Write Your First Book: 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012

Write NON-Fiction Today!

By Peter Biadasz (Author/Speaker/Publisher)

Not to sound redundant from my article titled “Write Fiction Today!”, but as President of Total Publishing And Media I am constantly approached by authors claiming their book manuscript will be the next New York Times best seller and will land them on one of the coveted spots on Oprah. Because I am an author first, with now 16 books to my credit, the advice I usually give to these aspiring writers is to not worry about the best sellers lists or public appearances, but to perfect the craft of writing to express the passion and expertise which lies within them. As I discuss in “Write Your First Book”, there are three phases to the successful author experience: writing, publishing and marketing. To reach one’s goals all three phases must be mastered and accomplished in that order. The mission of this article is to explain the first step of the process in becoming a successful non-fiction author. If you want to discuss the publishing or marketing phases, I would love to talk with you. Feel free to utilize my contact information at the end of this article.

Let’s take a look at writing non-fiction. There are several ways to approach non-fiction writing. I will discuss just a few.

1 – Write Non -Fiction Based On Your Passions – When you are passionate about something you will find yourself driven to write about it. First you have to figure out what your true passions are. I am not talking about something you are interested in today but may not care about tomorrow. I am discussing the thing or things which have excited you for years, not a whim. Upon realizing your passion write a piece which takes your reader into the depths of your passion; letting them experience the drive you experience and emotion you feel. By making your passion infectious via your written word you will ignite the same passion in everyone who reads your piece.

2 – Write Non-Fiction Bases On Your Expertise – We are all an expert at something. Make a list of your topics of expertise and then pick the one you want to write about. Research the topic to fill in the gaps you may have in your knowledge, identify your target audience, outline the piece and then begin writing. You may have to perform a re-write or two to achieve your goal. During the process you may find that you have learned something new in your area of expertise.

3 - Write Non-Fiction Based On What You Know Interests Others – You probably already know what topics interests others around you. Do some research and start writing. Write with a purpose. Prove everyone right, or prove them wrong. Either way, ensure your facts are correct and your position sound.

4 – Write Non-Fiction Based On A Relationship – We have all had relationships, good and bad. Pick one from your past, or present, decide the perspective from which you want to write about. Get permission from the other half of the relationship (people do not like surprises) and start writing accordingly.

5 – Write Your Life Story – You may want to recall you entire life’s experiences or maybe just and incident or two. Whatever your choice, be sure to incorporate a strong theme to which your target audience can relate.

6 - Write Another Person’s Life Story – We have all been exposed to fascinating or interesting people. Some are alive and some have passed on. Pick one whom you feel most connected too and begin your research. Learn things about them which reveal the essence of why you are writing about them.

Make the decision to write some non-fiction today. I have authored/co-authored 16 non-fiction books as of the writing of this article. The two most important aspects in writing non-fiction are research of the topic at hand and presenting the information with your unique personality and perspective.

I hope as a writer you not only expand the scope of your writing by performing the exercises mentioned above, but also find more passion in your life as a result of your writings.

Peter Biadasz, author of such book as Write Your First Book, 2^nd Edition (available at http://www.amazon.com/Write-Your-First-Book-Edition/dp/193782974X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403411149&sr=8-1&keywords=write%2C+peter+biadasz), More Leads and Increase Your Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, is President of Total Publishing And Media. To discuss with Peter publishing or marketing your book idea, or to inquire about having Peter speak to your organization or meeting, feel free to contact him at Peter@TotalPublishingAndMedia.com

Copyright 2012 Peter Biadasz

Monday, March 19, 2012

Write Fiction Today!

Write Fiction Today!

By Peter Biadasz (Author/Speaker/Publisher)

As President of Total Publishing And Media I am constantly approached by authors claiming their book manuscript will be the next New York Times best seller and will land them on one of the coveted spots on Oprah. Because I am an author first, with now 16 books to my credit, the advice I usually give to these aspiring writers is to not worry about the best sellers lists or public appearances, but to perfect the craft of writing to express the passion and expertise which lies within them. As I discuss in “Write Your First Book”, there are three phases to the successful author experience: writing, publishing and marketing. To reach one’s goals all three phases must be mastered and accomplished in that order. The mission of this article is to explain the first step of the process in becoming a successful fiction author. If you want to discuss the publishing or marketing phases, I would love to talk with you. Feel free to utilize my contact information at the end of this article.

Let’s take a look at writing fiction. There are several ways to approach fiction writing. I will discuss just a few.

1 – Writing Fiction Based On A True Story – In my opinion this is one of the easiest ways to start writing fiction. Simply take a true event in your life which you deem as significant and feel passionate about, write it factually as it occurred and then re-write it in the way you really wanted it to happen or in a fashion which is either more dramatic or more relatable to others. You can even re-write the re-write several different ways, depending on the target audience you want to reach. Before you go to bed tonight make a list of events either in your life or that you have been exposed too which you may want to fictionalize. Then pick an event from the list and have fun with the writing process. Let your imagination run wild. No idea is a bad idea. You can always edit later.

2 – Writing Fiction That Could Be Real (but isn’t) – This is similar to writing fiction based on a true story, but without starting with a factual frame of reference. After performing the first writing exercise above several times, writing fiction without a factual basis becomes easier. Start with any scenario and just expand it to a logical conclusion. This form of writing allows the world be the way you want it to be.

3 – Writing Fantasy Fiction – If you want to create a totally new world here is your chance. By writing fantasy the only rule is that there are no rules. The laws of science, or any other laws for that matter, do not matter because you can create new ones, both scientifically and legally. The challenge in writing fantasy is to be original. I once had a writer come to me with what he thought was a great idea for a fantasy book. He expressed it to me with much passion and in amazing detail. After his presentation he sat in eager anticipation of my opinion. After weighing my words for a few seconds all I could ask was, “doesn’t that sound a lot like Star Wars?” He quickly agreed and I encouraged him to expand the world in which to write fantasy, or try another form of fiction.

Make the decision to write some fiction today. The hurdle I had to overcome in dabbling in the fiction realm is that I even though I publish fiction and non-fiction works, all of the books I had authored were non-fiction. Once I overcame the sense that I was telling a lie when writing fiction, the words flowed very easily.

I hope as a writer you not only expand the scope of your writing by performing the exercises mentioned above, but also find more passion in your life as a result of your writings.