story ideas

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There IS a magical day in every year…

When I walked into PT Tuesday morning, the therapist commented how since it is November second, the year was practically over.

Um…

No, it isn’t!

We have TWO WHOLE MONTHS left in 2021.

Are the last 65 days of the year a bit… hectic? From Halloween through New Year’s, yes, we’re ALL super busy with extra activities.

But that doesn’t mean the year is OVER just give up! There are still EIGHT WEEKS left in the year with which to go after your goals, dreams, and yes, work on your book.

Eight weeks is a long time. It has so much potential. Don’t just give up.

I totally get the feeling of “Ugh. Let’s just get OUTTA here already!” Except, may I remind you we thought that exact same thing LAST November and what did it get us?

All this anxiousness for the last 60 days and then January rolled around and you realized something:

Nothing MAGICAL actually happens on January 1!

Ever!

Not in 2019.
Not in 2020.
Not in 2021.
Not in 2022.

Let me tell you the most magical day of the ENTIRE YEAR.

Are you ready?

I’ll build the suspense…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TODAY!

Today is the most magical day of the year.

Today is the perfect day to start, to begin again, to renew your goal or intention, to rest, recoup and THEN start again.

 

And no, I’m not being trite or oversimplistic.

Today really IS the best day for you. It’s got all this MAGIC and possibility.

 

Sure, January FEELS sparkly and new. But in the northern hemisphere it’ll still be cold, windy, dreary, and more cold. (Almost exactly like December except without Christmas lights.)

It’s not ACTUALLY magical.

Today, you can make magic.

And here’s where it starts:

I want you to take a BIG action toward writing your book. Yes, a BIG one.

I want you to invest in yourself, your message, your story, and your readers by enrolling in “Storytelling for Non-Fiction Authors: Learn to Write Captivating, Emotion-Invoking Stories that Keep Your Reader Turning Pages and Get Your Message Across” which I’ll be teaching LIVE – starting November 8.

Enroll Here

  • After our five weeks of live training together, you will have the skills to effectively share your story – so that your reader is engaged, learning, and above all, REMEMBERS the principles you’re teaching.
  • You’ll no longer be struggling to come up with “examples” – you’ll know when to use a story and how to craft it.
  • You know exactly how to create emotions in your reader – no need to increase the drama or trauma.
  • You will know that your writing isn’t boring, pedantic, or too heavy. Your reader will keep turning pages.
  • You know your message is getting across – so you can help the people you’re meant to help.

Enroll Here >>> Your Book Needs Stories

Don’t wait! I know it’s so EASY to make this one more thing you have to “think about” or plan to do later. Except you’ll forget (I do!) And then when you go back… the early bird expired. Or the course is full.

To help you make the decision, I’m also offering a great Early Bird Bonus to the first 10 authors who enroll. You’ll join me for a half-day virtual storytelling retreat to get my eyes on your writing. That’s a $997 value RIGHT THERE on TOP of the other amazing bonuses you get when you enroll.

So enroll right now.

 

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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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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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Are You Telling Enough Stories in Your Writing?

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?

101116-storyStories.

(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?

Using stories in your non-fiction writing invokes reader's emotions. 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.

And it was dry-as-dust boring.

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Stories Make Memories – Are You Using Stories in Your Writing?

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.

041916-EngagementFrankly, 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.

Readers don't connect with your material if it's boring. Story is the cure to a boring book! Click To Tweet

STORY combats that all.

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.

I understand not wanting to put your vulnerability on the page. But you DO have a second option: case studies! If you don’t want to (or can’t) use your own stories, share stories from your clients, friends, people you’ve helped, etc. She could have done that.

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Are You Fighting Your Project? 7 Tips to Get You Writing Again

011216-FrustratedWriterDo you ever have one of those projects that you just struggle and struggle with? The type that no matter what you seem to do, it just keeps falling apart?

When I’m working on a writing project, 95% of the time, it just flows. Pretty much effortlessly. (It’s okay, you can hate me now!) But I’ve come to realize that when a writing project DOESN’T flow, it usually mean that something isn’t working in the pre-work of the project.

Here are my seven tips when a project isn’t working:

1. Do you have all your research compiled?
A lot of the time, when I’m fighting the words, it’s because I haven’t researched my material enough to know where I’m going. This research may be the typical type: Googling facts, reading articles, blogs, magazines, and books, interviewing experts. Or it may be the thought exercises of thinking, outlining, and planning.

2. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Tired?
Seriously, this matters! There is one chapter in “Pitch Your Tent: A Family’s Guide To Tent Camping” that I just struggled and struggled with. Then I realized I was trying to write this long, technical chapter late in the evening, night after night. I dedicated an afternoon to it and BOOM! Written. The same goes for when you’re brain isn’t functioning at peak because you’re hungry or thirsty. Brain snacks and plenty of water!

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What happens when you write something really vulnerable?

Vulnerable. It’s a buzz word in the expert industry. Something that you do – on purpose – to show you’re human. To help people relate to you. Experts talk about when they shared their vulnerabilities with their prospects or clients, amazing things happened.

And I pretty much dismissed it as a marketing ploy.

033115-DelicateGrassSure, I love to hear about the trials and triumphs in someone’s life and business. It taps into that part of my brain that also loves gossip and looking at tabloid photos while I’m waiting in the grocery store checkout line.

But true vulnerability? That piece of a soul that is too delicate to be touched, but that still could be shared. There was a part of me that scoffed. Who really wants to put all that out on the Internet for everybody to read? Who wants to read it? What’s the REAL purpose?

But can I tell you something? When you get really vulnerable – the type that makes you squirm a bit – BIG stuff happens.

However – and this is a big caveat – it can’t be for an ulterior motive! If you’re getting “vulnerable” for the “Look at me! Look at me!” part of your personality that isn’t real vulnerability. That’s narcissism.

And because I have strong feelings about the line between private and public, I’ve never gotten really vulnerable in a public forum. (If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you get more back story but it’s never been really raw.)

Until last week.

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