Technical Details

Learning vs Doing: How to Get the Most Out of the Courses You Buy

There’s a big difference between watching a class on how to do a thing and DOING the thing. And for most learning, you can’t simply absorb the “lecture” and then be able to do the process.

For example, I bought a workshop on Instagram Reels from Marta Spirk. BUYING the workshop didn’t impart any knowledge.

I wasn’t able to attend the workshop live (story of my life) so I had to make time to watch the workshop replay. Because it was a replay, I was also able to pause it (over and over) to open popsicle wrappers, change a diaper, and queue up an episode of Blaze and the Monster Machines.

But just WATCHING the replay still didn’t give me the confidence to create a reel.

I had to watch the workshop, whip out my phone, open Instagram, and DO THE ACTIONS.

Which I did. While I’m far from good at creating reels, and I’ve yet to figure out how to create one that has anything to do with writing a book, I was able to shoot and edit a reel that was far more complicated than what I’d done before.

Total time: about three hours.

Don’t panic that it took me three hours to create a 15-second video!

That time includes watching the 90-minute workshop, asking questions in the Facebook group, and doing the steps to create the reel. But now that I’ve DONE IT, the next reels will be significantly faster. Minutes instead of hours.

Learning isn’t instant.

And you won’t be able to write a book from JUST watching my training videos.

You’ll understand the theory. You’ll THINK you “get it.” But without taking the actions in the lessons, writing, and doing the steps, you won’t ever actually WRITE a book.

Frustrating but true.

A few months ago, I took a class on how to scan in my watercolor artwork and use Photoshop to digitize it for art prints and products. It is so much more involved than just “scan and print!” Currently, I’m working on taking a set of four of my paintings and turning them into notecards – so I can send you mail.

Even though I’d taken this class to learn all the steps to color correct, crop, resize, etc. my art, I STILL tried to shortcut the system. Scan it into Photoshop, try a few automatic color corrections, load to Vistaprint to make notecards.

And it looked like CRAP. Nothing I wanted to spend my money on to print, let alone to send to YOU.

WHY this surprised me, I’ll never know. The instructor was VERY CLEAR that I couldn’t do what I’d just tried.

I know why I’m trying to shortcut it. It’s a four-hour long class. Yes, I’ve watched it – but I didn’t take notes, let alone TRY any of the steps she was giving.

Is the time I spent watching the class wasted?

Only if I don’t watch it again!

  1. Watching without doing gave me the language of this new, technical skill.
  2. Watching without doing gave me the foundation of the process.

Next I’ll need to watch and take notes. (So I don’t have to watch it over and over when I want to DO it.)

And while I’m watching and taking notes, I’ll have my computer in front of me to ALSO follow along.

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7 Tips for Writing a Non-Boring About the Author Page

As more and more of my clients are [this close] to releasing their books, I find I’m talking with them a lot about writing their “About the Author” page for their books.

Know that you’re going to need an About the Author for more than JUST the end of the book! You’ll need it for press releases, speaker one-sheets, and more.

And, you should update this at LEAST once a year! After all, things change. I’ve had to update mine to add in that I’m now a mom of TWO.

Here are my top 7 rules for writing a kick-ass author bio!

1. Write in third person
Use your full name the first time. (Be sure to decide which variation of your name you want to use! I’ve been transitioning from Kimberly to Kim – I like Kim better!) You’ll use plenty of pronouns so be sure to intermingle your name in there as well. It’s up to you if you’ll use your first name or your last. Personally, I usually use my first name (Kim) and save the Ms. Eldredge for more formal bits of writing. Now, if I was DOCTOR Eldredge, I might be more inclined to use “Dr. Eldredge” as opposed to Kim.

2. You’ll have different versions of the bio
At a bare minimum, you’ll need three versions:

  • End-of-book (300-500 words)
  • End-of-article (100-200 words)
  • Blurb (25 words or less)

AND you might have different variations on the bio as well. I write in two distinct genres, outdoor recreation and book publishing. My bio for my outdoor recreation books isn’t going to impress the entrepreneurial world; they don’t care many year’s camping experience I have!

Don’t forget that each version needs to link your opt-in gift!

3. Lead with your credibility
This can be your degree, training or certificates. Just make sure it applies! If you have a certificate in underwater basket weaving but your book is about investing, it might be best to leave that “credential” off. Your credibility can also include awards you’ve won, memberships, and education. This can be a bit dry (okay so a LOT dry) so limit it to the most relevant. Also skip the alphabet soup UNLESS you know your audience will

  • KNOW what the abbreviation means
  • CARE that you have earned it.

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How Long Should Your Book Be?

It happens, sooner or later, with every “Finally Write Your Book VIP Mentorship” author…

How long should my book be?

And I have to take a deep breath. Because it’s one of those answers that all boils down to, “it depends.” (And we ALL hate those answers!)

And I know you want to write a book that has enough heft to it that people really think they are getting a lot of bang for their buck.

Let me ask you a different question, though.

Have you ever read a book that was clearly inflated with “filler”?

This was a trick many of my peers in University writing classes would do: write their paper then go back and insert a sentence BETWEEN every sentence. Bang! Instantly, the paper doubled in length. But these new sentences were just filler sentences and didn’t add any substance or depth to the paper. (It was VERY common for research papers when I was at the University!)

These papers might have started out well-researched and well-thought out, but they ended up flimsy and full of loose, extraneous writing.

Don’t forget: a college research paper HAS to be a certain number of pages, but your book does not! Nobody puts you in “book jail” if you don’t hit a certain number of words!

Your #book needs to deliver everything it promises and not promise what you can't deliver. Click To Tweet

When you’re writing your book, you want to give the reader enough information that she will put down the book feeling that she really understands what you’re talking about, her life has changed for the better because she read your book, and she has a clear idea of what she needs to do next to continue to change her life.

(On the flip-side you don’t want to put everything you know into a book, either!)

Trust me, there’s a fine line between clearly outlining the steps to your reader’s transformation and giving away the farm!

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How to Squeeze Extra Writing Time Out of Your Day

There comes a point when each of my Finally Write Your Book VIP Mentorship Clients looks at the calendar and freaks out over how much they still want to write on their book and the time they have left in the program.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the tip I give them to squeeze “extra” writing time out of the day:

Think more.

Yep, think more.

This isn’t WORRY more. It’s not beat yourself up because you’re not writing in this very moment.

Imagine what could happen if you re appropriated “wasted” time in your day to be planning what you’ll work on in your next writing session.

Here’s an example:

Say you’re going to write a story about that time you screwed up at work. You know you need to get yourself back into the moment:

  • What were you feeling?
  • What was said? By whom?
  • How did you get to the moment of screw up?
  • What happened next?

Not to mention the other details:

  • Where were you?
  • What did that place look like? Smell like? Sound like?
  • What were you wearing?
  • Who was there?
  • What did they say, do, wear?

Putting all of these details in are how your reader engages and feels emotion. And because it’s non-fiction, you can’t just make up. You’ve got to bring out the pertinent details (and invent what you don’t remember clearly.)

No wonder your mini-goal writing session is hard! That’s a lot to think about, to capture on the page.

So move your THINKING out of your writing time.

Do all the remembering, both real and invented, during times when you’re on autopilot. Like while you’re in the shower, doing dishes, folding laundry, or exercising.

Note: this isn’t a great exercise for while you’re driving. But if you’re a passenger, go for it!

Then, when you sit down to write that scene, you don’t need to “get into the mood” or dive into the memory. That is already done! All you need to do is capture it on the page.

And just like that, you’re getting more writing “done” without sacrificing family time, your business, or your sleep!

I know that you set big goals for your book and your message. The pressure of the clock is universal – especially since today is October 1st and it feels like 2019 is over. (Hello pumpkin spice EVERYTHING, you’re the herald of “give up” season.)

But don’t give up!

You still have 90 days left in 2019. That’s a lot of time to work on your book and make it a reality.

Speaking of…

I’m looking for two more authors who are ready – right now – to write their books. I’m opening a “pop up” mini-group of the VIP Mentorship that kicks off Monday, October 14. Unlike a typical group of 8-10 authors, this group is only for three. (One spot is filled.)

If you’re ready to write your book in 2019, click here to get on my calendar. We’ll jump on the phone to go over investment, timeline, and what you’ll get. Remember, you’ll be in a smaller group – so you’ll receive more individualized attention!

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Tell me a story… Or how NOT to be boring!

I read. A lot.

That’s hundreds of thousands of words each year that I consume. Want to know what keeps me scrolling down or flipping pages?

Stories.

(And no, I don’t only read fiction! I mostly read non-fiction, actually.)

What I’ve discovered through my years of working with non-fiction authors is that very few actually understand the power of story – and know how to harness that power to keep readers turning pages, to make the messages sink in, to make their words have significance and impact.

Stories are how we interact with the world – not just the 1, 2, 3 of plot but the emotion that a well-crafted story can invoke. So then why, for heaven’s sake, aren’t more non-fiction writer’s getting on board with story?

Stories are how we interact with the world. Are you telling stories in your writing? Click To Tweet

Earlier this year, I was working with a client on a fascinating project about inner wisdom – how to listen to it, how to let it guide you. Fascinating and much-needed topic that was being addressed in ways I’d never seen before.

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It *Might* Be Time to Throw Out Your Writing…

When I was a kid, I took several semesters of art classes at the local community college. These classes were for retired folks and the occasional homeschooled kid. (That was me; homeschooled in eighth grade.)

There was this gentleman, let’s call him, George, who took this class, semester after semester, year after year. He loved painting and over the years had drastically improved his skills.

At least once per semester, George would set up his easel and out would come … the brown horse. It was a large painting of a brown horse in a field of green.

And it was terrible.

You could barely tell it was a horse! The colors were muddy, the lines were uneven, the shading and tones of the paint … you get the picture. (Now, remember, George actually was a skilled artist. By this time, he’d started displaying and selling his works in local cafes.)

No matter what George tried, that brown horse was unfixable. There just wasn’t enough paint in the world – or an artist skilled enough – to make it look anything other than what it was: a crappy painting.

Then, one fateful blustery afternoon in early March—the kind of afternoon that makes you feel like you’ll never be properly warm again—our art instructor, Joanna, pondered George’s painting. She’d been watching him struggle with this painting for several weeks (in this semester). With a hand wrapped around her chin, she finally said,

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How Often Should You Back Up Your Writing?

This question was asked by Holly Doherty in the Finally Write Your Book Facebook group:

How often do you print a hard copy backup of your book? (I do an external hard drive backup about once a month) For context, I write almost every day, and add it to my Word doc 3-4x/week, so I’m adding content consistently.

Great question Holly! And GREAT to be thinking of backups.

Here’s a personal story for you…

When I was graduating from the University of Arizona – getting my degree (with honors) in Creative Writing – I had to write and submit a thesis. 270 pages of all original writing: poems, stories, plays, and an essay. It was the culmination of a year’s worth of creative work – and was the piece of writing that had to be completed and turned in so I could graduate, and graduate with honors.

That was the semester that my computer decided to be a Pain In The A$$. At Thanksgiving, I asked my dad to bring me a new one. I spent nearly the entire holiday weekend setting up programs, transferring files, and working on my thesis – it was due the next week. I missed out on making tamales with my family (our Black Friday tradition), I missed out on the U of A/ASU football game, I missed out on a precious weekend with my grandparents, great aunt and uncle, and my folks.

I had a deadline.

Then, Monday morning, when I was working on the thesis before class…

BANG!

I threw myself on the floor, convinced that somebody had just done a drive by on my aunt’s house. (It wasn’t a sketchy area of Tucson AT ALL but DAMN! it sure sounded like a gunshot!)

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