Follow this link to listen to the interview with Peggy DeKay and Cathy Fyock discussing how to get your manuscript written!
Ten Ways to Sabotage your Writing Goals
You want to write your book. You want to get it done in 2015. My guess is that even though you have every intention of writing your book, you may be unwittingly sabotaging your own best efforts. Explore this list and determine if you are getting in your own way. I haven’t told anyone about my goal. If you haven’t …
Decide: A Resolution for the New Year – A Book Review of Steve McClatchy’s Book Decide
Why is it that so many of us are frustrated in our attempts to achieve our big goals? Steve McClatchy believes that we make decisions about how to achieve these goals based on the faulty assumption that all goals and tasks are to be managed the same way. He explains that there are two forms of human motivation: those driven …
The Power of Positive Intention
There is something really powerful about creating a positive intention. I’ve been working with my coaching clients on harnessing this power by encouraging them to wear the button I created, “Ask me about my book!” I jokingly say that the buttons are magic—but only when you wear them! There’s magic in first putting it on and wearing it to the …
Six Things NOT To Do When You’re Starting on Your Book
Why is it so hard to start a big project? Maybe it’s because it is so big that it seems daunting, or that it’s difficult to identify the best first step. Starting your book can offer the same challenges: how do you get started in a productive and confident manner? Here are six ideas about what NOT to do when …
Why Would Anybody Want To Read My Story?
“Why would anybody want to ready my story?” was the innocent question asked by a client in a recent strategy session. And it’s a question that I’ve heard repeatedly from aspiring authors. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to answer that question, and what I’ve discovered is that my answer is based on a series of my beliefs about …
Writing a 1000 word chapter is easy, right?
While it’s not that many words, finding and honing the right words for your message can be a daunting task. Read about Alicia’s experience in putting together her contribution for an anthology. This experience was an awakening for me. After tons, and I do mean tons of research, it felt like I was writing a thesis and I couldn’t write …
Are you cut out to be a consultant?
In my years working with consultants (I now have more than 25 years under my belt), I’ve found that there are definite signs as to whether you are consultant material or not. I truly believe that some folks are cut out for consulting and others just aren’t. Take this unscientific quiz and determine if you think and act like a …
Tell Me a Story by Guest Blogger Jamie Morris
Why are memoirs so compelling? They’re authentic—and they’re stories! Also, the best memoir writers use fiction-writing techniques to “show” readers their experiences, filling scenes with sensory detail—the faded reds of an heirloom quilt, for instance, or the bloom of gray lichen on a gravestone—thus, creating immediacy and reader sympathy. As non-narrative nonfiction writers—business writers, thought leaders, journalists, scientists, scholars—seeking to …
Productive Procrastination, or, “The Dog Ate My Homework”?
You’ve been there. You’ve met that demon. And its name is “Productive Procrastination.” As I work with coaching clients, I realize that there comes a point in every engagement when my coaching clients try to explain why they didn’t do what they said they would do. And often, these reasons seem highly plausible if not downright rational. My question, though, …