Assemble Your Posts

I didn’t realize I’d already written much of my article.

As a matter of habit, I posted daily on Facebook about the cross-country trip I was taking with members of the Model A Ford club. Each evening I’d summarize the day’s highlights and post my best photos.

Only later did I realize those posts could form the backbone for a feature article I … Continue reading

A Task Too Big

Take it a little at a time.

If you’re daunted by writing your book, consider this old joke:

How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.

Still, authorship means more than writing one word after another. You face multiple tasks. But broken into many small steps, any job can become feasible.

My father-in-law and I just completed a … Continue reading

Too Early to Edit

A first draft is great, but seldom good enough.

by Andy Scheer

The author’s eagerness shone through his email. He’d just finished a manuscript, a 40,000-word nonfiction piece. He’d written it to encourage and inspire others in his occupation.

In two months, he’d attend a writers conference. He hoped I’d edit his manuscript — before the conference. To give me a sense … Continue reading