Everyone Has a Book Within Them
There is not a week that goes by that someone doesn’t ask me, “Neil, I have a book that I want to write, what do I need to do?”
My answer is, “Write it!”
When my father retired to his home on a mountain in Arkansas, he got out some old notes about a book that he had always wanted to write. Finally, he did it. He wrote the book without a publisher. Although he knew very little about computers, he began to research E-publishing. After publishing his book “electronically”, he won an “EPPY” award which attracted a publisher to his work.
Now, 13 novels later, my father travels the southwest selling and signing books. While people get a real enjoyment out of reading his books, he’s living his dream. Check out his books HERE.
Everyone has a message. What’s yours?
“The Lord announced the Word, and great was the company of those who published it.” – David
Here’s how I write:
1. I develop the message. I actually speak the message multiple times before I ever think about writing it. If the message stays with me, I can’t shake it, I begin to think that I have something that I must write.
2. At this stage, it is so internal that I rarely have to craft to much of the outline, but I write a general one for guiding my thoughts.
3. I write one chapter then I send it to my editor. If I start tweaking and trying to edit it myself it becomes a mess.
4. I write the next chapter while she is editing the one that I sent her. She reviews, makes suggestions, and commentary on whether I need to expand a thought to make it clearer or not.
5. My goal is to communicate, not to be an author; therefore, I do not write to impress but to instruct. Educators take a simple truth and make it hard, while communicators take complexity and make it simple.
6. The hardest part of the book is the first sentence and the last sentence. You’ve got to know when to stop. Most messages can be communicated in less than 120 pages. Most people will not read more than that anyway, so don’t wear yourself out.
7. Publish your own book. A publisher wants to make money. He can’t do that with an unproven author.
8. Sell your own book. If you believe in what you have written, tell people about it.
My answer is, “Write it!”
When my father retired to his home on a mountain in Arkansas, he got out some old notes about a book that he had always wanted to write. Finally, he did it. He wrote the book without a publisher. Although he knew very little about computers, he began to research E-publishing. After publishing his book “electronically”, he won an “EPPY” award which attracted a publisher to his work.
Now, 13 novels later, my father travels the southwest selling and signing books. While people get a real enjoyment out of reading his books, he’s living his dream. Check out his books HERE.
Everyone has a message. What’s yours?
“The Lord announced the Word, and great was the company of those who published it.” – David
Here’s how I write:
1. I develop the message. I actually speak the message multiple times before I ever think about writing it. If the message stays with me, I can’t shake it, I begin to think that I have something that I must write.
2. At this stage, it is so internal that I rarely have to craft to much of the outline, but I write a general one for guiding my thoughts.
3. I write one chapter then I send it to my editor. If I start tweaking and trying to edit it myself it becomes a mess.
4. I write the next chapter while she is editing the one that I sent her. She reviews, makes suggestions, and commentary on whether I need to expand a thought to make it clearer or not.
5. My goal is to communicate, not to be an author; therefore, I do not write to impress but to instruct. Educators take a simple truth and make it hard, while communicators take complexity and make it simple.
6. The hardest part of the book is the first sentence and the last sentence. You’ve got to know when to stop. Most messages can be communicated in less than 120 pages. Most people will not read more than that anyway, so don’t wear yourself out.
7. Publish your own book. A publisher wants to make money. He can’t do that with an unproven author.
8. Sell your own book. If you believe in what you have written, tell people about it.
