YES!
And it doesn’t require you to hire a ghost writer. I found that there are at least five formats that make writing your own book much easier.
- Question and Answer Format. What are the questions you are always hearing? Your answers become a book.
- Topic Format. You choose your topic. We discuss the competition. We find an angle that isn’t in use.
- Insider’s Secret Format. Your book focuses on the things you have learned as an insider in your industry.
- Problem Resolution Format. Your book looks at a problem (or problems) and provides solutions to those problems.
- Experience Format. Your book focuses on experiences you have had that offer valuable insights to others.
Once you chosen a format, it can be helpful to work with a writing coach who knows how to help you address your personal writing challenges. For example, I’ve found that many of my clients struggle with using active voice. They use twice as many words as needed. I help them develop an active voice which remains authentic.
Another challenge for many of my clients is sticking with the proper verb tense. Is their character viewing the world in the present or looking back to the past?
One strategy which I’ve found works for some of my clients is to use interviews. In this case, I’m almost the same as a ghost writer. My client is the subject matter expert. I am the interviewer. I record the interviews and send the recordings to a transcriptionist. This approach is especially good for the Q&A format.
You can write a book far more quickly when you have someone who:
- Helps you prioritize tasks,
- Removes barriers,
- Gives you the tools you need,
- Prevents wandering away from the goal, and
- Provides a nurturing environment.
This is one of the primary reasons I’m a writing coach. I’ve never forgotten the afternoon in high school when a fellow student practiced his presentation for English class with me. I was fascinated as he described a metal working process.
I had graded his papers. I knew he struggled with writing. Yet, when he was free to describe something he was passionate about, he was riveting! Every time I empower a client, I taste that moment again.
No case is hopeless. If I look for it, I will find an easier way for each client to write his or her own book.
