the interviewees permission. And ask them for a link to their website or a sales page for you to publicize; that’s their motivation for participating in the project.

  • Quotations. Collect a bunch of quotations (that are out of copyright) relevant to your niche. Put each on its own page. Beneath it, or on the opposite page, write your interpretation of Socrates’ wise saying to people in your field. (You can also leave room for the reader to add their own reflections.)
  • Blog. You may have already written your book: Your blog entries might be its content. In fact, FastPencil.com will let you import your blog, then rearrange and edit the entries into a book. That’s fast.
  • Photo-journal. You can use the special book-layout tools of Blurb.com to create a gorgeous book of your photos. The price per book is fairly high, depending on various factors, but might be still worth it for, say, a construction project proposal or an investment offering, a commemorative book or gift.
  • “The 47 best tips on…” Elicit tips, opinions, whatever from your readers, your Twitter followers, your Facebook friends, whatever, and compile them into a handbook. Jokes. Toasts. 6-word short stories (Hemingway’s famous one: “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.”) Collect ‘em. Publish ‘em, with your intro, and a link to your website. You are now an opinion leader in your field.

A stroll through a bookstore or your library will inspire you with even more ideas.

Filed Under: book writing, inspiration, people & ideas, planning, steps to write a book, write a book Tagged With: , , , , ,
May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pain

If you want your book to be read, and to do good for people, an excellent approach is to focus on a particular pain that your audience is experiencing. Of course, this means you must have a specific audience in mind when you are writing. And that’s worth at least a paragraph or two right here.

You want to write a book. You have things to say, things you want people to know. Things you want people to know about you. Who are these people? Before you answer, let me give you a hint: It’s not “everybody.”

There are very few things that are truly of interest to everybody. And if you write so as to offer something for every conceivable reader, you’ll find that nobody wants to read what you’ve written–because too little of it pertains to them, to their life, to their interests.

You must have an audience in mind when you are writing–and you must characterize them to yourself, so that you are writing to a single person who represents you audience. Without that model, it will be very hard for you to write in a way that is meaningful and interesting. “Meaning” is a very local matter; shared meaning is usually confined to groups with shared interests.

Once you’ve identified your audience, you want to address issues of immediate concern; in other words, pain points. When you write things that are generally interesting or funny, you’ll capture readers who have a bit of time on their hands, and are looking for something with which to occupy themselves. But when you write about someone’s pain, you have your reader’s full attention. They are looking for ways to abate their pain, and if you have a product, a service, or an approach that will help them, they are yours. “The Fun I had Driving Coast to Coast”–maybe dentist waiting-room reading. “How to Stop Lower Back Pain in 24 Hours or Less”–”Gimme!” says any sufferer.

So ask yourself: What’s the purpose of your book? Do you want to entertain your reader, or move them to action? If the latter, get very clear on who your ideal reader is, and address a point of pain for them.

Filed Under: book love, book writing, humor, inspiration, marketing, write a book Tagged With: , , , , , ,
April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Does your book have “juice”?

By “juice,” I mean “emotional content.” Life is juicy, love is juicy, and you can think of negative juicy stuff on your own. Your book must be juicy if you want it to be read, and if you want your readers to take action, or at least remember what you wrote.

Thinking is dry. Concepts are lifeless. We have to tie them into some aspect of human life if they are to attract us.

What sorts of things are juicy? Sex. Pain. Conflict. Power. Transformation. Money. Fear. Overcoming.

Your use of juice must be appropriate. Open your daily newspaper (if you still get one), and you’ll see examples of appropriate and inappropriate uses. An inappropriate use: Sexy woman in an ad for dental care. Unless the dentist is that sexy woman, this is simply an attempt to get attention, and to associate what is for some readers a juicy image with the proffered service. It may get people to read the ad, but I recommend against it in your book.

If you use sex to get attention, there needs to be some kind of a payoff for the reader. Are you offering sex advice? Health counseling that covers sexual activities? If not, that’s an unkept promise, and your reader will be left frustrated at some level.

The “offer” made by your book’s title and cover, the pain it promises to abate, the desire it claims to satisfy, must be congruent with its content. When the reader reaches the end of the book, they ought to be able to flip it over to the cover and say to themselves, “Yup. She promised a way to relieve lower back pain, and she gave me one.” Or whatever the promise was.

Put juice in your book, authentically and congruently. Your readers will enjoy it and reward you with their attention.

Filed Under: book love, book writing, inspiration, people & ideas Tagged With: , , , , ,
April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Check out our new Author Forum!

In the menu bar at the top of the blog, there is a new tab: “Forum.” Come check it out! Post your questions, comments, thoughts.

Warmly,

Joel

Filed Under: book love, book printing, book writing, inspiration, marketing, people & ideas, planning, publishing, steps to write a book Tagged With: , ,
April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Passion!

A newborn macaque imitates tongue protrusion
Image via Wikipedia

Sex! Greed! Pathos! Pain! Does the word “passion” evoke these for you? They are what literary people think of.

When I think “passion” in the context of non-fiction books, I think of things people really, really care about. Things with which they are deeply involved. Things that they can talk about for hours on end. Things they believe are basically good, even if they are frivolous.

Both are powerful. (Maybe because of mirror neurons.) We echo the feelings represented by the words, and that gets our juices flowing.

I’ve heard it said that the reason bad news dominates newspapers is so that people’s adrenalin will be pumping when they see the ads, so that they’ll have an emotional reaction. And it doesn’t much matter if the reaction is positive or negative; it’s just that strong negative reactions are easier to generate. So that’s why “if it bleeds, it leads.”

When you are writing your book, ignore Sgt. Joe Friday, of the old “Dragnet” tv series, who famously said, “Just the facts, Ma’am.” Your facts need to be dressed in story, something to help your reader identify with what you are saying. Without story and passion, what you write will not hold anyone’s interest.

On the other hand, gratuitous references to body parts or fluids will not accomplish that for most audiences; they will evoke disgust, even revulsion. The passion you convey should relate to the reader’s pain, the thing they want to resolve. Now. If you can, in the well-known advice of copywriters, tap into the conversation that is already taking place in the reader’s head, you have a much better chance of communicating your message to them.

And that’s why you are writing a book, isn’t it? To say something to someone. So use passion, but be civil. You can do it.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Filed Under: book love, book writing, inspiration, steps to write a book, write a book Tagged With: , , , , ,
April 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

First new presentation/brainstorming tool I’ve seen in years

It’s Prezi.com, and it gives me a new way to think about presentations–and about brainstorming and planning.

Here are its salient features:

  • It’s Web-based.
  • You work on an infinite canvas.
  • You click and place text, which can be colored, styled, rotated, etc.
  • You can also click and place pictures, pdfs, and videos.
  • You click and create a “path” to tell a story.
  • The story can include zooms. So words and pictures can be tiny and huge, and smooth zooming traverses between them.
  • If you can picture Prezi from these bullets, you are a powerful visualizer. This presentation tells the story much more clearly:

Academy: Prezi Workflow in 15 minutes on Prezi

How to use Prezi to write your book? I’ve just discovered it, but I think it might work as a way to cluster. It is certainly a wonderful place to brainstorm and to create presentations. Love to hear your thoughts about it! (Since it’s Flash, it won’t be on your iPad anytime soon…sigh.)

Filed Under: book writing, inspiration, people & ideas, planning, write a book Tagged With: , , ,
April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Depth perception

A few years ago, I lost the sight of my left eye due to a detached retina.

The most obvious loss of sensory ability was stereoscopy–seeing things as three-dimensional. It took me a long time to regain my ability to park, and I still occasionally pour water outside a glass instead of inside. (I do better with wine because of its color). I’ve learned to compensate in a variety of ways.

This morning, in the shower, I was looking at the row of Armenian tiles on the wall. They have a beautiful pattern that I’ve always loved. Suddenly, the pattern took on depth for me; the lighter portions seemed nearer, and the darker, further away.

Shower tile

Shower tile

I noticed that there was some steam in the shower; that I wasn’t wearing my glasses; and that I was rocking unconsciously from one foot to the other. All three of these circumstances seemed to be contributing to the effect.

When I stepped out of the shower, I put my glasses on. The steam had dissipated. And I could see the 3D effect, but I had to defocus my eyes a bit, and rock from one foot to the other.

Apparently, my brain is compensating for the lack of binocular vision by using the different angles of view caused by my rocking to create a 3D sense in my mind. (I’m using “brain” and “mind” very loosely here; I actually see them as “hardware” and “software.” But that’s a topic for another article.)

What’s the application of this observation to book writing? Simply this: The more realism you can insert into your writing, the more your readers will like it. You can do this “binocularly,” by showing what you are writing about–describing relevant details as seeing them all at once.

Or you can show what you are talking about “monocularly,” describing your scene–or even your concept–from a sequence of different views. Some readers will relate more to sequential, rather than synoptic (seeing all at the same time), detail.

Filed Under: book love, book writing, inspiration Tagged With: , , ,
April 9, 2010 By 2 Comments

Start with a cluster

the writing is on the wall
Image by flash_nerd via Flickr

Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spent the rest of the day putting the pieces together.

–Ray Bradbury

I wrote yesterday (see entry directly below) about the need for a book writer (any writer, really) to work their “writing muscles” by writing daily. Now I want to add a bit of advice: Begin with a cluster.

I’ve discussed clustering (here and here), so I won’t repeat the instructions. I just want to remind you what clustering does for you:

  • The stuff you know, think, and feel seems to be floating at different levels in a viscous fluid. The closer to the surface something is, the more accessible it is. When you cluster, all that you know about the topic at the center of your cluster comes to the top, where you can find it easily.
  • Clusters sometimes grow like fractal flowers, branching off in unexpected ways, surprising you.
  • If you write first thing in the morning, you have easier access to all the great stuff your subconscious worked on all night. Sometimes dream sequences are recalled; often forgotten or unnoticed associations are brought forth.

Warning: I’m not saying to write your book this way. That’s all in the process described in detail in the free book you can get here. This clustering-and-writing is about a daily workout to make you a better writer. The process of writing a good book is simple and structured. But the stronger your “writing muscles,” the better your good book will be. You can make it great.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Filed Under: book love, book writing, inspiration, planning, steps to write a book, write a book Tagged With: , , ,
April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Write daily to improve your writing

If you want to eventually run a marathon, you must run daily. If you want to be ready for any kind of activity, you have to train your body and mind to it by frequent practice.

Marathon de New-York : {{w|Verrazano-Narrows B...
Image via Wikipedia

In Outliers, a wonderful book about what it means to excel, with speculations on what it takes, author Malcolm Gladwell points out that real mastery–whether of swimming, hockey, the violin, or rock music–takes about 10,000 hours of practice.

Now, you may not have that level of mastery in mind for your writing. And you really don’t have to have it, to write a good book. But the more you write, the easier it gets.

If you’re worried about your grammar or sentence structure–don’t. Today’s email- and SMS-trained readers are looking for content, not perfectly constructed sentences. They want authenticity; they want to hear the real you, “speaking” in your true voice. (If your spelling and grammar are truly atrocious, get help. Take a course or find a virtual assistant who can write for you.)

Of course, “true voice” is something to which serious writers aspire, and it can be elusive. Don’t obsess over that either. Just write. Daily.

My cousin is a runner. She’s 58, and feels incomplete if she doesn’t run daily. Running is not only easy for her; it scratches deep itches.

I feel that way about writing. When I don’t write, I feel as if something is wrong, as if I am not fully expressed. Not everything I write is wonderful, but I can do enough of it, easily, so that I can find good stuff in it.

That’s the facility I want you to have with writing. When the prospect of writing a blog post, a book subchapter, or a sales letter does not fill you with dread, but rather gives you anticipatory tingles.

Part of my method for writing books is ZipWriting; reading about how to do it may help you. It’s in the free book you can get here.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Filed Under: book love, book writing, inspiration, steps to write a book, write a book Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »