Seven Super Suggestions To Awaken Your Book Writing Dream

Many people dream of writing a book. Most don’t know where to start. Some get started get discouraged and quit. A few take advice from the experts and get published!

In this episode, host, Cheryl C. Jones interviews Ann Lovett Baird, a seasoned writing consultant over the last 25 years, and ghost-writer for businesspeople and professionals. Together they offer ground-level suggestions that will either get you started, or bring you back to the drawing board for a fresh start on the writing process.

Ann is the CEO of Lovett Enterprises, LLC, based in Dallas Texas, and has been writing since she was a teenager. She credits her writing success to good writing mentors and editors through the years, several writing courses she has taken and her love of reading. Ann has a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin, which enables her to write intelligently on a number of business topics.

Ann’s real gift is her ability to take reams of information and condense it into key nuggets and concepts.
If you are wondering how to start writing a book, or if you have started and can’t get going again, these Seven Super Suggestions will be your catalyst. They’re logical, valuable and proven effective.

Complete Show Notes:

(click here to download the Complete Show Notes)

Episode 15
Ann Lovett Baird Episode 15
Seven Super Suggestions To Awaken Your Book Writing Dream

Many people dream of writing a book. Most don’t know where to start. Some get started, get discouraged and quit. A few take advice from the experts and get published!

In this episode, host, Cheryl C. Jones interviews Ann Lovett Baird, a seasoned writing consultant over the last 25 years, and ghost-writer for businesspeople and professionals. Together they offer ground-level suggestions that will either get you started, or bring you back to the drawing board for a fresh start on the writing process.

Ann is the CEO of Lovett Enterprises, LLC, based in Dallas Texas, and has been writing since she was a teenager. She credits her writing success to good writing mentors and editors through the years, several writing courses she has taken and her love of reading. Ann has a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin, which enables her to write intelligently on a number of business topics.

Ann’s real gift is her ability to take reams of information and condense it into key nuggets and concepts.

Summary
If you have been thinking that you want to write a book but aren’t quite sure how to start, if you have started a book but hit a roadblock or if you feel overwhelmed with content, these SEVEN SUPER SUGGESTIONS will be invaluable.

The truth is, no two books are alike. So, the book you are writing will be specific to you, your experiences and what you want to tell your audience.

Tip #1 Don’t edit, just write.
To keep the thoughts and creativity flowing as you write, don’t edit. Just keep writing. You can go back and do your edits when you finish the flow. It’s important not to interrupt the thought process. Tip #2 The Golden Thread
What’s the golden thread-the “theme” that runs through the book and helps you segue from one topic to the next. Will each topic relate to the thread?
Stand in the shoes of the reader-will it make sense to them?
Here’s an illustration. Your book is like a coat rack, where the pole is the base (your theme) and all the hooks and pegs are the information you add to the theme. Each peg ties back to the base.
To identify your golden thread, ask yourself these questions…

1. Who are you writing the book for?
2. What do you need the audience to know or discover?
3. What are you trying to convey?

Keep the thread winding through each chapter or topic.

Tip #3 Question, question, question.
Questions are key to getting to your real message. First, ask “who is this book for?” “Who is my audience?” Once you answer that question, drill down deeper with more questions.
Illustration: Who is the book for? Women. Ok, what women? Strong women. Ok, strong women who do what? Strong women who eat vegetables. Keep asking until you get specific. Tip #4 Stay in Active Voice
When you write, stay in the active voice and avoid bad habits.
An example of a bad habit is starting a sentence with “it is” or “there is”.
Here’s an illustration of staying in the active voice:
Over there is where the dog ran. (passive voice)
The dog ran over there. (active voice) Tip #5 Tell a Story
Once you explain the concept, follow with a story or further analogy or vignette that explains what you are talking about. Tip #6 What about the layout?
Think about how you want to build this book-logically-to get the reader’s attention and hold them engaged. Think about your segue from chapter to chapter.
Then, begin brainstorming. Look through blogs, articles, podcasts, and journals you’ve written to find:

1. key concepts
2. sub ideas
3. stories

Then, take those and create a loose outline-not the kind from English class-to begin the framework.
Illustration of a loose outline:
On a sheet of paper, create two columns. On the left is the “heading or sub topic” column and the right column are “bullet points” you found when brainstorming. Tip #7 Patterns
Our brains like patterns, so try to keep one going throughout the book.
Illustration:
Each chapter begins with a personal story, then moves into the meat of the chapter. The personal story or experience directly relates to the content of the chapter. The reader will expect a personal story at the beginning of each chapter and know that it will be followed with the intended knowledge.

Ann’s overall piece of genius is; “Stick with what you know you are good at. Look at your gifts and develop them, so that you remain confident in your skills and abilities.”

“Write to influence the world in the way you feel called to”. Ann Lovett Baird

What’s next for Ann Lovett Baird?
To finish several manuscripts in the works.
If you have a book to work on and need help, find Ann on LinkedIn @Ann Lovett Baird-it’s the best way to connect with her. Connect with Ann
Ann Lovett Baird
www.LovettConsulting.com
214-707-8281-Cell-Text first please
214-350-1696-Office Quotables
“Things get written when there’s a deadline”. -Ann Lovett Bair
“Stick with what you know you are good at. Look at your gifts and develop them, so that you remain confident in your skills and abilities.”-Ann Lovett Baird
“Write to influence the world in the way you feel called to”. -Ann Lovett Baird