Jury Duty is Writing Material

The surprises and events of our lives provide an endless source of writing material. We write about life, what we've learned and what we wish we'd known, as well as the joys and frustrations, hesitations, and head-long leaps. Because we've lived them, our writing can flow with rich detail and feeling. (Unlike my beloved research, which produces more fact than feeling.)

[My books, And Now We Dance: Journaling for the Woman Within and The Many Faces of Journaling: Topics & Techniques for Personal Journal Writing, both contain pages of my personal experiences.]

Another one will open for me in a few days: my first call to Jury Duty, and my curiosity has kicked into high gear. What? Who? Why? Who says so? I'll present myself at the St. Louis County (Missouri) Circuit Court at 8:30 and hope that everything in my carry-all purse will pass inspection.

I'm told by a more experienced friend that the holding room for potential jurors can become a social event, but that the waiting time can still be long and tedious. I wonder where we'll eat lunch, and if we'll break off into groups. Imagine the new friends I might meet! Being quizzed by the defending attorney and prosecuting attorney should be interesting.

How will I apply what I learn to the stress book I'm working on now? Who knows? But I'll make lots of notes in my writer's journal as soon as I return home each day, so later I can pick and choose depending on the writing project at hand.

That is what life experiences and a writer's journal are all about: building a personal treasure trove of fascinating ideas and material.

Happy writing ~

Lin

Testing New Nonfiction Writing Ideas

TheBookDesigner.com shared this  practical and useful article on test driving your book (or article) topic ideas.

10 Ways to Test Market Your Nonfiction Book Idea Before You Publish 

Not only can we check the interest level among potential future buyers, we can also build a following, work up our research files, and explore alternate subtopics and slants along the way.

Stay tuned. I plan to use some of these tips myself!

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

Write About Your Experiences

What major life challenges have you faced and survived? Can you help others benefit from your experience? If you were telling your story to a friend, there would probably be a lot of  "wish I'd known that" and "I'm glad I did that" thoughts to share - especially if that friend was about to face the same life challenge.

Life transitions, or challenges, come in many different forms, but most will have one common element: Who am I now? They include ...

• loss of a parent or close family member,
• loss of a dear friend,
• birth of a child,
• marriage,
• separation and divorce,
• retirement,
• mid-life crisis or menopause, 
• major career change,
• move to another town or state,

and many other life changes.

When I went through divorce a few years ago, I knew nothing about the process. It was an anxious, stressful time to begin with, and my lack of knowledge made me feel even more vulnerable.

About a year later, I made up my mind to help others facing separation and divorce to be better prepared in the practical aspects than I had been. Since I had been a professional (paid) writer for seven years or more, I chose to write a book.

It included the things I was glad I'd done plus steps I wished I'd known to do. In order to explain the legal process of divorce, I interviews attorneys, took notes, and went home to translate that into plain English. The next step was to check back with them to be sure the new version was correct.

YOUR POCKET DIVORCE GUIDE
published April 2014

The 2nd edition of that book, Your Pocket Divorce Guide, was just released. It's been sold and read on six continents, is on the suggested client reading lists of law firms across the U.S., and the thank you notes I've received from both men and women make my work more than worthwhile.

Which of your life transitions would lend themselves to the same kind of help for others?

Peace ~

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

Book Business Terminology #1

Every business has its precious vernacular, which can cause extreme puzzlement and frustration to anyone who's unfamiliar with them. From time to time, I'll offer translations so you, too, can toss around words and acronyms that nobody else understands.

ABA: American Booksellers Association

ABI: Advanced Book Information. Publishers (which included those who publish their own books) submit specific information about the book to Bowker for use in their Books in Print and Forthcoming  Books. The form is available online and includes type of cover, number of pages, book dimensions and weight, description of content, author(s) and such basic details.

ALA: American Library Association

Book: contains 49 or more pages and is not a periodical.

Booklet: contains 48 or fewer pages, also not a periodical.

Dust Jacket: the paper outer wrap on a hardcover book.

Galleys: pre-publication copies of the book sent to book reviews as far ahead of publication date as possible (up to 6 months). These can be print-on-demand (POD) copies or publication-ready book manuscript (mss.) pages that are paper-, comb-, or wire bound preferably with a copy of the book cover on the front. (If that isn't yet available, create a simple cover page with graphic and color to reflect the style and tone of the writing.)

Publication Date: the date on which the book goes on sale to the public. The actual printing and binding date will or should be well in advance of the official publication date (pub date).

Stay tuned for future Book Business terminology and explanations!

Linda
nonfiction book coach ~ author