Tag: book writing

Need Writing Help?

Book Writing Coach

I don’t like to mislead people with titles. I am a “writing coach” but that does not fully explain the extent of my coaching. I make sure I place the title “Book Writing Coach” out to the world because that is a more accurate description of what I do.

Do you want to write a book? Have no idea where to start? Have you begun to write your book but its taking forever and it feels overwhelming? Have you written a draft of a book but you’re lost as to how to properly go about getting it edited so that you produce the best book you can? If you’ve done all that, do you have loads of questions about publishing? Marketing?

I coach people through all that. The process is not so crazy as it may seem. Then again, sometimes the process is crazier than it seems. Writing is a dynamic endeavor. If all seven-and-a-half-billion of us all wrote a book at the same time, no two would be exactly the same. The processes would not be exactly the same either. There would be similarities, but its the uniqueness of each individual person that gives a book its power.

If you desire to write a powerful book and you want a coach who will get the most out of you, contact me. Better yet, if you’re local, come to my weekly group-consult in Bunnell. We meet every Thursday from 10:00 am to noon. The first visit is free. If you like what you hear and do at the first consult, each week you attend thereafter is only $25. You need not come every week. Those who do produce books. Those who sporadically attend sporadically produce books.

The consultation group name is “Coffee With an Author.” We do have coffee for those who like coffee. What we really have is a motivational, inspirational, group consultation where we talk about any aspect of writing you like. First draft, rewrites, and edits, publishing, marketing, and selling. I am available for one-on-one coaching. I limit clients to five. I have a couple slots open, so contact me if you need help. Maybe we may work together and get your book written.

My mission is to help those who truly desire to write and get their words out into our world. I have a number of pages online, all connected to writing is some manner. The following is a comprehensive list:

www.MichaelRayKing.com
www.TheInspiredMicUS.com
www.MichaelRayKingPublishing.com
Facebook Author Page
Facebook Inspired Mic Page
www.PoetryinBlackandWhite.com
www.FictionsFootsteps.Wordpress.com
Write Your Book NOW! Facebook Page

by Michael Ray King

Fight or Flight Not the Entire Reality?

Overcoming Writing Fear

I’ve come to disagree with the “fight or flight” model of reaction to fear. There’s an insidious aspect to life which this scenario overlooks. The third option stands true with respect to work-related fears, relationship fears, violence fears, and yes, even writing fears.

Call this option what you will – hunkering down, ostrich syndrome, paralyzation – the bottom line is, if you’re not running or fighting, you qualify for this category.

There are times when this tactic may be beneficial, like gambling on playing dead in a terrorist attack or passively allowing an opportunity to pass you by in order to gain a better opportunity down the line or melting into the woodwork to avoid a fight so you may hopefully escape the situation.

The inherent problem here is that this ploy is always high risk, low return. Hunkering down most often will kill any momentum you may have attained and tends to leave you in a position of weakness and subjugation. This writing is not solely from observation but far too much experience as well.

I examined my potential today and find it so far off the charts I am stunned. This is at once thrilling and disappointing.

Here’s where this relates to writing a book. Our natures appear to be trained to the ostrich mentality. We will defer working on our books for far too many reasons, most of which root in fear.

I’m not talking procrastination. The person playing dead is not procrastinating. The person shutting down in an abusive relationship in order to avoid trouble is not procrastinating. I’m talking fear-based motivation, not laziness.

Action always wins the day. Action will almost always be your best answer. Either fight or flee. You must make either of these two positions a “choice.” The ostrich approach almost qualifies as an absence of choice – an apathy. This position does not require high-level decision-making power.

Your percentages of success tend to be much improved if you fight or flee. That’s my opinion and experience. It’s far too easy in life to do nothing, to allow apathy to rule.

Do you aspire to write a book? I’m telling you true, action wins. Action gets you the touchdown. The finish line. The buzzer-beater. This is why we have coaches in sports.

We have coaches in writing books because accomplishing the task will always require action. You need to stay motivated. You need a game plan. You need to fight. You don’t need to lay down and play possum.

My passion lies in helping people write their books. That’s my joy, my happy place. That’s where I am in motion best. If this makes sense to you and you need help getting your manuscript written, contact me. We’ll overcome your fears and objections which hold you back, and we’ll get that book written.

Want some help? Here’s a link to my book: Go Write and You Won’t Go Wrong – Write Your Book in 30 Days!

by Michael Ray King

Writing a Nonfiction Book

It’s Not the Monster You Make It Out to Be

If you’re contemplating writing a nonfiction book, this means you possess a knowledge you feel would help others. Chances are, if you’re struggling to get started or bogging down, you are getting frustrated. Over the course of our lives, we assimilate information based on our environment and our interaction with others. We take “messages” and “signals” from our life experiences and apply what we think we’ve learned to various aspects of our lives. Unfortunately, sometimes we apply these “lessons” to the wrong life endeavor. Writing a book is one such example.

The people around us, our environment, and even our own selves too often prevent us from doing something we truly desire to accomplish. Writing a book, and for this post, a nonfiction book, appears to many people as an insurmountable undertaking. There are truly only a few items you need to possess in your book-writing quiver to make this happen.

Desire

Do you own a deep desire to write your book? Do you feel driven to get the information you possess into print for the world to see? Desire comprises a significant part of what’s needed to write your book. Typically, writing a book is not a short-term endeavor, although I wrote one of my books in eleven hours.

That said, writing a book does not need to be the horror story ordeal many writers tout, such as, “Oh, it took me five years to get this book out of me.” I’m here to tell you if it takes five years to write your book, your desire does not override the most mundane aspects of your life. Unless you’re some kind of energizer bunny dynamo, you have an hour a day to devote to writing.

Passion for Topic

Do you feel a deep passion for your book topic? Do you have knowledge to share? We all have life experiences in various fields of living which lends us the opportunity to share the knowledge we’ve accumulated with others. If you own the desire to write a book and you possess a passion for the topic of your book, you lack only one or two components to knock this project out. These last couple components are likely not what you think.

No, you don’t need to know grammar nor the Chicago Manual of Style nor Strunk and White or any of the other technical aspects of writing most often foisted upon unsuspecting novice writers. I’m not saying the knowledge of the mechanics of writing cannot be beneficial but simply unnecessary. You don’t need a degree. Again, could that be helpful? Sure, on the marketing end of things.

One of the critical factors involved in writing a book is this:

Your Unique Perspective and Truth

If you’re simply going to regurgitate a textbook or some other redundancy, your motivation will flag, your passion will be diminished, and your end product will be weak. However, if you own a perspective on your book topic which you feel is unique and people need to know, you’re on the right track. If you know a “truth” about your topic which is overlooked or unnoticed by others, you have something of value. If your experience tells you that people are missing something vital or keep repeating a problem for which you have a solution, then you have something of merit to write about. The age-old axiom, “Write what you know.” falls into this category.

You need an excitement when spilling your words from your heart and brain. You need something to sink your teeth into which will feed your desire to get this book done. Little in life is more motivating than espousing a message others need to hear. And “Others” will read when you successfully complete your book project.

I mention the word “truth” for a reason. Just because something is accepted as “the way to do things” does not mean it is the best or even proper way to do it. Innovation requires building on what’s out there and making it better. Please dispel the internal myth that a book must be some huge tome which takes years to complete. One of my books is 46 pages and it covers its topic well.

Please dispel the internal myth that a book must be some huge tome which takes years to complete. One of my books is 46 pages and it covers its topic well. This brings me to something which should relieve some apprehension you may have.

Keep Your Nonfiction Book Topic Niche

It’s been true for quite some time that people do not want broad, rambling nonfiction books. People desire information. They desire it quick. They desire it effective. They desire remedy. They desire brevity.

Do not fall prey to the perspective that a book must cover everything in your industry. Please allow your reader a modicum of respect. Write your niche-topic book. Your market, the folks who will read your book, will likely already know the issues which lead to your “niche topic.” They will already own a knowledge of what it took to arrive at your niche topic. They do not want to read what they already know. They want to take what they know and advance it.

Writing a book is as simple as devoting an hour a day to writing something for which you have a desire to express, a passion for the subject matter, and a willingness to write from your unique perspective and truth. I maintain that writing a book is fun. Exciting. Passionate. Rewarding. I’ve helped over 100 people get their books written thus far. If you find yourself in need of assistance or coaching, that’s what I do. Check out the Consultation page on this site and contact me.

Writing a nonfiction book is simply plucking what you know from your heart and mind and putting this knowledge into words on a page. Simple. I understand the process is not always easy. The bulk of the reasons writing a book is not always easy has more to do with you and your preconceived notions than the actual writing. Write what you know.

Write what you know. Help others solve a problem. Help others overcome obstacles. Reveal truths about our world. Help reshape misconceptions into something true.

For help in writing your book, Go Write and You Won’t Go Wrong – How to Write Your Book in 30 Days has helped hundreds achieve their goal of beginning and completing their manuscript. Need some one-on-one coaching? Contact me – Author@MichaelRayKing.com (limited number of consulting slots available)

by Michael Ray King