An E-Newsletter of Profitable Advice about Writing
To Increase Your Personal and Organizational Success
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| October 2009
Volume II, Issue 10
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Forward
This Newsletter
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| To Learn More About My Writing, Editing, Ghostwriting & Publishing Services
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| Stop By For A Visit!
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My office is conveniently located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean.If you don't have a boat, send me an e-mail.
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Are You a Starter or Finisher?
People often tell me they plan to write a book someday, but somehow they've never gotten around to it. Others tell me they've actually started writing their book, but for various reasons have had to put it on the back burner.
Will these slow starters and weak finishers ever get their books written? Can you identify with their predicament? In this month's newsletter, we'll discuss this subject and offer some helpful advice.
Also in this issue, you'll get to take our famous grammar quiz. See how many grammatical errors you can you spot in an e-mail I recently received. (Don't worry, it wasn't from anyone who subscribes to this newsletter!)
Enjoy reading about writing!
Michael J. Dowling
Professional Writer, Ghostwriter & Publisher |
A
Solution for All Temperaments |
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I remember it
clearly. My wife, Sarah, and I were
standing in our bedroom, discussing whether to remodel it. She favored moving
ahead; I thought we should think about it for a year or two. "Too bad I have to rush off to work,"
I said. "Let's talk about this again sometime."
When I came home that
evening, there was a hole in our bedroom wall. Sarah had taken a sledge hammer
to it. That certainly got us off dead center. No turning back now.
As you can tell, Sarah
is better at starting new projects than I am. That bedroom turned out well,
thanks to her.
But I've noticed that
people who are good starters are usually not as good at finishing things. Again, Sarah is a case in point.
Before we were married, she
promised to crochet a wedding dress for a close friend. The project started off well, but for some
reason fell behind schedule. An hour before the wedding, the dress wasn't
finished.
Crocheting frantically,
Sarah finished the dress just as the wedding march was beginning. The bride looked spectacular!
Only then did Sarah realize she had neglected
to think about her own dress. She had nothing to wear to the wedding.
Grabbing a plaid tablecloth
that happened to be in the room, she stitched it up like a tube, slipped it on,
tied a ribbon around the waist, and unabashedly wore it to the ceremony. Many
people, unaware it was a tablecloth, complimented her on her lovely new
dress. As you can tell, Sarah is a free spirit!
Many people are like Sarah and me when it comes to writing a book. Some are slow starters, and others are weak finishers.
The slow-starter syndrome
Not a few would-be authors know
what they want to say, but somehow they never get around to putting it on paper. As months and even years go by, the book remains simply a dream. If that
describes you, here are a few tips to get you going:
- Talk to friends and colleagues who
have written books. Learn about
their writing process, their publishing experience, their marketing
efforts, and their results.
- If you're considering self-publishing
your book, I recommend reading The
Well-Fed Self-Publisher by Peter Bowerman. It's an excellent overview of the
writing and self-publishing process, with a helpful emphasis on book marketing. If you're planning to use your book to
promote your business, I also recommend reading How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expertby Eldridge and
Eldridge or Get Slightly Famous
by Steven Van Yoder.
- Make a phone call to a ghostwriter or editor. This simple step will probably do more
than anything else to get you out of the starting blocks. Even if you're undecided about hiring a ghostwriter
or editor, making the call will give you momentum.
Other people may jump right
into a book-writing project, but they have trouble finishing it. For some
reason they bog down and put their book project on the back burner. It starts to get downright embarrassing when
people keep asking them, "How are you coming on that book?"
If you have trouble
finishing projects, my advice is to get help from a professional ghostwriter or
editor. Even if writing is one of your major interests and you have lots of
spare time, writing a book can be a difficult project to undertake alone.
That's because there's
more to writing a book than writing. You have to understand quite a bit about
book publishing and marketing if you're going to make your investment of time
and money pay off.
A professional editor or
ghostwriter will lighten your load considerably. He'll guide you through the
process and help you avoid costly mistakes.
Having someone else on
your team also provides a degree of accountability. You'll be more likely to do
your homework when you have an appointment to discuss it. What's more, professional support will enable you to produce better quality work.
Cheer up!
If you're a slow starter
or a weak finisher, don't let that discourage you from writing a book. No
matter what your temperament, if you get the necessary support, you - yes, even
YOU - can become an author!
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Do you know a friend or colleague who might enjoy reading "The Write Stuff" newsletter?
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Our Famous Grammar Quiz
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Last month a promotional e-mail containing six sentences landed in my inbox. Three of the sentences are reproduced below.
I recently purchased Articlenexus.com and I am pleased to
have inherited you as my subscribers.
If your running your own business and submitting articles to
get links to your sites why not try my banner advertising.
Each month I will give you some FREE bonuses but
lets start off with these bonuses that you can use in your business' as a
welcome gift from me.
How many grammatical errors can you spot in these sentences?
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
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| White Papers Worth Reading |
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How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert
by Elsom Eldridge Jr. and Mark L. Eldridge
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"You see, writing a book is not only the best way, it is the indisputably essential way, to establish your credibility in your field of expertise. Using authorship as a marketing strategy brings you an on-going flow of clients who are deliberately and purposefully seeing you."
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Answer to Grammar Quiz
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There were eight errors in the three sentences! The corrections are noted in red below:
I recently purchased
Articlenexus.com, and I am pleased to have
inherited you as one of my subscribers. If you're
running your own business and submitting articles to get links to your
sites, why not try my banner advertising? Each month I will give you
some FREE bonuses, but let's start off with these bonuses that you can use in
your business as a welcome gift from me.
Would you do business with this company?
The bottom line:
Your written communications affect
your bottom line!
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Michael J Dowling ~ Writer ~ Editor ~ Ghostwriter ~ Publisher
133 Worthing Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Phone: 912.230.5051 Fax: 912.634.5777
E-mail: MJD@MichaelJDowling.com Website: www.MichaelJDowling.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljdowling
Clear, concise, creative, and convincing writing and editing to enable individuals and organizations
to accomplish their goals and increase their visibility, credibility, and profitability.
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