So You Want To Write A Best Selling Book...

“When I start a book, I always think it’s patently absurd that I     can write one. No one, certainly not me, can write a book 500 pages long. But I know I can write 15 pages, and if I write 15 pages every day, eventually I will have 500 of them.” ~ John Saul

I started writing about my life when I was the age of most memoirists... age eleven. I never thought about it as something I would share with the world. As a matter of fact, I hoped my mom and stepfather would never open my secret journal--there was enough venom in there to indict me as a homicidal teen; I kept it under lock and key. As Margaret Atwood says,"A journal is meant to have a reader of one."Such writing does not make good reading unless you're a voyeur and/or the primary character.

To begin any writing project consider these five tips:

“I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper.” ~ Steve Martin (regarding his first book)

#1: INTENTION COUNTS: Successful writers understand that singleness-of-purpose is a potent force. There's no room for wishy-washy,"It would be really nice to write this year" or "I have several books in my head, now if I could only find the time to write." One never FINDS time to write; one MAKES time and commits to the grind of it all. She or he works at it like one works at flossing daily--it's a hassle but it can become a habit that truly makes a difference later. The act of writing, for me, is just like cleaning the shower, it only feels good when I'm done! Successful writers expect dry spells and droopy days AND, yet, in spite of this, they put their tetherball pole in the cement and commit to the game. Dream it up, write it down, act, and it will get done. Remember Goethe’s claim: "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." 

"Writers should be concerned with whatever absorbs their fancy, stirs their heart, and unlimbers their typewriter." ~ E.B. White 

#2: CLARITY IS POWER: Be specific in your mission for your book. If you can't write even one-page précis or a simple paragraph of what you're hoping to communicate, you may not be ready to write a manuscript just yet. Stick to journalling for now until your feelings of "MUST TELL THIS STORY" emerge. To get more clarity, consider meditating for 10-minutes. Set your timer and practice "emptying" your mind of noisy (neurotic) thinking by listening to the sound of your breath exhalations as you exhale, slowly, gently and steadily. Keep returning to the sound of your breathing without judging how much thinking you're tempted to do. Your thoughts, too, are like a kitten you wish would stay on her pillow; they'll needed to be guided back to the pillow over and over again. Best to get used to meditation as a practice not a goal for mastery. This is why people who meditate are called practitioners. What you may notice is that you will be better able to let your intuition take the lead when you ask yourself, "What must I say?" or "What do I need to share with others?" If nothing arises, just make your first move, begin writing a few drafts of your "best-guess" book idea. Eventually clarity will emerge and you'll be able to focus on specifics of your dream project, your ideal book. As my mentor Valerie Young says, “A dream without a plan of action becomes a nightmare.” Successful people know that most success is guided by mental force, but takes place in the physical realm.

#3: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW: Think of giving a talk on your favorite subject or sharing a fascinating story to an interested audience. Pretend that they all eagerly await to hear what you're learning, what you know, and what you care about. Talk to them in a relaxed way and let them in on the little-known facts and insights you have garnered about your subject matter. Or, if you're writing a novel, let your characters emerge quite colorfully, they'll do most of the talking if you let them and, like kittens, round them up later--when you're in the editing phase of your first draft.

"Just remember, writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead." ~ Gene Fowler

#4 SEPARATE THE CREATOR FROM THE CRITIC: Think of shouting at little kittens like the Wicked Witch of the West, "Come out my pretties! I said, Come out, come out wherever you are!" Where do you think they'll remain for the rest of the day? Right under the bed or in a dark closet. Our creative, even prolific, writerly-self will not emerge if we're impatient, scowling in judgment, or trying too hard to sound like our favorite author. What helps me is to give my "inner eighth-grader" a chance to express herself first. She's so much more audacious than me and is usually full of stories that are thick with description. God help her, she'll never stop her flow to correct trivial errors! Bringing an attitude of acceptance and mental encouragement can be a great start for the writing process as well and I find it triples my generative momentum. I say, "Let the editor come later!" Better yet, let someone who loves to encourage you--and function as your critically-constructive editor--do that work! It's not easy to find such talents authentically wrapped-up in just one person, but, if you're interested, I'm available!

#5: WORK TO CONNECT NOT TO IMPRESS: As a lodestone attracts metals, "like" attracts "like." Instead of pretending to be impressive or charming in your storytelling--remember even a memoir is a story you tell--know that you are most readable to your audience/readers when your humanness is showing. As Doug Englebart says, “People’s ability to grow and succeed is largely related to their ability to suffer embarrassment.” Most of us cannot relate to your ideal, rather, we relate to your humanity. Remember, what we’re trying to hide will show up anyway—often sideways—through the cracks in our façade. So you keep it real.

I say, "A writer is one who writes." So don't wait to be a GREAT WRITER someday, just begin!

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Do you have a great idea for a book that you would love to GET OUT THERE? If so, you can count on my award-winning writing services to help you create the book you want to publish. As a published author, creative advisor and college educator, I will take you all the way through the entire process of getting your ideas into print.

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." ~ George Eliot

Jennifer Manlowe, PhD                                                                      

Book Coach and Creative Counselor

Order my latest book that will help you take your book into print. See this link: http://www.lifedesignpublishing.citymax.com/publications.html 

Getting Into Print: The Art and Craft of Self-Publishing