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Write
November 15, 2018
I take immense pride in writing as a craft, so it annoys me when people trivialise it, consider it a shtick, or don’t take it as seriously as they should.
Let me break down some of the things I’ve heard, the outlook some employ, and how they should actually be looking at it …
I am going to write a bestseller.
You may think you have THE IDEA, and that it’s going to be a bestseller. Guess what? About twenty-five million other writers think the same. You’re not unique in this. But you might think, But nobody’s had THIS idea. No, they have. But not this one. Uh uh. They have. And the reason I can tell you this is because I’ve heard this so many times.
Now I hope you do write a bestseller and you enjoy sustained success, but if your only motivation to write is you think you’ve discovered some untapped get-rich-quick scheme, you’re deluded. You may. You may. I’ll grant it does happen. But it’s rare. Most writers actually either work full-time jobs or part-time jobs to pay the bills, with writing complementing their income.
Write for the passion of it, not the money.
Write because you have a story you want to share with the world.
Write because you’re the only one who can tell that story.
I am writing a book to showcase my expertise!
Great. Fantastic. Showcase yourself and your expertise. You should. A book is a fantastic way to get your message out there. It can travel and represent you in a way it might be impossible for you to physically represent yourself, i.e. a book can go all over the world, whereas you might not be able to.
But a book is not a business card. A business card is one-dimensional. It contains details. A book is three-dimensional. It contains pages. The pages contain YOU. They sell your message. They offer your methodology. They break it down in a simple guide for the reader to follow. If the reader – as a consumer seeking expertise – can’t come to you, then your book can go to them. Your book is your ambassador.
You can use your book to market yourself – that’s fine. But don’t think jamming anything into the book itself will suffice because you’re still thinking of it acting as a one-dimensional product.
Write only what you can write.
Write your message, rather than dilute an amalgamation of messages others are peddling.
Shout your voice out into the world and let it carry your message to readers everywhere.
I want to write an autobiography – I’ve had an interesting life.
Brilliant. Everybody has a story. They mightn’t think it, but every life contains a message that can move, inspire, and change the lives of readers.
But work out what that message is – believe it or not, the good books in this genre have a message. It might seem that they’re just a chronological retelling of the author’s life, but there’ll be a point to it. Scott Stossel’s My Age of Anxiety is an excellent account of his ongoing battle with anxiety. Andre Agassi’s Open is a revealing story of how hollow he found what must’ve seemed a glamorous life to others, and how he grew up to take ownership of his future. A.B. Facey’s A Fortunate Life might encompass the author’s life and detail it chronologically, but it’s about how he overcomes continuing hardship in a new frontier and is grateful for the opportunities.
Messages – everywhere.
But a book shouldn’t be didactic. It shouldn’t be preachy. It should simply (and subtly) be part of the journey.
If you’re writing in this field, give some thought to what your story is.
I’m really interested in writing a history book about [INSERT SUBJECT].
Historians are my favourite author (or authors). Geoffrey Sandy has written three detailed volumes on St Margaret’s Church in Eltham and is still going. The Greensborough Historical Society compiled two volumes of stories about Greensborough throughout its history. The North Balwyn Tennis Club put together a book about the history of their tennis club commemorating fifty years (1962–2012). This list goes on.
And the reason these people are my favourite authors?
They’re NOT going into their projects with the motivation of writing a bestseller, earning riches, or winning acclaim. They are just passionate people interested in sharing a story about something important to them. That is their primary motivation: that passion to record something for posterity and share it with the world around them. What truer reason could there be for writing?
Historically, we’ve always recorded stories, preserving what was for future generations. Usually, it begins on a basic level, e.g. by word of mouth, a parent passing on a story to a child. In school, classes might be about state, national, or global history. In some cases, we might grow more interested in a subject matter and pursue it further, which is why it is important that we record these stories.
Stories matter.
A Well-Beaten Message
Take pride in your work, whatever your writing.
Don’t ever believe that your content will compensate for poor spelling, punctuation, or grammar; terrible presentation; or a shoddy product.
As people, we’re critical. When we pursue some form of recreation or education, we want to switch off and be immersed. But the moment we stumble upon an error or something implausible, we become wary. When it happens again that immersion is ruptured, and then we’re on shit patrol. Then we’re hyper-critical. Then we’re looking at finding more problems.
Take pride in making your book the best it can be.
Keep your reader immersed at all times.
When they put your book down, you want them to feel they’ve not only gotten value for money, but that it’s a book they lament leaving – and it’s one they’ll read again and again and again.
Writing is about making that connection.
Don’t let your reader down.
More importantly, don’t let yourself down.
The Guide to Writing Coaching Books – Part 3 of 3
October 18, 2018
‘However’ is NOT the most commonly used word used in the English language
Lots of authors – particularly writers in nonfiction – overuse ‘however’. There are two forms of abuse of the poor ‘however’.
1. When authors are trying to qualify a point …
Establishing and operating a business from home is not a prospect that should frighten you. However, the set-up can be a minefield.
Find another way to say what you want to say without relying on the ‘however.’ That does not mean removing the ‘however’ or substituting ‘although’. Think of ways to rephrase. E.g.
Whilst setting up and operating a business can be a minefield, it’s not a prospect that should frighten you.
2. To legitimise transition, even when there’s no causal evolution. E.g.
You are reading this blog. However, your dog has just metamorphosed into a butterfly.
There’s no logical connection between the two statements. But the use of ‘however’ makes the evolution feel logical. It’s not. It’s lazy.
Finally, the use of ‘however’ is striking. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable that you need to use it. However, when they keep popping up, they become an eyesore and disrupt the narrative.
Don’t undermine yourself
If you’re communicating a message, then believe in that message. Don’t be wishy-washy. E.g.
One of the best practices I’ve found is every night, I make a list up of what I have to do the next day. Of course, this mightn’t be for you.
Then why are you telling me? Why are you wasting my time with a suggestion that you’re not even enforcing? If you have a set of practices that help you, then assert those practices. This is what your book’s about.
There’s absolutely no point – in fact, it’s insulting – to offer a message, and then in the next sentence suggest it mightn’t be what the reader’s looking for. If it mightn’t be for the reader, then it probably has no place in your book. Do this often enough, and people will wonder what’s the point of reading your book if your ideas amount to ‘take it or leave it’.
This doesn’t mean you have to shout at the reader, YOU MUST DO THIS! You don’t have to browbeat them. But neither do you have to undermine yourself.
Your book is meant to be a guide, not a list of offhand suggestions. If you don’t have confidence to insist on what you’re proclaiming as advice, then why will the reader have confidence in you?
Watch your exclamation marks!
Sure, you might think every line you’re writing is emphatic! And that’s fine to be passionate! But there comes a point when the use – well, the overuse – of the exclamation mark is distracting! Worse, it’s one of these things we do unwittingly! Look back through your work, and see if you’re overusing the exclamation mark! You might just be surprised!
Your first draft is NOT gold
Writing isn’t just about writing. It’s also about rewriting. Your first draft is likely to be rough – the outpourings of somebody with lots of energy, lots to say, but often lacking focus. This is the way writing works: it’s an exploration of ideas.
Sometimes, that exploration becomes a wander as we try to find our way. It’s like trying to find your way all across town to somewhere new – there’ll be wrong turns, there’ll be detours, and whilst you might inevitably arrive at your destination, it’s not the course to take all the time. You find a better and direct route to get you to the same place.
Go through your writing with the pointers from this three-part blog in mind. See what can be revised, revised, revised. Then, revise it!
Finally … be YOURSELF
Tell your story exactly as you would tell me, if we were sitting across a table from one another at lunch. Don’t use big words (if you don’t normally) because you think it’ll impress the reader. Don’t wax lyrical, and try to impress everybody with your knowledge. Don’t fire off jokes if that’s not usually your thing.
There is something in writing called VOICE. Every writer has one. It’s the way the book talks to the reader. If you’re putting on airs to write your book, then you’re not being true to your VOICE, and the disingenuousness will show in the writing. It won’t connect with the reader. It won’t be you.
So be YOURSELF.
You are unique.
You are special.
You have your own message to deliver.
The Guide to Writing Coaching Books – Part 2 of 3
October 4, 2018
Avoid repetition
Repetition might work for midnight infomercials, where the presenter is saying to you, ‘But, wait, there’s more!’ But TV is a visual medium where repetition works as an assault to gain attention. In reading you already have your audience’s attention. The reader would not have picked up your book unless they were interested in what you have to say.
Don’t make the same point over and over and over, thinking that the more times you say something, the stronger you’re making that point. You’re not. You’re boring your reader. Writing is about economy. Say things once. Move on. Trust your reader got it. How would you like it if I stood by your side and reread this paragraph to you ad nauseam? You wouldn’t. You’d go nuts. There’s no reason to do the same thing in print.
The only time to use repetition is if it’s for stylistic purposes.
Don’t self-quote
This has grown as a trend throughout this market – authors quoting themselves, the way they’d cite quotes from other names of note in their field.
I understand the logic behind it. It’s a form of self-elevation, so the author stands parallel to their peers, but there’s a gross redundancy about it.
The whole book is the author talking to the reader. So why the need for a quote?
Avoid repetition
Repetition might work for midnight infomercials, where the presenter is saying to you, ‘But, wait, there’s more!’ But TV is a visual medium where repetition works as an assault to gain attention. In reading you already have your audience’s attention. The reader would not have picked up your book unless they were interested in what you have to say.
Don’t make the same point over and over and over, thinking that the more times you say something, the stronger you’re making that point. You’re not. You’re boring your reader. Writing is about economy. Say things once. Move on. Trust your reader got it. How would you like it if I stood by your side and reread this paragraph to you ad nauseam? You wouldn’t. You’d go nuts. There’s no reason to do the same thing in print.
The only time to use repetition is if it’s for stylistic purposes, like this.
Be thorough but succinct
Everybody can have a tendency to babble, particularly verbally. Have you been at a party when you’ve needed to explain something, only to go on and on, and then realise later how you could’ve been much more expedient? You often think of how to be more concise once you’ve thought things through, or had a chance to take another stab at it.
Take this example:
- Setting up a new business can be daunting. It’s a prospect filled with many risks. There are many things to consider – pitfalls that both the inexperienced and experienced can fall into, which is one of the reasons operating a business can be so frightening. There are numerous tasks to consider, and it’s best to have a system in place – a framework of procedures and protocols that establish your parameters and cant act as guides.
This is a very wordy way of saying:
- Setting up a new business can be filled with many risks, both for the experienced and inexperienced. It’s best to get a system in place to act as a guide to help avoid pitfalls.
Which is better to read? The first example is clunky and dense, using 74 words. The second uses just 34 words to say exactly the same thing.
Tell me who everybody is
Don’t start prattling on about workmates or family or friends without introducing them – like everybody should know who they are, e.g.
- ‘Gary was surprised by the response we got to this incentive.’
Who is Gary? Is he a friend? A brother? A boss? The dog? This occurs frequently – authors mentioning somebody they might know well, but whom the reader is going to be unfamiliar with. If you’re going to introduce somebody, the first time you introduce them clarify who they are in relation to you.
- ‘Gary, our Regional Manager, was surprised by the response we got to this incentive.’
That’s how simple clarity is.
The Guide to Writing Coaching Books – Part 1 of 3
September 27, 2018
There is no formula for writing a book that works for everybody, although there are templates that tell you that a book should be X chapters, include a bonus chapter, contain these and those appendices, and each chapter should contain roughly 2,500 words, accumulating to a total of roughly forty to fifty thousand words.
What it comes down to is this: in writing a book, your job is to deliver your message in the least amount of words possible, not the most amount of words available. Yes, that’s right: the least amount of words possible. This doesn’t mean you have to skimp or take shortcuts or omit details.
Include everything that is NECESSARY.
If you can cut something and it doesn’t affect what you’re trying to say in your book, then it’s UNNECESSARY. It might be the greatest piece of writing ever. You may be sure it’s going to wow readers. Well, tough. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, your book doesn’t need it.
For example, you might have a particularly amusing anecdote. Ask yourself:
- are you telling this anecdote simply because it’s a nice story?
- are you telling this anecdote because it characterises some aspect of your business or imparts a lesson?
A book is as long as it needs to be to communicate its message. If that means it’s 10,000 words or 100,000 words, that’s fine. There’s NO set formula. Just say what you have to say. It’ll take as long as it has to take. Don’t feel short-changed if your book is shorter than others on the market. Consider The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann, which is only about 30,000 words but a global bestseller.
Here are some pointers worth considering …
Your message should be unique
If your book only exists so you can relay what other business and/or self-help gurus have suggested, then you have nothing original to say. Go away.
You are your own person. You have your own message, your own experiences, your own way of doing things. These other people might complement or support what you have to say, but your message should be truly your own. If it’s anybody else’s, then you may as well hand out a pamphlet recommending that other person’s book.
Make sure your book says what only you can say, that you wrote it because you were the only person qualified to write it, and nobody else could deliver the information you have.
What message are you trying to communicate?
What’s your book about? Make sure you have this clear in your head. A book about better business practices isn’t a memoir, although it might use real experiences to demonstrate those practices, whether successfully or unsuccessfully – as long as they have a point. Be clear on your message. Break down how you’re going to deliver that message. Outline it, if necessary, and what chapters will be dedicated to what components to deliver your message.
Cross-reference as little as possible
It’s not building anticipation if, in Chapter 1, you say, ‘In Chapter 7, we’ll discuss so and so’, and if in Chapter 2, you say, ‘But we’ll discuss this more in Chapter 6’. There might be a necessity for some cross-referencing, but limit this AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Too much cross-referencing is sloppy and confusing, and suggests that content is scattered haphazardly throughout the book, instead of self-contained to the chapters where it belongs.
Let Us Help You
September 20, 2018
Often, this blog is dedicated to writing fiction. This week, we’re going to look at writing nonfiction – specifically, books that are designed to showcase the author’s expertise and knowledge in a specific industry.
Inexperienced writers think it’s easy. It’s no different to writing an autobiography – after all, all the material is there. Just spill it out onto the page, and that’s it. Perfect. Ready for some lucky reader to digest.
As somebody who has written for over thirty years, and who’s worked obsessively to get things as good as possible before submitting them anywhere, this belief infuriates me. I don’t say this to bignote myself. But too many people have the preconception that writing – any writing – is just a dump (and you can take that colloquially).
No other vocation is treated with this dismissiveness. I don’t waltz into surgical theatres and announce that I’m ready to perform brain surgery, because I’ve had an idea about doing a brain surgery for the last ten years. I don’t suggest that I could stroll onto centre court at Wimbledon and take on Roger Federer, because I can visualise myself as a great tennis player.
These – and other vocations – are skillsets that take time, practice, and experience to develop. Writing is a craft. It frustrates me that some writers can be so haphazard with their form. Actually, it not only frustrates me, but I hate that some writers believe that the nucleus of their idea is so brilliant, that it’ll wow every reader into ignoring things like prose, structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and everything else that goes into writing.
I would hesitate to see a professional whose book was slipshod. Why would I value their expertise if their book is terrible? If you’re a plumber, and your book lacks clarity and is full of errors, why would I trust you? If you can’t take care with your book, why would I believe you would in your chosen speciality?
Obviously, in these cases these professionals may not be aspiring authors. They may want a book as part of branding. They may want it to showcase their expertise. And that’s fine. But care has to be infused into the product, as well as the efforts that go into the writing. This intimidates some because they don’t have any background that relates to writing.
But that’s where a simple thing called learning kicks in. You wouldn’t decide to work on your car’s engine without first learning something about it. Sure, you could go in and experiment, but success is unlikely. You’d probably just ruin the car. Then where do you go? Figuratively and literally?
There are practices that writers can learn. A simple question to ask yourself is, In one or two simple sentences, what is my book about? If your answer turns into a rambling discourse and your audience begins yawning, you don’t know yourself what your book is about. You’re trying to find the way yourself – and that’s fine, but as preparation. When you sit down to write, you should have a good idea what you’re going to write about. In fiction, you can feel your way. In this sort of nonfiction, you need to know.
This is one of the primary reasons we’re running our Book-Writing Boot Camp, a two-day workshop in October. Now you might be thinking, Well, here was the point of this blog – here’s the hard sell. Well, I would be lying if I didn’t admit to an element of that. But a bigger part of the truth is that we care about the book you want to write.
There are others out there who don’t. They’ll tell you they do. They’ll flatter you and seduce you with sweet whispers of how the market needs your book, how what you have to say needs to be out in the world, how this can lead to greater fame and fortune. Well, you know what? (And this comes from somebody who subcontracted for such places in the past.) They’re full of shit. They’ll tell you what you want to hear because they want your money. Watch how many of these places will be open and friendly before you’ve paid any money, and how they’re unreachable once they have it.
Another issue is that lots of these people have little-to-no-idea about how writing – and publishing – works. They may understand on a superficial level – enough to help you produce a book. But that’s really just about achieving their objective: getting your money and giving you a product. They don’t care about that product. They don’t care about its quality. They’re fast food vendors: in, out, next!
We care here. We care because we’ve seen authors burned and gouged of hard-earned savings, we’ve seen people manipulated and lied to, and – as artists ourselves – we hate it. We hate that people can be treated like that. We hate that people are going in with good intentions and being screwed into spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on things they don’t need and exorbitant print runs, while also surrendering royalties and rights that should be rightfully theirs if they’re self-publishing.
At Busybird Publishing, we’ve always been about wanting to help you tell the story only you can. We want to try and help you find it. We want to arm you with as many tools as we can – and fast-track your development as a writer – so you can do justice to whatever vision you’re nurturing. And, at the end of it all, we want you to walk away happy, content, and educated, and proud of what you’ve done.
Give it a thought if you want to tackle the prospect of writing a book.
You have a message only you can share.
Let us help you.