A Guide to Writing a Compelling Book
“Be curious. And try not to think too much.” —Ted Smith
Ted Smith agrees that writing a book can be a challenging but rewarding experience. As a member of our “Authors Who Lead” community, Ted wrote and published his first book and is writing his second. Being familiar with the process and journey of writing, he now feels he can concentrate more on his creative side and be in more flow as he writes.
In this episode of “Authors Who Lead,” I talk with Ted Smith about his journey writing his book, Healthy Me, Happy We: Transforming Relationships with Yourself and Others, and how writing his second book has been a very different experience. If you haven’t yet listened to our previous podcast with Ted, you can listen to Episode 154 where we discuss in more detail his journey with writing his first book.
Sharing Your Vulnerabilities
No one wants to read another school textbook. So, even if you have a lot of great information and data to share with your readers, your authenticity, your story, and your vulnerability is what will hold their attention and change their lives.
When Ted started writing his first book, he knew it was going to be a very personal subject, but he was still taken aback by the challenge and rewards of opening himself up and being vulnerable. Not only did he continue in his healing journey, but he also learned that he enjoyed helping others along their own personal relationship journeys. He has since resigned from his fourteen-year secure job and is now a full-time entrepreneur.
Writing a Compelling Book
Sometimes when we sit down to write our books we are unsure or unclear of where we want to go with it. I believe this is the perfect place to start. I tell my authors to think on the page, not in their heads. So, just start writing. See what comes from the freedom to just pour your ideas and heart out on the page.
With his first book, Ted admits he struggled with being in his head too much. This time he came to the coaching group without a concrete idea of what he wanted to write about and just let his creativity run free.
In this podcast, Ted also shares with us:
- That writing a book is first transformative for the author
- Each book you write is going to be a very different journey
- You don’t have to be done with that journey to help others
- There will be obstacles when writing a book, but just remember that writing is a skill that can be developed with practice
- Your reader wants you to guide them, not be a guru
- You are the expert in your life experiences
- It’s all right to break the rules when writing as long as it’s working for you
What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? What is your biggest obstacle to writing your book? Share in the comments below!
That’s all for this week. If you have a message inside of you that needs to be written, today is the day to start. Don’t delay—take action.
Episode Resource:
Connect with Ted here:
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Get a copy of Ted’s book here:
Healthy Me, Happy We: Transforming Relationships with Yourself and Others
Other Resources:
Authors Who Lead Podcast Episode 154
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