Advice from the Masters: Michael Crichton

Writing Tips No Responses »
May 022012

Michael Crichton sold over 200 million books in his life. Most of them were action novels with a strong background in science and technology. Many of them were re-crafted into television productions and films. In 1994, he was the only writer ever to have a work ranked number one in books (Disclosure), film (Jurassic Park), and television (ER). Here’s his advice about writing books.

“Books aren’t written, they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.”

One of the biggest challenges when you’re writing a book is staying with it until you get it right. Sometimes that means blowing it all up and starting over. Sometimes it means going over and over and over the same chapter until it’s right.

Want more? Check out the complete list of Advice from the Masters posts.

Posted by Wally on May 2, 2012

Table of Contents as a Sales Tool

Making Money from a Book 3 Responses »
Apr 302012

I love watching people buy books in bookstores. Some of them swoop in to buy a book that they’ve already decided to own. Others browse, looking for a book. Those are the ones I like to watch.

They pick a book from the shelf. Sometimes they check out the endorsements on the back or the copy on the jacket flaps. But almost every thoughtful buyer checks out the table of contents.

That’s why you should make your table of contents work for you. Chapter titles are the key.

Make your chapter titles descriptive. Use your readers’ common language to give an idea in the title about what the chapter covers.

Make your chapter title a promise. Tell your reader what he or she will get from reading the chapter.

Be straightforward, even blunt. This is not the time for cute or “creative” writing. Skip the literary allusions and any and all puns. If you must do something like that, make it a subtitle.

We can write the greatest of books, but readers will not purchase them, let alone read them, if we don’t take the time to tell the reader what’s in it for him or for her. That’s what the table of contents is for.

Posted by Wally on April 30, 2012 Tagged with: ,

4/28/12: My Recent Writing on Writing

Wally's Writing No Responses »
Apr 282012

Here’s my writing about writing for this week. There were posts on three kinds of information products, writing advice from Anne McCaffrey, and my review of Tanveer Naseer’s blog.

Three Kinds of Information Products
There are three kinds of information products. You should have them all in your product portfolio.

Advice from the Masters: Anne McCaffrey
The author of the Dragonriders of Pern series says that the story is the most important thing.

Blogs I Like: Tanveer Naseer
Every week I highlight one business blog that I think sets a good example. This week, we’ll look at Tanveer Naseer’s blog and its superb, personal design.

You’ll find my writing about leadership and talent development on my Three Star Leadership Blog.

Current Client Projects

I’m writing blog posts for one client. I’m helping a strategy consultant write his book and coaching two other authors through the process of writing and publishing their first book.

If you’re interested in writing a book, hiring someone to write for you, or just improving your own writing, you should read my Zero Draft blog about the writing that makes a business or career grow.

If you want to get a book done or improve your writing, let’s talk about options. My coaching calendar currently has space open.

Information Products

If you’re a boss, you should check out my Working Supervisor’s Support Kit.

Posted by Wally on April 28, 2012 Tagged with: , , ,

Blogs I Like: Tanveer Naseer

Writing a Business Blog 1 Response »
Apr 272012

You can learn a lot from a good example. That’s why every week I highlight one great business blog. This week, it’s Tanveer Naseer’s blog.

If you want a great looking blog, there’s plenty of help available. There are templates you can purchase and clip art you can use. There are designers who stand ready to meet your desires.

Even so, you may have said to yourself, “I’d like a design that’s unique.” Tanveer Naseer’s blog design is unique, but it’s a lot more. First of all, it’s a good blog. Otherwise design wouldn’t matter much.

No one keeps reading a blog because the design is good. The design will impress you, but the content will keep you coming back. This isn’t just another pretty blog. You’ll come back for the content, but the design of Tanveer’s blog is exceptional.

The design is functional because blog has all the things you expect. There’s a search engine and categories that are just a click away. The design works and doesn’t get in the way.

The design is personal because it highlights things that are important to Tanveer. Look at the background. There are pictures of his children. I’m guessing he likes coffee and probably uses lots of Post-It Notes, since both are pictured on the page. He probably uses a smartphone, too, and checks his own site with it. Pretty neat.

Now scroll down. Look at how the sidebar is done. Scroll all the way down and you find a simple “About Me” that’s done in handwriting. And there’s my favorite graphic element: artwork by Tanveer’s children.

This is design that works on several levels. Technically it helps you use the blog and find the information that’s there. But it goes beyond that to give you a sense of who the author is and what’s important to him.

Check it out, enjoy, and learn.

Was that helpful? If it was you may want to check the complete list of blogs I’ve reviewed.

Posted by Wally on April 27, 2012 Tagged with:

Advice from the Masters: Anne McCaffrey

Writing Tips No Responses »
Apr 252012

Anne McCaffrey wrote a lot of things, but she was best known for her young-adult science fiction novels, “Dragonriders of Pern.” The twenty-plus books in that series sold millions of copies over forty years. She won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Her best writing advice is simple and powerful.

“Tell the readers a story! Because without a story, you are merely using words to prove you can string them together in logical sentences.”

We love stories. If there’s something important you want to say, we’re more likely to get it from a story than from closely-reasoned arguments.

Want more? Check out the complete list of Advice from the Masters posts.

Posted by Wally on April 25, 2012 Tagged with: ,

Three Kinds of Information Products

Making Money from a Book No Responses »
Apr 232012

An information product is the package where you put your information. You sell some products, like books. You give others, like blog posts, away. I think there are three kinds of products that should make up your portfolio that support each other and your business.

Core products, like books or speeches or audio, are the heart of your portfolio. Core products should stand on their own and deliver unique value. They should also point to each other. Your book should mention your speech where you can also mention your audio product.

Supplementary products add value to core products, but have little or no value without them. A good example is the workbook you develop to help readers get the most from your book. Some supplementary products, like workbooks, should be specific to a single core product. Others, like pocket reminder cards, may support several products.

Promotional products don’t generate revenue directly, but allow you to demonstrate your unique expertise. They can also point to your core products. Blog posts are the most common promotional products. Others are free webinars and autoresponder courses that whet a prospect’s appetite for what you have to sell.

Posted by Wally on April 23, 2012 Tagged with: ,

4/21/12: My Recent Writing on Writing

Wally's Writing No Responses »
Apr 212012

Here’s my writing about writing for this week. There were posts on when to use those “fancy” words and writing advice from Thomas Berger, author of Little Big Man.

Can you use “skullduggery” in a sentence?
“Keep it simple” is some of the best advice you can get as a writer. But, sometimes, a fancy word is just the thing.

Advice from the Masters: Thomas Berger
The author of Little Big Man suggests an excellent reason to write a book.

You’ll find my writing about leadership and talent development on my Three Star Leadership Blog.

Current Client Projects

I’m writing blog posts for one client. I’m helping a strategy consultant write his book and coaching two other authors through the process of writing and publishing their first book.

If you’re interested in writing a book, hiring someone to write for you, or just improving your own writing, you should read my Zero Draft blog about the writing that makes a business or career grow.

If you want to get a book done or improve your writing, let’s talk about options. My coaching calendar currently has space open.

Information Products

If you’re a boss, you should check out my Working Supervisor’s Support Kit.

Posted by Wally on April 21, 2012 Tagged with: , , ,

Advice from the Masters: Thomas Berger

Writing Tips No Responses »
Apr 182012

Thomas Berger has written novels, stories, and plays in his career, but he’s not what you’d call “super-famous.” Most people are more likely to recognize the name of one of his works, like, Little Big Man, than they are the name of the author. Still, all that experience makes the man a master in my eyes. Here’s a quote from Thomas Berger to get your thinking started.

“Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.”

That’s why many business writers write. They spot a hole in the market or they can’t find a book that puts things exactly the way they would, so they write it themselves. Jeff Senne and I did that with CyberPower for Business in the early days of the internet. My client, Susan Finerty, did that with her recent book, Master the Matrix.

Pick a subject you’re passionate about. If there isn’t a book that says everything the way you would, it’s a book that isn’t there. Maybe you should write it.

Want more? Check out the complete list of Advice from the Masters posts.

Posted by Wally on April 18, 2012 Tagged with: , ,

Can you use “skullduggery” in a sentence?

Writing Tips 3 Responses »
Apr 162012

“Eschew obfuscation.”

That’s one of my favorite bumper stickers, a common joke among writers, and great advice for writers everywhere. In fact, “Keep it simple” is about the best advice you can get as a writer. That doesn’t mean you should always use the simplest, shortest words. The meaning is the thing.

Gwyn Teatro and Paul Hebert are two of my favorite bloggers. Both recently used words in a post that most of us don’t use in everyday language and they did it well. Here’s how Gwyn used “skullduggery” in her post, “Keeping it Real.”

“The question is, in a world full of complexity, politics, big ideas and yes, even skullduggery, what can we do to ensure that we keep it real?”

And here’s Paul’s use of “ordure” in his post, “Hey Forbes – I Award You No Points And May God Have Mercy On Your Soul.”

“We should ALL be embarrassed this type of ordure is part of our business reading.”

If you’re considering using an uncommon or “fancy” word, these are good examples. Here’s why.

The words stand out in the post. The rest of the language is clear and straightforward, so the “fancy” word gets attention.

The words are used correctly. This isn’t “vocabulary on parade,” instead each writer uses the word to make a point. Meaning should always rule. If you know the word, you say to yourself, “Exactly!” and if you don’t you’ll look it up, which adds its own emphasis.

The words are used naturally. My guess is that neither writer had to look up the word they used. It came naturally and they kept it. That mimics my advice to clients.

Bottom Line

If you naturally use a “fancy” or uncommon word, try to take it out and replace it with simpler language. If nothing else works as well, though, keep the word and use it for emphasis.

Posted by Wally on April 16, 2012 Tagged with: ,

4/14/12: My Recent Writing on Writing

Wally's Writing No Responses »
Apr 142012

Here’s my writing about writing for this week. There were posts on writing how-to books, writing advice from Andy Rooney, and my review of Jon Ingham’s Strategic HCM blog.

How-to Books are like a Recipe
A good how-to book is like a good recipe. The reader should be able to take the book, follow the recipe, and get a good result.

Advice from the Masters: Andy Rooney
Andy Rooney was my favorite curmudgeon and it turns out that he had some good advice for writers.

Blogs I Like: Jon Ingham’s Strategic HCM Blog
Every week I highlight one business blog that I think sets a good example. This week, we’ll look at Jon Ingham’s Strategic HCM Blog.

You’ll find my writing about leadership and talent development on my Three Star Leadership Blog.

Current Client Projects

I’m writing blog posts for one client. I’m helping a strategy consultant write his book and coaching two other authors through the process of writing and publishing their first book.

If you’re interested in writing a book, hiring someone to write for you, or just improving your own writing, you should read my Zero Draft blog about the writing that makes a business or career grow.

If you want to get a book done or improve your writing, let’s talk about options. My coaching calendar currently has space open.

Information Products

If you’re a boss, you should check out my Working Supervisor’s Support Kit.

Posted by Wally on April 14, 2012 Tagged with: , , , ,
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