It's a funny thing about creativity. The very things that make you successful in other areas can be the things that stifle the spirit of discovery....
Feedback Is the Breakfast of Champions. How Nutritional Is Your Feedback?
Ken Blanchard is the first person I ever heard say, “Feedback is ‘The Breakfast of Champions.’” Feedback is important for athletes, managers, and...
Using Poetry To Improve Your Nonfiction Writing
“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful." ~ Rita Dove Good news! You don’t have to let poets have all the fun. You can use...
2 Reasons Why You Need Help To Write Your Book
The bookcase just didn’t fit in. When Bill and I lived in the same city, we spent a good deal of time together, mostly investigating the local brew...
How to Write a Book Introduction that Engages the Reader
It’s been a long day, but now dinner is done, and Dave sinks into his favorite chair. He reaches over and picks up a copy of your book for the first...
4 Ways to Make Progress on Your Book Every Day
Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer studied the inner work life of 238 people by analyzing more than 12,000 daily work diary entries. That research...
4 Kinds of Business Books and How to Make Them Great
When clients come to me for the first time, they usually have a pretty good idea of what they want to write about. Normally, they haven’t done much...
Yes, you’re creative! Now what?
You’re creative. It doesn’t matter what your mother said. It doesn’t matter what some art teacher told you. It doesn’t matter what you think. You’re...
How short should your book be?
That’s not a typo. I know that when most people talk or think about a “standard business book,” they ask how long it should be. And, in that case,...
Write drunk. Edit Sober.
“Write drunk. Edit sober.” Whether Ernest Hemingway ever said those words or not, there’s wisdom in that quote. It just doesn’t have anything to do...