My Art Teacher’s Tips to Writing Your Book
All through high school, I was a regular fixture in Mr. Ward’s advanced art classes. Fifty minutes every day of just… drawing. Since I was in the advanced classes, there was limited instruction and lots of time to create. I’d spend an entire semester working on ONE large drawing or painting.
It was a project.
That meant that there was ZERO room to get it done in the days before the deadline. I had to work on it Every.Single.Day. And not just in class; my dad built me a beautiful art table at home and I would work on my drawing for an hour or more every night too.
When I got to college, I was surprised to discover that it was Mr. Ward’s art classes that had best set me up for academic success. That daily habit of working on my project.
As adults, I doubt we can find TWO 1-hour chunks in our day to write our books. I know I can’t! But I can take the daily lessons from Mr. Ward and translate them to writing your book.
1. Daily efforts add up
Did I work on my drawing (on my own time) seven days a week? Probably not. But I do know that MOST evenings and at least one weekend afternoon would find me drawing.
When you strive to write every single day to write your book, you’ll probably get 4/7. And that adds up!
2. Practice makes improvement
You’re not coming to your book not knowing how to write AT ALL. You’re actually a pretty skilled written communicator – emails, social media posts, blog articles, etc.
By practicing your writing skills, you will improve. And you’ll add new skills that are unique to writing a book, like storytelling.
3. Teachers matter
While much of Mr. Ward’s classes were self-directed, he was a brilliant art teacher as well. I learned more about perspective in his class than in any of my art classes since. And while I “knew” my color wheel, it was his lessons on mixing paint that really allowed me to see how to create rich depths of color.
Your teacher matters. You want a teacher who is passionate about their subject, currently working in the field, and has successes of their own AND clients.
(Yes, that’s 100% me when it comes to writing. I have studied writing my whole life, have a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, written over 20 books of my own, and have dozens of students who have bestselling books!)
A great place for you to START is with my brand-new mini-course, “Outline Oyster.”
This is a quick course to help you write an outline for your non-fiction book – one that keeps you on track, motivated to write, and is ANYTHING but boring or stodgy.
(After all, with a name like OUTLINE OYSTER you know this is going to be fun, right?!)
In under two hours, you’ll learn:
- How you want your reader to change from reading your book – and know how to WRITE that so it happens
- Which stories need to go in your book – and where
- How to take your reader from Hot Mess to Clarity – so their life can change for the better
- Quick and practical steps to organize your ideas – this ALONE has been responsible for countless authors getting unstuck
- How to write from your outline so you keep your creativity and motivation high
- What goes in the book (and what doesn’t!) so your reader gets the maximum transformation without being overwhelmed
- How to think about your book in terms of larger offerings you may have – like courses or coaching
Use the coupon code OUTLINE1023 for $50 off the course!