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When Reality Is Fading, Write in Vivid Color
What is real?
With AI infiltrating everything we do, and politics convincing us that hatred and vindication are desirable traits, and change coming at a pace that induces whiplash, reality becomes hard to distinguish. At best, reality is blurry—and blurring.
Does it matter?
Using Storytelling to Power Your Business or Nonfiction Book
As an editor, I edit a ton of business books. To be honest, many of the pitches I receive begin to look the same, with book titles like “Reach for the Top: Six Must-Have Leadership Skills.” Then they go on to list the “x number of steps” the reader should go through to transform their management or leadership.
There’s nothing wrong with this. A solid pitch and outline should be descriptive and well-defined with steps or components. But when it comes to writing the actual book, having those pieces of the formula isn’t enough. To sell well—which means you’re reaching your ideal readers while getting them to recommend your book—your writing must be both informative and engaging. It must transform or elevate your reader.
In short, it must stand out.
Including stories is a great way to do that.
Business Book Author McKenna Sweazey: Be Generous About Timelines
SPIRITUS BOOKS: Tell us a little about your book, How to Win Friends and Manage Remotely, and why you wrote it.
MCKENNA SWEAZEY: I’d been batting around an idea of an empathy-based leadership book for a while, and when the pandemic hit, I suddenly had both some extra time to do it and a renewed focus on why empathy is really important in digital interactions.
For the Love of Descriptors!
For the love of everything holy, please stop inserting words that do nothing but clutter your writing.
Before littering your writing with a slew of meaningless descriptors, ask yourself these questions:
Don’t Wait to Write Right to Start Writing!
One resolution I hear often from people when they learn I’m a ghostwriter is something like: “I’ve always wanted to write a book! Maybe that should be my New Year’s resolution!”
Yes, maybe it should. If that’s your resolve, let me tell you how to make it happen. Resolutions that come with an action plan are more likely to remain intact and come to fruition.-goes-here
Seven Down-and-Dirty Tips to Transform Your Writing
As a book editor, I spend much of my time in “heavy lifting” work—assessing a manuscript for overall flow, shoring up gaps, and ensuring clarity and consistency. But the rest of my effort goes toward sentence-level changes that will impact the reader’s understanding and experience. A few are so easily accessible that anyone can apply them. I’ll share seven of those with you now. Applying them can elevate your writing, and even help you make better use of the time and money you spend on editing.
Explore posts by topic:
All Blog Posts
- author coaching 1
- author spotlight 6
- book editing 2
- book writing 2
- courage 1
- fear 1
- ghostwriting 1
- guest author 2
- hiring an editor 1
- hybrid publishing 1
- leadership book writing 1
- maya angelou 1
- memoir writing 2
- poetry 1
- protest 1
- self-publishing 2
- traditional publishing 1
- voice 1
- who can edit my book? 1
- writers block 1
Search all posts: