Write Your Business Book Even Though You Have No Time (Seriously)
Writing a book is probably not your day job. You want to write a business book to reap the benefits. But how? Your job is demanding. You may also have a family with children at home and a host of social and community obligations. Oh yeah, you also must find time to...
Idea Alchemy: Improve Your Writing With the 5 Cs
Writing is the art of wrestling the angels of meaning onto a page. Good ideas help you do that better. Here’s a simple way to get more good ideas into your writing. Cultivate Take steps every day to cultivate the conditions that yield great ideas. Improve your inputs....
What Will Your Book Do for You?
Nothing. That’s right, no matter how great a book you write, it won’t do a thing for you. You must do it all yourself. Here are four things you must do to reap the benefits of writing a book you can be proud of.. Write the Best Book You Can Your book must deliver...
There may be a book inside you. Should it stay there?
You’ve heard the saying, “Everybody has a book inside them.” Well, Shelby Foote, Christopher Hitchens, and many others have added to that as follows, “Everybody has a book inside them, and in most cases that’s where it should stay.” If you bristle at that, hear this....
My Review of Tiny Experiments
I expected big things from this book. It exceeded my expectations. I’ve lived my life believing that trying things out was the best way to learn if they worked. I’ve read most of the books about experiments in business and life. None of them captured the practicality...
Write To Please Your Reader, Not Your Old English Teacher
I love my English teachers! They introduced me to literature and the wide world of reading. They taught me the basics of writing and forced me to write and read a lot. That was all excellent preparation for the writing I would do later in life. But there’s a problem....
Nonfiction Authors: How to write books that beat AI
Does the threat of AI make you nervous? Eighty-six percent of the respondents to a UK Society of Authors survey agreed with the statement that “generative AI will devalue creative work produced by humans.” It’s the opposite. AI is more likely to increase the value of...
Dances with Goals: 3 Kinds of Goals You Need to Write a Great Book
“Jerry is the most self-disciplined person I’ve ever known.” That’s what Jerry’s wife says, and everybody who knows Jerry would agree. He checks everything off his to-do list every day. He goes to bed and gets up at the same time every day. He works out, and he eats...
The Parttime-Author’s Guide: Top 5 Things to Avoid
OK, you’re starting on your book. You know it will be challenging because writing isn’t your day job. You’ve also got family and community obligations to consider. Plus, writing your book is a long-term proposition. It’s going to take you a year or more of consistent...
Procrastinate Like a Pro for Creativity and Stress Relief
Everyone seems to think that procrastination is a bad thing. But there are two kinds of procrastination. Psychologists call one “escapism.” That can be bad because you can escape from writing or other important work until it’s too late. But there’s also strategic...
