Your Qualifications for Writing This Book

And why are you the right person for the job?

Whether you're planning to write an article, a report or author a book, it's important to look at your qualifications for doing so. 

Why did you pick that topic? What makes you uniquely qualified to write about some aspect of the topic? 

Consider one or more of the following or add your own reasons:

Professional experience

A lifelong passion for the topic

Scholastic studies

Varied research

A compelling curiosity

A current news story or trend

Eventually you'll need to include such information in your author's bio or article credit. But for now, focus on it as your personal validation. You don't have to have a doctorate or presidential award. Although it's OK if you do ~

Think about the what drew you to your subject to begin with, and your audience will happily follow your lead.

Lin

Write Life Experience Pieces with Feeling

Whether you plan to market your nonfiction writing or write for the joy of it, you'll want the reader to really feel your experience. Were you anxious, blissed out, energized, confused, devastated? Relive it in your mind and use the words and cadence (or pace) that will put the reader into the experience.

1. WORD CHOICE. Ordinary nouns and verbs provide your readers with bland, foggy impressions. Where's the "life" in those experiences? It's in specific words! The action part of the experience will primarily show in your verb choices. The mood of the experience shows in the detail.

These examples come from my  September 4, 2014 post "Jury Duty Write Up":

• I got popped in the bumper. She jumped out of her SUV
• and we surged forward as a friendly mob
• were beginning to get a little sassy and laughing

2. SENSORY WORDS. These introduce your reader to the sight, sounds, smells, feel, and taste. Such words can go a long way towards bringing your readers with into the scene with you.

If you enjoy travel writing, the sensory details become key aspects of your reader's "view." This example comes from The Many Faces of Journaling (2nd edition), pg. 160:

"Conner Prairie   Connor Prairie (Indiana). What a fantastic experience! This 'living history museum' is a reconstructed 1820's village on an immense plot of land just north of Indianapolis, and there life goes on the way it did in 1823. We could hear the clang of the anvil as we walked down the dusty road to the blacksmith's shop... The weaver was in the middle of making a beautiful, patterned red and cream wool blanket on his loom... He had bunches of aromatic dried herbs handing from a rough, smoke-blacked beam near the fireplace... the pungent smell of drying sage and thyme scented the air in the cozy cottage."

3. SENTENCE LENGTH. A writer can pack a lot of punch into a page or article by varying the sentence lengths. A medium-length sentence states the facts. A longer sentence becomes more lyrical. A short sentence is an exclamation, regardless of what punctuation you use. One, two or three word carry far more emotion and/or power than a longer one.  

Also from The Many Faces of Journaling(2nd edition), pg. 104:

"The Bombing of Baghdad   Wed., March 19th, '03 - all day watching CNN & MSNBC. This evening the countdown on the latter. Right now it's 5 minutes and counting. Counting towards what? Armageddon? I'm starting to cry. This countdown isn't exactly like the New Year's Eve ball. But the reverse timing sounds and looks the same. Even that's obscene. Too much like a happy, hopeful, traditional annual event..."

We can often bring more of our living experiences into a piece if we write it as though we were telling a friend or acquaintance about it. When you really want them to "be there" with you - write it that way.

Happy writing ~

Lin

Jury Duty Write Up

Some big adventures are smaller than others. Such was my first time as a potential juror at St. Louis County Circuit Court on September 2nd. But all life experiences offer new writing material. First, I'll share the day's events, and later, my insights and feelings about it.

From my Writer's Journal:

Wed., Sept. 3, 2014: [about jury duty] I was really curious, but you know me and my comfort zone. Then Sunday I realized I'd neglected to mail in the bottom half of the notice that said - Yes, I'll be there! So I thought I might be "found in contempt" or sumsuch when I got there. (They are some of the very nicest people I've ever met!) Good old rush hour traffic - about 1/2 mile from the parking garage, I got popped in the bumper. She jumped out of her SUV, I jumped out of my 23 year old Camry - no damage whatsoever, I hugged her and said - We're fine.

 

Found the parking garage, wandered down an alley behind it, and just happened to cross the street with a Bailiff :) who said - Walk with me. And he led me down a maze of sidewalks to where you enter the courthouse and go through screening. By then, nearly all the citizens wandering around were reporting for jury duty and we surged forward as a friendly mob. The bailiff had told me not mailing the confirmation form in would be no problem, and he was right - a total non-issue. In fact, the woman behind me had misplaced the whole packet, and they didn't bat an eye.

 

In the huge waiting room, I sat down to a slightly built man who turned out to be a retired St. Louis policeman, who then worked for a while at [large corporation], before starting his current job as a limo driver. And, man, did he have stories. I know pretty much his life story - born in [in the South], mom moved her and the kids to St. Louis (dad didn't want to move), his wife died of MS. Since that's almost what [my daughter] has, we shared a lot about that, and about life and the news and so many things.

We met another juror at Panera's and chatted there and after we got back. Waiting to be called is soooo boring, even if you alternate between chatting and reading. (My copy of Charlotte Kasl's if the Buddha got stuck didn't address jury room boredom!) They called a 4th list of jurors at 4:30, which brought the total to 170 out of about 250 originally in the room. We were told that trial would probably begin immediately, so jurors might be there as late as 10:00! We all held our collective breath and were beginning to get a little sassy and laughing. (Poor Bailiff was pretty pooped himself by then.) Then at 4:45, the rest of us were dismissed and told we didn't have to come back today. We turned in our juror badges, and that was that. Wait! What?

 

After all my fretting about the unfamiliar, it was truly an anti-climax. But ... I was exhausted when I got home, sore from sitting in a chair all day, and yet, overstimulated :) I went to bed a little early, and slept around the clock! So I'm pretty sure it was a growth experience.

STAY TUNED: In my next post, I'll share my reflections on the whole experience.

Happy writing ~

Lin

Tips for Life Experience Writing

Any writer who feels that tug to write about their own life-lived and lessons-learned has to read this article! It  relates that topic to the hot new movie "The Fault in our Stars" and tells you which buttons to aim for to boost reader appeal.

Writing Lessons from "The Fault in our Stars."

Maybe your nonfiction book will become a multimillion dollar movie, too...

Happy writing ~

Lin

A (Free) Book Written from Experience

In the May 28th post, looked at using the writer's own life-changing experiences as useful book topics, and I mentioned my divorce book. Based on what I'd done right and what I wish I'd known then, the book has helped thousands of people deal with that painful experience.

Tomorrow and Friday (June 5th and 6th), I'm offering the Kindle version for FREE on Amazon. If you're interested in seeing how I structured it, this would be a great time to get a review copy. Since I was writing for stressed out readers, I tightened the writing as much as possible when I edited the first (and later) drafts. It's short, concise, and practical. It's Your Pocket Divorce Guide.

It deals with the facts of separation, divorce, and starting over, and in no way resembles a memoir. Readers will find no direct information about my divorce. It's their own situation they want help with. 

Bookstores often put such books in their Self-Help sections. If you prefer article writing, select websites and print magazines that offer their readers self-help articles in the style of  "How to deal with ..." a difficult situation.

If you do choose to write a book, remember that those ezines and magazines may also be interested in printing excerpts from it. You won't get paid, but it's terrific publicity. And you've already written it!

Happy writing ~

Lin

Writing Style and Tone

The people who read your book or article actually dictate the best style and tone for the piece. Those two elements can create a specific kind of connection between you and him or her.Also, keep in mind the kind of information you want to share. After all, you aren't writing to your computer monitor or your English comp teacher or even your mother. Nonfiction authors write directly to and for the reader.


#1. Is your topic personal? If so, will you choose a casual tone with slang peppered throughout your book?

Buddy Style: Just how much of that hassle are you willing to put up with? After all, that isn't likely to change very much from one visit to the next. Trust me. 


#2. The content may be similar but the tone quite different, if you choose to write as the wise teacher who is reaching out to guide the reader.

Teacher Style: Because close relationships are so deeply sensitive, both of you may misstate some information or simply slant it according to your perspective or you may mis-hear what the other one says because your emotional filter can tilt the meaning. If you can keep that in mind, you will be less likely to blurt out a harsh response.

#3. For an impersonal topic, you will craft your words in a straight forward, instructional manner with no small talk and no emotion. It also calls for a directive tone and shorter sentences.

Instructional Style: Place the top shelf (part A) on the floor finished side down and align the  five holes on the unfinished side of that piece with the wooden pegs (part 2) on the end of the left side (part D).  

If you aren't quite sure of which tone will works the best for your reader and topic, try writing the same two or three paragraphs in different styles. Ignore that for a few hours or days before you reread what you've written. Now read and decide which style matches the reader and topic?

Whichever one you go with, be consistent. Changing every other paragraph is as jolting as switching to a foreign language.

Happy writing ~

Lin

Do you want to write a book?

Lots of people have ideas, notes, or rough drafts for a nonfiction book. Some have participated in workshops or classes; others have studied one or more books on the subject. But these seldom include the practical Keyes to the Kingdom to becoming a published author.

I've been writing nonfiction books for over 25 years and each and every one has reinforced my appreciation of this approach to book writing. There's no magic, no mystique - it's all about establishing a plan.

Writing a book without a plan paves the way to rambling, digressing, and including useless, often boring paragraphs and pages. That frustrates the writer and results in a mediocre book (at best).

In writing each of my ten-plus books, teaching guides, student manuals, and workbooks, I've come to value the organized approach more and more. Through the posts in this blog, I will help you establish and maintain focus, identify your audience, present the material in a logical arrangement of chapters, and introduce other rules of the writing road.

Each month, I'll explain one of the Keys to effective writing either for commercial sales or family enjoyment. Here are a few of the upcoming topics:

• So Many Nonfiction Categories!
• Developing Your Book's Theme
• Identifying Your Target Book Read & Buyer
• Building the Framework for Your Nonfiction Book
• Why Add "Author of..." to Your Business Credentials?
• Dealing with Writer's Blocks

From time to time, I'll also share book and publishing facts, author trivia, translations from book talk to English, and other juicy tidbits for your pleasure.

So get ready to build your book!

Linda
nonfiction book coach ~ author