Getting out of the day to day running of your business can sometimes unlock the ‘working in’ mentality that most business owners face when running a busy organisation. Shutting down the computer, and leaving the office behind can suddenly let … Continue reading
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I’m going to be sharing with you a quick masterclass of how to use your book as a lead generation tool, (as opposed to getting it on the ‘best seller’ list and making money from the front end sales) as … Continue reading
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My mentor and colleague Ed Rivis has written 3 books, and his first one gained him a 5 star rating on Amazon. (The other 2 have had 4.5 star ratings.) This has not happened overnight, and the material he publishes … Continue reading
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Planning your book is essential. Without this step your book will take much longer to write and be much more difficult. All of this can be overcome quickly and easily by using a simple technique I call the ‘Blueprint Plan’. … Continue reading
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Before you start writing your book, or rather before you start planning your book (A critical step – which I will be sharing with you in a later blog post) you need to ask yourself these three simple questions. If … Continue reading
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In this blog post I am going to be explaining the 2 critical factors you must obtain before you start on your writing journey. Without understanding (and adopting them) you will struggle with your book. They are the foundations to … Continue reading
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It’s been another busy week (isn’t it always?) but I’ve now completed my introduction. It was harder than I thought. In fact I wrote several drafts before I was happy with it, but now it’s good to go. Why so … Continue reading
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Hello!
Wow, the last two weeks have just flown by…
I have taken on a few new clients, so it’s been very busy but also exciting to hear of new projects and the enthusiasm that goes with that – the key is, to keep this enthusiasm high!
Okay, so my ‘blueprint plan’ is now finished. (Well, not entirely finished, as this plan can be added too and amended, but it’s at the point where I can take each section and start adding in text.) I have pasted it in below for you to see – it is a bit small, however it’s got a lot of stuff on it – so I’m slightly limited to how big the picture can be. (If you click on it however, it will open up to a larger size)
One thing I did learn from this experience, (and actually, one of my clients pointed this out to me too) is that it does pay to really learn how to use the mind mapping software you are using.
Now that may seem obvious, but it’s very easy to download software and just jump in, rather than taking the time to learn how to use it – and use it to its full potential, compared to scrabbling around trying to add an idea or important note, but not knowing how to do it.
I have to say I fell into this trap myself and it became very annoying and frustrating. So what I did was, first take a good look at their training – and then did a look on the Internet for any additional video tutorials, which there were many.
I use Free Mind (available from www.freemind.sourceforge.net) and I found this handy YouTube video as well. Some great little hints in there – so don’t skip on this step.
Then once you are up and creating your mind map, don’t edit yourself at this stage. Just keep adding ideas, you can always edit them later and get them fitted into the correct place once you have all of your thoughts down in one place.
You should look to spend a good amount of time on this, anything from a week to 10 days (sometimes even more, depending on your project) so don’t feel you are ‘wasting time’. This blueprint will become just that – your plan that will make your writing project quick and easy. You should get to the stage where you are literally just fleshing out each point on your mind map – effectively writing the book instantly.
So get planning – and good luck. Please feel free to comment below, with your planning journey – or any tips you have picked up with your writing process.
Alexa, Your book coach.
Wow – my first Blog post. How exciting!
And I like the title… Hello world! Something very optimistic about it – so I’ll keep it just the way it is.
The ‘Book Refinery’ – a place to come to help you get your book ‘out of your head, and into print.’ – it then only seems logical that I do the same. So I’ve decided to make you – my readers – my accountability partners and write a book myself.
Yep! That’s right. I’m going to diarise my writing journey – from concept to print, so that I can share my knowledge and tips along the way – and no doubt my frustrations and blocks too.
I hope to provide other budding authors get their plan into action – and commit to getting their book published. My colleague and mentor Ed Rivis sent me this quote today and I would like to share it with you – as I think it’s a great start to this journey:
“Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant; there is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” - Johann Gottfried Von Herder
(I hope that these sparks are created by passion and commitment – in order to see what you know and love – help and inspire others in your field.)
Remember: what you know, other people are just waiting to learn. Underestimating your knowledge is doing your customers a big disservice – so don’t think you haven’t got a book within you, waiting to help someone, so start planning – and get writing.
And I look forward to sharing my journey too.
Right, mind map to finish – I will post my ‘blueprint plan’ in the next few days. See you later!
Alexa
