creativity

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What Makes a Boring Book?

When I work with clients, I’m always asking them about the stories they’re including in their book. And through the phone, I can hear their skepticism; what place does story have in a serious book that has a serious message that helps people change their lives?

And I think that’s the exact problem! You’re so concerned with your message (very important) and showing your expertise and credibility (also important) you miss the most critical piece:

Connecting with Your Reader.

Frankly, your reader is NOT going to keep reading if your book is boring. And then your message goes right down the drain because they never read it!

What Makes a Boring Book?

It’s when your reader can’t relate to the material; it doesn’t feel relevant, they can’t imagine themselves in that same situation. There’s no emotional engagement.

STORY combats that all.

Using stories in your writing is the antidote for a boring book. #amwriting #brewyourbook Click To Tweet

I was once hired to edit a book about using the power of the Internet to build a freedom-filled life. It was all about websites and email marketing and social media. It should have been engaging (after all, I’ve got an online business!) but it wasn’t.

There wasn’t a single personal story in there. The author could have been… anybody. She didn’t share anything about her struggles, mistakes she’d made, or successes she’d enjoyed. Nada.

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Video – How to Maintain Your Creativity During a Big Project

You know that moment when you’re *ALMOST* done with a big project, the finish line is almost in sight, but… you’re just exhausted. Your creativity, your drive, and your energy is just DONE.

So, what do you do?

I was facing this exact same situation – so I share my plan of attack to know when to take time for self-care AND when to just get ‘er done!

How to maintain your creativity during a big project. #video #amwriting Click To Tweet

In this 2-minute video, I also share how to spot the difference between needing to pause and regroup versus when your mental monsters have you beat. Here’s how to maintain your creativity during a big project.


You can get the free eBook I mention in the video, “5 Mental Monsters that Keep You from Writing Your Book”, at: http://5MentalMonsters.com

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Are you making regular deposits in your Dream Account?

I do a lot of one-on-one Adventure Writing Discovery Sessions where I’m working with people to discover their best next move – that one thing that is not just a next step but the best next step.

And no, it isn’t always working with me!

But when I feel I can offer support: coming to an event, VIP coaching, a product, book publishing, ghostwriting, etc., I do share what that would look like. As well as the investment.

And that’s where the rubber really meets the road. Is your dream of writing and publishing your book really worth it?

Or not?

I’m not talking price. I’m not talking sacrifice. Because price and sacrifice, frankly, don’t get the job done. You don’t sacrifice to get your dreams – but you do invest in them.

Are you making regular deposits in your Dream Account? Click To Tweet

Are you investing in your dreams? Because all dreams are held in a Dream Account – where they wait while you build them up, little by little, until they can manifest in the physical world.

Or where they wither and die…

Let me tell you about making regular deposits in a Dream Account:

Beyond my degree in Creative Writing I’ve also invested in writing workshops all over the world. Time away from my family, airfare, tuition, and in the case of four weeks in Russia, FIERCE culture shock. But those experiences shaped me – as an author and as a person.

I published my first FIVE books while still working a full-time job. When I say “full-time” it was 35 hours a week from May – December and 60+ hours a week January – April. (I worked in my family’s tax practice.)  That was a big deposit in my Dream Account – to take the little steps, day after day, that created the big dream. Now I get to write every day as my own boss.

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Are you bored?

Seriously, ask yourself honestly:

Are you bored?

I find myself struggling around the change of seasons – specifically from winter to spring and from summer to fall. I find it hard to concentrate, all I want to do is watch Netflix or re-read my favorite books. I spend hours staring out the window. Afternoon naps become a go-to.

And weekends? The time where every working person in the world spends time at home to do the chores that keep a household running – yep, I spend as much of the weekend as possible out of my house (and office!). Then I spend parts of my workday catching up on laundry and dishes and vacuuming.

Why?

Because I’m bored.

It took me a while to see it…

But it’s been too long since doing something that stimulates my creativity.

I haven’t been backpacking.
I haven’t been working on my OWN projects.
I haven’t been to an event that teaches me something.
I haven’t been taking time for me.

Honestly ask yourself: Am I bored? Click To TweetAnd yes, I did go camping in February. But I’ve learned that car camping – as fun as it is – is the re-charge equivalent of a pop tart. Tasty in the moment, but ultimately filled with empty calories.

Days have been consumed with client projects, ignoring the housework I’ve been neglecting during the weekends, and trying to find satisfaction in “avoidance” things like Netflix or playing solitaire on the computer (because I can PRETEND I’m working – I’m sitting here, after all!).

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Pssst… You’re starting your book in the wrong place!

111516-pathWhy is it that you’re convinced that you have to start at the beginning?

Seriously…

Repeat after me:

I do not have to write my book’s introduction FIRST.

In fact, it’s pretty much an all-around bad idea. When you’re just starting your book, you don’t really know exactly what will be in it. You don’t know how you’re going to walk your reader through your ideas and stories. You just don’t know.

So you wander around trying to craft this amazing introduction – and you don’t really know what you’re introducing!

You do not have to write your book's introduction FIRST. Click To Tweet

No wonder you’re frustrated.

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Are You Stuck Writing the Beginning?

Momentum is a funny thing…

081616-RunningDownHillOnce you’re in motion – once the words are hitting the paper – there’s a feeling of running downhill, where each word falls out of your brain and onto the page easier, faster.

But getting those first few words onto the page so you can feel the benefits of momentum can be… tricky.

A friend of mine, Pamela Zimmer, was writing an article yesterday. She posted on Facebook, “So much to say… but can’t get those first few (perfect) words onto the page.”

And haven’t we all been there? When you can feel the story, the message, the words bubbling up but you can’t seem to get to the right pressure to have them actually bubble over. All too often, writers get frustrated in that moment and choose to walk away. They choose to not put words, any words, down onto the page.

So much to say but can't get those first few (perfect) words onto the page. What to do? Click To Tweet

Sound like anybody you know?

Are you so stuck with getting the beginning right that you forget about all the other things you want to express?

It’s something unique to non-fiction – and introduction. Really, in fiction (especially in short stories) the author doesn’t start at the beginning. She starts in the middle of the action. It’s not getting ready to shoot someone – the reader enters the story when the gun is in hand, finger on the trigger. In the MIDDLE of the moment.

So why do we abandon that when we’re writing non-fiction? Why the huge lead-ups, lengthy introductions? (BTW, this goes for books and articles!)

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Are You Following Your Dream?

When I was a junior in high school my dad bought a HUGE book that listed all the colleges in the USA and had endless listings about what you could declare as a major. (Actually, I think he bought a couple of these books!) There was a lot of talk around the dinner table about where I was going to go to college and what I’d study.

ONE time flipping through that book and I knew exactly what I wanted:

061416-UofATo study Creative Writing and to do it at the University of Arizona.

(The fact that U of A is in Tucson where I had a family was a plus. The fact that Dad graduated from there and I’d been raised a Wildcat was a huge bonus!)

I went through the last two years of high school knowing exactly where I was going to college and what I was going to study. When my friends were deciding if college was even something on their radar, I knew what I was going to do.

I knew.

I was moving in the direction of my dreams, taking a powerful action to someday become an Author.

Are you moving in the direction of your dreams? Click To Tweet

But here’s the weirdest thing…

All those friends who were undecided majors (or even undecided about college at all) got lots of approval and feedback from adults. Teachers and other adults alike would look at my peers and offer endless encouragement to pursue their dreams; go to college and find out what you want.

You want to know what they told me when they found out I was majoring in Creative Writing?

“What’s your backup plan?”

I kid you not! That’s what they said to me, over and over. Not “Great job to follow your dreams, Kim!” but “What’s your backup plan?”

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