Archive for the ‘Create Wisdom in Your Book’ Category
Posted on May 23, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
Benefit from “Socrates”
Very often, getting to the heart of the wisdom in your book can’t be done totally alone. One of the main reasons people have trouble getting their best material onto the page is that they don’t have Socrates looking over their shoulder. The great Greek philosopher awakened wisdom in others by asking them thought-provoking questions. If I could choose any character from history to be my own book mentor, it would be Socrates.
Why? Because it’s very hard for us to ask ourselves the questions that will uncover our wisdom. Yet if you’re a coach or speaker, when people come to your keynotes or coaching sessions, they looking for something from you. They want to know something that only you can tell them. It’s the same with your book. To share your knowledge, you have to know your reader’s often unspoken questions.
Think of a book coach/mentor like me as your own personal Socrates, asking you the questions, exploring the answers that reveal the core of your expertise, and helping the pages of your book come alive.
Posted on May 22, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
It doesn’t take longer!
Many speakers and coaches tell me they really want to write a book. And not infrequently, they feel the market pressure to “get something out there”. This urgency, this need to get into the book market as quickly as possible, often compromises the content of the book as the author cuts corners or just skims the surface of what his or her expertise really can offer.
“I’d like to go deeper and write something that’s much truer to me and what I most care about in my field,” said a coach to me recently. “But if I do that, isn’t it going to take me a lot longer than those people who are just cranking out their books?”
Actually no. It will not take you longer. It’s all a matter of focus and intent. Writing 30,000 words is writing 30,000 words. Whether those words are shallow or wise, it’s still going to occupy the same amount of time to actually write them (or have them written).
If you set your intent that you want your book to be memorable to people, that you want it to reflect the best you have to offer, and you want your book to change your readers’ lives, then your subconscious mind is going to bring the deeper more authentic expertise in you to the surface.
And, if you work with a good book mentor, the process is even easier–and faster.
Whenever you are tempted to cut corners, either in your own writing or in the type of writing services you seek, remember that your book needs to be worthy of your readers, and it needs to be worthy of you. If you team up with a book mentor/coach who really cares about good books and who is committed to bringing the best out of you–the result will be a wise book that not only sells, it lasts.
Posted on March 4, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
My new 5-part ecourse - Writing a Wise Book - free sign-up
I have developed a 5-part online “mini-course” called WRITING A WISE BOOK: FIVE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRITE A BOOK. I invite you to sign up by clicking the link near the bottom of the homepage. IT’S ENTIRELY FREE! If you desire to write a compelling book, the mini-course will guide you through five questions to give you clarity for your book project.
Posted on March 4, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
The need for wise books
With the current world situation today, there is a desperate need for wisdom. As a society and as individuals, we have reaped the results of “over-reach” (often with tragic consequences such as the huge numbers of families losing their homes and jobs). Our lives and our world markets have fallen prey to hype, greed, and counterfeit philosophies. We are in the midst of a world-wide recession accompanied by all the insecurities this causes for millions of people.
But the good thing about the current situation is that many of us are now taking a long hard look at ourselves and our world and asking the question, “What really matters?” We are thirsting for wisdom. There is a shift in energy going on all over the planet, perhaps most dramatically symbolized by the history-making election of Barack Obama as US President. Not only is Obama the first African-American president, he is a man who came to office speaking of hope and calling upon the world to “turn the ship around”.
Suddenly it’s cool again to be asking big questions and dreaming big visions. We see that surface answers are not enough. I work with authors to help them create good books. I want those books to be not only well-written but also to be wise. Many of my clients are coaches–people dedicated to helping others find the joy, the passion, the meaning, and the pathway for living with vitality and purpose in the 21st century. And there are many other fields where wisdom is making its way back into modern consciousness–in teaching, in healing, in business, in creativity and the arts, in leadership. If your work involves helping or empowering other people, chances are you have wisdom to share. The ease of getting published today–so many opportunities and methods for publishing–gives you a golden opportunity to extend your wisdom out into the world.
For thousands of years, books have offered wise counsel to people. I believe it’s crucial to reclaim the wisdom role of books, to look for those books in today’s book marketplace that have something real to say, transformational books that can really make a difference in readers’ lives. And to help new wisdom voices to bring their words to the world.
If you want to write a book that really matters, both to yourself and your clients (and the thousands of potential readers out there who will welcome your book with open arms), we should talk.
Posted on November 11, 2008 - By Sharon Lindenburger
What is the core purpose of your book?
One of the challenges of creating great content is honing down the focus of the content. Getting an idea for a book can be an inspirational process, with your head full of marvellous ideas you would like to put into your book. And often all those ideas are great!
But if you try to include absolutely everything you’ve ever learned about a certain subject in one book, you’re going to end up with fuzzy content. You’ll have several different focuses (I don’t want to use the pedantic word “foci”), and as a result your book will come across as scattered.
When you have chosen a topic for your book, before you put pen to paper (or fingers to screen)–even before you do an outline or start free-writing–spend some quality introspective time with yourself. Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of my book?” Or more specifically, “What is the purpose of the content of my book?”
Don’t just answer “to promote my business” or “to make me a famous author”. Those are just surface answers. A book can definitely help promote your business, but if that’s the only reason you’re writing it, it’s likely that your book will lack energy or seem self-serving. Instead focus on what the purpose of the content will be for your readers. What will your readers glean from reading your book? What value will they see in absorbing the message of your book?”
Chances are you will come up with several great aspects of purpose, all of which will be valid for both you and your readers. Now here’s the hard part. Drill the question down to “What is the core purpose of my book?” “What is the single most compelling core value and message in this book that makes me truly want to write it and will make people want to read it?” “What is the center around which this book revolves?”
Identifying that central core purpose will tie all the threads in your book into a whole. It will help make your book not only a good read but an inspiration to your readers. And if you can inspire your readers, you’ll enjoy the wonderful side effect of seeing the book promote your business and your expertise on its own merit.
The most powerful aspect of all content is integrity. Identifying the book’s core purpose links to your integrity as an author, and your readers will pick up on that and be drawn to read your book.
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