Write What Comes into Your Mind

I have several books I like to read for inspiration. One is Natalie Goldberg's book Writing Down the Bones. Some of the things she writes about seem a little strange when you first look at the titles of some of her chapters. For example, one is titled "Be an Animal;" another is titled "Don't use writing to get love." I'm not sure what these have to do with improving your writing, but almost anything she writes is interesting to read. The main thing she emphasizes in her book is that you shouldn't have to struggle to write. It should come easy, and of course, the more you write the easier it gets. So it makes sense to do a lot of writing. It's easy to say " Just write what's on your mind." But there are times when your mind is pretty blank. Nevertheless, doing a lot of what I call "free writing" is extremely helpful. It helps you overcome any "blockage" you might have. All writers want to sit down and have the words "flow out." They don't want to spend a lot of time staring at a blank page. That can be frustrating. And there's no doubt that the best way to make sure this happens (most of the time) is to write a lot. And don't worry about what you should write about: just write what comes into your mind.

Writing a book? Make sure it will sell.

Writing a book is easy. The hard part is writing one that will sell. There's no doubt that there is a certain satisfaction that comes with writing a book and having it published, but if the book doesn't sell you will soon get disillusioned. The work isn't over when the book is finished; you have to do a lot of things to make sure it sells. But there is also a lot you can do while you are writing the book. "Write a Book That Will Sell" will help make sure it sells.