Search Results

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash The world is asking only one question. `Can you help me where I hurt? – Pastor Orville Butcher. I’ve read a lot of self-help nonfiction and I’ve been doing it since I was in my teens, before I wrote or edited books or was a book coach. I read these books because like everyone else I was looking for answers to my problems. Depending on what was happening in my life I chose books to learn how to: • Be Less Stressed • Be Healthier • Deal with Family Problems • Handle Life’s Uncertainties • Create a More Fulfilling Life Classic Best-Selling Self-Help Books Like These Help to Heal the Hurt: • You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay • Your Erroneous Zones: Step-by-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life by Wayne W. Dyer • The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living by Norman Vincent Peal • And newer books like Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins Each of these books helps readers feel better. Your book can too. Why Do You Want to Write a Book? People are motivated by different things when it comes to writing a book. I wanted to: • Move from journalism into books and reach more people. • Share what I knew and the experts that I worked with to help people transform their lives. • Make more money, advances and royalties (than $1-2 a word for magazine articles). • Achieve the legitimacy of being a published author. It made me feel good to get published. When that box of books comes in the mail, believe me, it’s a thrill. For you it might be: • To share what you know • Create a resource for clients, patients and readers • Build your brand • Become a Thought Leader and do a Ted Talk • Hang out with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday And maybe most importantly: • Feel good by empowering yourself to tackle a project you know deep down in your heart you really want to do – write your book -- and actually do it! Your Book Can Heal the Hurt If you want to write a book that resonates with readers a good place to start is to ask: How can this book help them improve the quality of their lives? To heal their hurt? Right now, as you’re reading this, readers are asking for help in healing the hurt, whether it’s a problem with finances, relationships, health or outlook and more. Your book can be the answer. Books can make readers feel better, help them find solutions to their problems, feel less alone, comforted or empowered to move through tough stuff and give them hope that things can get better. Write About What You Know and How You Can Help This is why I really believe that if you’re working in a field or practicing a specialty that is helping people to heal the hurt, whatever it might be that it’s worth writing about. Books spread knowledge and they give readers tools they can use to change their lives for the better. And that’s not all. Writing your book will make YOU feel better. Starting and finishing a book is a big deal. It’s a complicated endeavor and demands grit, creativity and stick-to-it-iveness. But if it’s something that matters to you, your career, your trajectory, your life, it’s worth doing! What books have made a difference in your life? Please leave an answer in the comments. I’d love to hear about what books have been meaningful to you. NEW Resources to Help You Write Your Best Non-Fiction Book Jumpstart your publication journey with the Is it a Book? 1:1 Idea Strategy Session to help you define your book idea and why you’re the best person to write it and Is it a Book? The 3-Step Plan to Write Your Nonfiction Book , a deeper dive that will help you define your idea, approach, method or plan and structure (Table of Contents). Both programs will help you move forward and write your book faster and with more clarity, confidence and ease. For more information click here: https://www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com . Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by Souradeep Biswas on Unsplash Years ago, I picked up the best-selling book, What Color is Your Parachute? Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success by Richard Bolles, when I was looking for work and found it. More than a job-hunting book, the book helped me figure out who I was – my passions, valuable traits and what I had to offer -- transferable skills – to land jobs and change careers. It’s the same way when you’re writing a book. First, you need to get clear on what you’re passionate about, what traits, credentials, experience you have that make you the perfect person to write your book and what you offer, then transfer those skills by writing about it. Say you want to write a book about how to treat anxiety. Your passion, your experience and what you have to offer to your readers is your parachute. I have a client who wants to write a book about boosting self-esteem, but she said that’s been done. It has been done, but not by her. Her parachute could be that she’s passionate about therapy, has a track record that shows positive results, and wants to help readers improve self-esteem using strategies from a Christian perspective. What’s Your Parachute? Think about the book you dream of writing and try this: What are your passions? What gets you excited? What do you believe in? What do you argue for? What positive traits, experiences or results can help you write your book? Only you can write a book from your perspective. What can you offer to readers? How can you transfer what you know and believe into a book? What message would you like to send to readers through your book? Once you get clear about your “parachute,” brainstorm what you want it to cover. Do you want to focus on tips and techniques, strategies or a change in perspective, or all three? Would you like to base your approach on what’s worked for you and/or your clients? Gather resources and make notes about what you want to include under them, things like the method or plan you use with clients or patients that’s getting great results or an approach that you really believe it. Ultimately, your Table of Contents will contain everything in your parachute. A TOC includes an introduction, often a section about How to Use This Book, chapters and resources. It will help you reach your ideal reader, define what you want to say, and how you want to say it. It will help you determine what approach you want to use or what method or plan that you want to explain so that readers can put it into action. So today, think about your parachute. Is it yellow, blue, green or red? Think about not only what color it is but what you can offer to readers so that they can transform their lives for the better. New Book Coaching Packages to Help You Write Your Non-Fiction Book! Check out Is it a Book? 1:1 Idea Strategy Session to help you define your book idea and why you’re the best person to write it and Is it a Book? The 3-Step Plan to Write Your Nonfiction Book , a deeper dive that will help you define your idea, approach, method or plan and structure (Table of Contents). Both programs will help you move forward and write your book faster and with more clarity, confidence and ease. For more information click here: https://www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com . Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by Petri Heiskanen on Unsplash “ Point of view is you explaining what you do and why you do it the way you do it. It’s you explaining what your approach is and why you think it will work. ” – Tad Hargrave, Marketing for Hippies. Hargrave is referring to marketing but when it comes to writing nonfiction, the success or failure of a book often comes down to what he shares in his informative YouTube videos and on his site www.marketingforhippies.com , a clear point of view (POV). POV is the unique way you see things based on who you are, your experience, your goals and more. Best-Selling POVs Self-help books like The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain and Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear all have a clear POV. You know who the writer is, why they’re writing the book and how they can help solve your problem. Whether you’re marketing a business, selling a service or writing a health and wellness book, it can be very helpful to get clear about your POV. Think about yours and try this exercise: 1. What You Do: Are you a functional medicine practitioner, herbalist, yoga teacher, therapist or_____? Fill in the blank. 2. Why You Do It: What motivates you in your work? What gives it meaning and purpose? 3. What is Your Approach to the Problem? It could be stress, anger, depression, diabetes or____? Fill in the blank. How do you help your clients and patients solve this problem, feel better, move on, meet their goals etc.? 4. Why It Works: What series of steps, practices, method or approach do you use to get good results for your clients for patients? Is it repeatable? For an example here’s mine: 1. What You Do: I’m an editor and book coach with 15+ years of experience. I help health and wellness nonfiction writers write their best books through a combination of expert editorial feedback, support and project management. 2. Why You Do it: I find meaning and purpose using the skills that I’ve honed over the past 15+ years writing and editing to make the process of writing nonfiction books easier for authors by providing expert editorial feedback, support and guidance. I believe that good nonfiction books can help to transform and heal people and in turn, help heal the world. 3. What is Your Approach to the Problem? I help clients establish a solid foundation through 3 elements: Idea, Method or Program and Structure. 4. Why It Works: When you get clear about the 3 essential elements of your nonfiction book, you establish deep roots that you can count on as you write. 3 Essential Elements of Health & Wellness Nonfiction: 1. An Idea that will appeal to your ideal reader based on your unique POV. 2. A Repeatable Method or Program 3. A Structure (Table of Contents) that serves the book and the reader. I’ve created Is it a Book? The 3-Step Plan to Write Your Nonfiction Book , a deep dive that will help you define these three steps so that you can move forward and write your book with more clarity, confidence and ease. You can use this 1:1 strategy session on its own or move into monthly book coaching. For more information click here: https://www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com/is-it-a-book-the-3-step-plan Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by David Wright on Unsplash Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. -- Francis Bacon Sr. Okay, there’s a bit more to writing a book than 3 steps but for author-experts who want to write a nonfiction book about their expertise, say you’re a yoga teacher, herbalist, acupuncturist, or functional medicine doctor, it’s a good place to start. The three steps are: 1. An idea that will help your ideal reader. For example, if you’re a yoga teacher, it may be a book for clients who have chronic pain. 2. A repeatable method, step by step plan, program or approach that gets results. You’ve used it, you know it works, you want to share it with readers. 3. A structure (typically a Table of Contents) that serves as a container for the contents of the book – if the vase is the TOC, the chapters are the flowers kind of thing - and helps readers take a transformational journey. I often write and talk about these 3 steps because it’s what I see in the successful non-fiction books that I’ve written, edited, read and coached. If these three elements aren’t defined, it can lead to problems. You can have trouble getting started, get stuck in the middle or not finish at all. Get clear about all three and it will make writing your book much easier. The ADHD Reset 1-2-3 Last fall, I finished editing The ADHD Reset: Shift Your Mindset. Find Clarity. Unlock Your Magi c by Claire Michalski. It will be released this summer. Claire had an idea, which arose organically from her unique way of dealing with ADHD. Her book idea came from a combination of her personal story and her work with clients who had followed her program and experienced positive and repeatable results. She identified her ideal reader and offered them a real solution. 1. The Idea Like Claire, your idea should – in most cases - be connected to the work that you are doing with clients or patients. What aha! moments have you had in your work? Has the light bulb gone off when you tried something new, a practice or method or plan? Does the idea reflect your unique point of view? For example, two different experts can approach say, treating anxiety in a totally different way and get solid results. An idea has boundaries. It’s specific. You know what you want to focus on, and you stick with it. Often, the idea after it’s been clearly defined becomes the title. For example, my book with herbalist Brigitte Mars: Natural Remedies for Mental and Emotional Health. The idea is the title. 2. The Method or Plan The idea is based on your method, plan, approach or philosophy. You notice what’s working and you know that if readers put your steps into action, they will get results. In fact, this may be what prompts you to want to write a book in the first place. Claire’s method is based on her work with clients. She saw that her method produced results. She knew that these results could be repeated. The book replicates, in many ways, her process. Do you have a method of plan that shows repeated positive results? Is it something that you can share with readers to help them transform their lives? Take note of what’s working. Take notes period. Don’t let ideas about your book or what you want it to be to slip away unnoticed. See quote above for inspiration. 3. The Structure With ADHD Reset, the structure serves the content. Like most nonfiction books, its begins with an introduction, and in Chapter 1, the problem and solution are defined. From Chapter 2 on, Claire helps her readers adopt her approach and put it into action, one step and chapter at a time. Like any good nonfiction book, the chapters are set-up so that each step, in each chapter builds on the one before. By the end of the book, readers are transformed. That’s the goal of prescriptive nonfiction. You can see this promise in her subtitle: Shift Your Mindset. Find Clarity. Unlock Your Magic. 1-2-3. Keep this in mind the next time you sit down to write your nonfiction book. Simplicity can give you clarity and power you forward. Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by David Vives on Unsplash "Mythology teaches you what’s behind literature and the arts, it teaches you about your own life. It’s a great, exciting, life-nourishing subject." – Joseph Campbell. I love Joseph Campbell. Years ago, I had a sweatshirt that had one of his most famous quotes, “Follow Your Bliss” emblazoned on the front. Mythology is important, and so is Campbell’s work but believing myths about the writing process can be more problematic. For example, recently, I came across an offer that promised takers that they could write a book in 2 weeks. I thought, they might be able to write one, but it won’t be worth reading. A short book, maybe, a traditional non-fiction book, no. I once wrote 50,000 words in 3 weeks for a book deadline, but I would not recommend it. And I’m a professional. I’ve written eight non-fiction books for publishers such as Penguin Random House, Inner Traditions/S & S and Quarto, one of the world’s largest illustrated book publishers. My book with noted holistic doctor Jacob Teitelbaum, MD was a Quarto bestseller with 50K copies sold. I’ve written a four-novel series for Gallery/Pocket. As an author, editor and book coach, I’ve seen the written page from both sides. Knowing What to Write & How to Write it Here, specifically, I’m thinking about self-help, how to, or what’s known as a prescriptive nonfiction, which is what I specialize in and means giving readers solutions to problems, think Self-Help, Loving What is, and The Tools. But it would be difficult to produce any book that works without a thoughtful, step by step approach. In other words, you need to know what you want to write, and how to write it. Believing in the myth that you can speed write a good book, can make you get down on yourself if you can’t. These myths can lead to problems too, because you won’t have a solid foundation before you start writing: • You don’t need a clear idea to begin writing your nonfiction self-help book. No worries, Just wing it, you’ll figure it out. (You might but it will take much longer). • You don’t need an approach, method, plan or effective practices to write your book. Readers only need a general idea of what the problem is and how you can help them fix it. • You don’t need a structure to write your book. Just plug in the info, it doesn’t matter what order or container you use. • You don’t need to know your audience. The more readers, the better, right? • You don’t need to take readers on a transformational journey. Give them an idea of what they can change but go light on the specifics. Let them find their own way. Build A Foundation to Write Your Best Book Wrong on all counts. Paying attention to these elements is important BEFORE you begin writing. Otherwise, you can have trouble getting started, get stuck in the middle, have trouble finishing or write in circles without making progress. Having a roadmap makes the writing process faster and easier. You’ll have a road map and know where you want to go. One other thing. Writing a book isn’t done in a vacuum. Most people want to bring it to the wider world. This means you’ll also need to decide if you want to go for the traditional publishing route which means writing a book proposal and submitting it to an agent or publisher or self-publish. Although, for some people, even if they’re self-publishing, creating a book proposal, which is a marketing document that writers use to sell their book to an agent or a publisher can help provide clarity about the book you want to write. In a book proposal, you cover all the elements I’ve mentioned above including a marketing section, comparable titles, a sample chapter and more. Why Not Start Today? You can start writing your book today by brainstorming ideas, mulling them over, and deciding on an idea you feel excited about. Next, gather resources and make notes about what you want to include under that umbrella, things like the method or plan you use with clients or patients that’s getting great results or an approach that you really believe it. Anything worth doing can be difficult, from climbing a mountain to starting a business, raising kids or writing a book. Truth is stranger than fiction but it’s also more powerful than believing in the myths about book writing. There’s no easy way, but there’s an easier way. Plan your trip (idea, method, structure) so you don’t drive in circles, get in your car (sit down at the computer) and travel to your destination (finish your book.) Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash Make it work! – Tim Gunn, Project Runway. Recently, I decided to uplevel my book coaching skills by joining Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator program ( https://www.authoraccelerator.com/ ). Jennie’s program is unique, a combination of her wisdom, insights, valuable information, actionable steps, resources, tools and more that have enabled me to see my work in a whole new way and bring even more value to my clients. Author Accelerator has certified over 300 book coaches who work with writers around the world. Both Jennie and Author Accelerator have a stellar reputation in the publishing business and I’m glad to be part of the community. I’ve found Jennie and the members to be smart, savvy about all aspects of publishing, professional and committed to doing high quality work for each client. Jennie Nash was an instructor at UCLA’s Extension Writers’ Program and a highly successful author and book coach herself – she’s coached books like Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence (Ten Speed Press) - before she created her brainchild and continues to work with top writers today. Nash knows all the ins and outs of coaching authors in fiction, non-fiction and memoir and is the leader in this exciting field that empowers authors to write their best books. Observe, Assess, Give Feedback, Provide Guidance Book coaching is a relatively new field. But athletes, executives and even surgeons have often used coaching to reach their goals. Atul Gawande, a NYC surgeon asked a respected colleague to observe his operations and give him suggestions to improve. Over time, he was able to make small, but important changes that upleveled his skills. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/03/personal-best If coaching works for these professionals, why not writers? Having a coach, whether you’re an athlete, executive, surgeon or author means that an objective person will observe what you’re doing, assess if it’s working or not, give feedback to fix what isn’t working and guide you to a successful outcome. This is a powerful thing. Think about Tim Gunn on Project Runway. He encouraged designers to Make it Work! with a big dose of understanding, empathy and support. A book coach offers writers the same compassionate, focused attention. Book coaching is a mindset shift from editing, where the editor takes an already completed draft of a manuscript and makes notes, changes and suggestions and book coaching where you work with the author as she writes. In many ways editing and book coaching are the same, but the latter differs in that it’s an active, present moment process as the writer conceives and writes a book in tandem with a book coach. A Positive Feedback Loop Yes, you can write a book on your own, but sometimes asking for help and hiring a book coach can be the smartest thing that you can do. Not only will you get from A to B faster, you enter into a positive feedback loop that enables you to improve as a writer. As you submit ideas and later content and get positive feedback, edits, suggestions and support, your writing will become stronger. You’ll also be energized to move forward and finish. I’ve seen this in many of my authors over a matter of months. The difference between where they start and where they finish can be remarkable. I find that they write with more authority, assurance and confidence and that the content is clear and reader-friendly with actionable steps. This means that the writer feels good about the process and the outcome and makes it much more likely that her ideal reader will too. Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book proposal and/or book. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash ‘What if I fall?’ Oh, but darling, what if you fly? Erin Hanson The first quote, attributed to Georg Addair and Chicken Soup author Jack Canfield, perfectly encapsulates the need to move through fear to get what we want. It might be a goal, like writing a book, improving your health or finding a life partner or a desire to reinvent your life, move abroad or find community. Fear keeps us from what we want but what this quote doesn’t say is how difficult it can be to make the journey to the other side, to the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The second quote by Erin Hanson shows us why taking the risk and moving past fear is so worthwhile. Monsters on a Boat Fear is hardwired into humans as a defense mechanism to keep us safe – don’t put your hand on a hot stove, look both ways before you cross the street, avoid dangerous looking people if you’re in a bad neighborhood at 2 a.m. but it can kick in when you move out of your comfort zone. Russ Harris, author of the Happiness Trap perfectly encapsulates this in his fun video Monsters on a Boat: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLERXh_dldu71BCCbhyoOVSbD3-dSpcUp9 Unfortunately, the comfort zone can also be a problem because if we stay in it, we don’t experience anything new or get what we really want. But as we move towards what we want, fear gets bigger, and it feels REAL and True. Another problem? When we feel fear, stress hormones flood the body so that we’re ready to fight or flee, but it also makes it really difficult to think clearly. Any thoughts we have can often be catastrophic, which can also keep us from taking any risks. Action as an Antidote to Fear There are lots of good books about this, including The Tools by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels who advocates moving towards the fear and through it or to imagine you’re old and the regret you’ll have it you don’t take action now, Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a way to build habits that can make moving through fear easier because it builds momentum and Tara Mohr’s Playing Big urges women, especially, to listen to the wise part of themselves and not to shrink but to grow and take up space in the world. To do all this you need courage and perseverance. Move Through Fear to Start Your Book It's the same thing with writing a book. You can run a successful business or practice or offer a service like as say, a yoga teacher, functional medicine doctor or psychologist, have a method or plan or approach that works with your clients or patients, credentials that make you an expert and the desire to share what you know with the world. All of this comes to a full stop once fear enters the equation. Talk Back to Negative, Fear-Based Thoughts When this happens, first give yourself a good talking to: 1. Ask yourself: Who is the voice of doom and gloom? It might be your parents, a teacher or professor or a bad boss. Whatever it is, if you let their influence rule your thoughts, you’ll feel bad, won’t be motivated or confident enough to move forward. 2. Replace the negative thoughts with positive, self-affirming ones. What are your good qualities? How can you look at the glass half-full rather than half-empty? Act like a defense attorney. How can you rebut what the negative voice in your head is telling you with reality-based arguments? Look back on what you’ve accomplished in the past. Give evidence as to why you can move through fear and get what you want. When it comes to writing a book, it can help to get specific. Write down: • Why do you want to write a book? Be honest – is it to share what you know, build your brand, make more money? All are valid reasons. • What subject do you want to focus on? Is a specific problem or condition like chronic pain or diabetes or is it stress, depression, optimism or something else? • Who is your ideal reader? • Why are you the best person to write this book? Remember, don’t listen to the voice of fear, instead take an accurate look at why this is true. • How can you take the first step to writing your book? For example, creating an outline or Table of Contents, signing up for a course or hiring a book coach. • What actions can you take on a regular basis to keep moving towards your goal? If you want to self-publish, you can make a commitment to write regularly, if you’d like to be traditionally published, you can work on a book proposal. As you move through fear, you’ll find three things are true. You are stronger than the fear, you can do hard things, and you can write your best book. Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book proposal and/or book. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by Kier in Sight Archives  on Unsplash “The most powerful thing you can do right now is be patient while things are unfolding for you.” -- Idil Ahmed⠀ When things aren’t easy, how often do you wish that time would speed up and bring the change you’re hoping for? This quote reminds me that patience is the key to possibilities. This is true in life and it’s true when you’re writing book. A bud needs time to flower. Saying Yes to an Idea First, you get an idea. I’ve had ideas come to me in my kitchen, on walks or when I’m doing chores, usually when my mind is unoccupied with other things. Ideas come to me like visitors who tap on the door of my mind. Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear writes about this. She says that ideas are always looking for a partner, someone to bring it to the world. So, when an idea comes, she says, you need to decide whether or not to say yes. If you say no, the idea may move along to someone else. If you say yes, it’s time to take action. Now, it would be great if once you say yes to an idea that it would magically morph into a published book but it doesn’t work that way. An idea is like an ember. When it first shows up it often isn’t fully formed, any more than a spark is a blazing fire. You need to cultivate patience to grow your idea. Grow Your Idea, Let it Flower Ideas can shift depending on where you are in your life. As you grow, through the daily pain and pleasures of everyday life, and as you do your work, your perspective changes and your idea may change too. Researching your idea is important but so is just sitting with it, musing about it, sharing it with someone you trust or just getting outside in nature can give your mind the room it needs to explore your idea and to see if you want to stick with it. This takes time. Think of it like watering a plant so that it can grow. Is Your Idea a Good Container? You also need to think about the idea and what it can hold. Is it a good container or pot (to continue the flower analogy) for things you want to teach or share with readers? For example, if your idea is to write a book about Natural Ways to Treat Anxiety, think about what you’d like to include. Is anxiety a big enough container or do you want to add stress too? Once you have your container you need to think about what you want to put in it. This too, takes time and thought. What aspect of your practice do you want to feature? What’s most promising? What excites you the most when you see clients? How do you help them progress? Excitement is a touchstone. If you feel excited about an aspect of your work, your approach, your method, program or plan, that’s a good indicator that there is something good there that you can share with readers. So, the next time you get an idea and say yes to it, remember to give it time to grow, to flower, give it time to become what it really wants to be, then share it with the world. Until next time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your guide, cheerleader and editorial support as you write or re-write your book proposal or book. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list.

Leap and the net will appear. – American naturalist John Burroughs In the movie Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, after the villain (Julian Glover) shoots Indy’s father (Sean Connery) to “encourage” Indy (Harrison Ford) to find the Holy Grail, he says to him: It’s time to ask yourself. What do you believe? To save his father, Indy needs to make his way through the maze of clues to obtain the Holy Grail and save his father’s life. To do this, Indy realizes that he’ll need to believe in himself, his father’s notebook and the Universe (Source, whatever word you like), to take a leap of faith to solve the clues and find it. In fact, the second clue in his father’s diary leads him to the edge of a cliff. There, he takes a literal leap of faith into seeming nothingness when he steps out and lands on a path that leads him to the Holy Grail. Good Questions to Ask Yourself When you start writing a book, it can feel like this too. It’s a leap of faith to start and finish the book you’ve been dreaming of writing. When you get to the tough spots (as Indy did in the movie and you will as all authors do) it’s important to ask yourself this question: What do you believe? Do you believe that your book is worth writing? That you have something that needs to be said? That your idea, approach, method, plan or program can take readers on a transformational journey and change their lives for the better? That this book will help to grow your message and business? Maybe, even change your life? How to Keep Believing Belief in yourself and the book you want to write is essential to get you from start (or maybe stuck to start) to finish. Think of it like your North Star. But this can be a difficult mindset to sustain over the long haul of settling on a book idea, defining your approach, program, method or plan, a Table of Contents, not to mention crafting a book proposal (if you want to go the traditional publishing route) and writing the book. It's at this point that a book coach can be invaluable. A book coach acts as an editorial guide and project manager yes, but she or he is also there for support, to gently guide you back to your vision, help you reaffirm and act on it and help you achieve it. Asking the Right Questions One way, a book coach does this is by asking the right questions – think Tim "Make it Work" Gunn in Project Runway – and helping you find the answers. I’m reading The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier and he presents 7 key questions to ask in coaching. The first one is: What’s on your mind? A good book coach makes a safe space so that you can find solutions and put them on the page. Of course, a book coach also offers observations, support and guidance but questions are key. When you answer these questions over and over and act it creates a virtuous loop that builds and reinforces your self-confidence and your belief in yourself as a writer. It’s a leap of faith to want to and start writing a book. Asking and answering the right questions can help you land on solid ground, move forward and finish. Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, cheerleader and support as you write or re-write your book proposal and book. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

One of the best things about being an editor and book coach is helping someone go from idea to first draft, from manuscript to a published book. I’m happy to say that Cara Metz’s book The Menopause Metabolism Fix has just been published by Fairwinds Press. I was excited about Cara’s approach as we worked on her book together and I’m excited now about the prospect of this book changing readers’ lives for the better. How an Idea Becomes a Book Cara, the author ( https://www.instagram.com/carametz_ ) had a solid idea. She had created a unique program that had helped many of her clients – 40+ women - work through The Change in real-time. Over and over, these women, her clients, had reported tangible, positive results from following her program – 4 Weeks. 5 Workouts. 15 Minutes a Day. - and lifestyle advice. She offered a promise to her clients: To feel better and more empowered during this life transition, a specific route and gave detailed advice and direction so that they could get there. Next, she wanted to expand her reach and write a book detailing her program, where the problem (menopause) was defined, and solutions offered (the fix) that readers could put into practice on a daily basis and see results. In The Menopause Metabolism Fix , readers find a combination of mindset, exercise and diet to help them move in, through and out of menopause feeling stronger, healthier and re-invigorated for whatever comes next. They are transformed, which is the goal of the best health and wellness books. Think About What's Working For You If you're interested in writing a health and wellness book, the first step is to think about what you’re doing now with your clients or patients that’s working and can be replicated. Ask yourself: 1. What program, method or plan is working with clients or patients in real-time? 2. Are you seeing results consistently? 3. How might you help readers experience these results? 4. What might the title of your book be? 5. What would your Table of Contents (TOC) look like? TOC Introduction Chapter 1 – the problem and how you can help solve it. Chapters 2-20 (at most). Take the First Step Answering these questions and getting clear about what you can offer is the first step towards making your book real, something that you can hold in your hands and share with the world. It means giving serious thought to what you’re doing and the results you’re seeing. This can be the foundation as you take your next steps to start, write and finish your book. It will also be the way to help your readers transform their lives for the better. Until Next Time! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, cheerleader and support as you write or re-write your book proposal and book. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .

Photo by Brock Wegner on Unsplash When you think about writing your non-fiction book, it’s a good idea to write with the end in mind. Not only do you want to clearly define your idea, method or plan and structure (Table of Contents) and decide how you’re going to take readers on a transformational journey, you also need to think about what comes next. Why Resources Matter At the end of many non-fiction books you’ll find resources. This is additional information that the reader can use to progress on their journey – whatever it may be -that’s beyond the scope of your book. This can include free resources like a newsletter, quick e-courses, You Tube videos and more. I also like to give readers resources like books by other authors on the same subject matter, helpful associations and organizations. In my natural health books with herbalist Brigitte Mars, we even often include suppliers of specific herbs or services that are compatible with the message of the book. Use Your Book as a Springboard to Success In addition, of course, you can direct readers to your website so that they can buy self-paced courses, online workshops, and 1:1 sessions. Seen this way – that this section provides value for the reader and you, the author - resources which are usually in the appendix are anything but an afterthought. You can use your book as a springboard that catapults readers beyond THE END to help them achieve success using your guidance and help you to build your e-mail list, exposure and boost your brand. That’s something worth thinking about as you begin to write your book. Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A book coach to be your guide, cheerleader and support as you write or re-write your book proposal and book. 2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list.

When it comes to writing any book, especially non-fiction self-help, you need to begin with the end in mind. In this case, who will need and buy your book? It helps to shift your perspective from what you want to write about – your program, method or plan – to how it can help your ideal reader. Your goal is to take them on a transformational journey so that they travel from A to B and experience real change if they follow your program. Once you have a workable idea, the next step is to define who needs your help.   Here are a few questions to help you zero in your ideal reader: 1. What is the specific health or wellness problem they need a solution for?  Stress, anxiety, depression, flexibility, balance or Lyme disease? 2. Is it a chronic problem or something that can be dealt with more simply?  This will determine how you cover the topic -- with a complex, comprehensive approach -- or more of a how-to feel with short, quick strategies. 3. What clients or patients have you worked with who might be your ideal reader? This will give you real insight into who he or she may be. 4. What are your reader's goals (and hopes) when they buy your book? Do they want a quick win or a long-term strategic plan? What outcome do they hope to achieve? If someone has just discovered a problem, that’s different than the reader who has lived with it for years. This is important as you plan your book and create a Table of Contents to guide you as you write. 5. Is your reader looking for practical advice or more understanding about a certain problem? Either way, you need to offer solutions and a new way forward. 6. What’s the demographic you’re writing to – age, gender, location, career etc.  Is it a woman in her early 50’s who is going through menopause or a man in his 30’s who is anxious and stressed and wants a mind-body-spirit approach to learn to relax, deal with triggers and find new ways to respond? 7. What’s their lifestyle?  Are they urban singles or suburban moms? 8. What are their interests? Do they like holistic medicine or a more traditional approach? Are they outdoor enthusiasts or couch potatoes? 9. What tone would appeal to your ideal reader?  Is it expert-authoritative or more friend to friend advice? This can also help you define your approach to the material. 10.  Finally, how do you want to feel as you’re writing your book?  Does what you want to say align with your ideal reader? You need to be sure that what you want to say lands with the person you want to say it to. Create a Reader Profile for Writing & Selling Your Book Creating a reader profile can help you to crystallize all of this information. Knowing who your ideal reader is also important when it comes to writing your book. It can act as a touchstone to keep you on message and to be sure that your book fulfills its premise and promise. If you want a traditional publisher, a reader profile is also an important part of a book proposal, a marketing tool to sell your idea. So, it’s worth taking the time in the beginning to define your ideal reader so that the finished book is all that you want it to be! Contact me when you’re ready if you need: 1. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview. 2. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly. 3. A book coach to be your guide, cheerleader and support as you write or re-write your book proposal and book. 4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com .