How to become a Good Writer
If all it takes to be a good writer is to read a lot of different genre to get inspired by others’ writing, then it should be logical to conclude that you will eventually recognize your specialty and join the ranks of professional writers. It’s not an overnight execution; obeying the rigors of a strict learning curve can be demanding of your time and energy. It usually requires that you enroll for courses in writing, attend workshops, join writers’ groups, shadow a seasoned writer, or revise your work numerous times to achieve the required standard.
Career Paths
Few other professions offer more career paths than writing. Choosing the right path requires a candid review of one’s interests, talents, level of creativity and language skills. It should not be assumed that every writer has the ability to pen a novel or develop a story that will captivate the imagination of young readers. However, to be a good writer you must be inspired to produce quality content that will encourage the reader to read your work. The reader is wholly dependent on the writers’ choice of words to create a mental image of what is being conveyed. Hence, the writer must cultivate the ability to first visualize the intended written text through content strategy.
Diverse Options
In reality, most professionals make a living writing non-fiction for commerce or topic-specific publications. Lucrative writing careers include article writers, copywriters, ghostwriters, speechwriters, research writers [non-fiction] and journalists. Newspapers, magazines and website managers employ article writers to prepare non-fiction pieces on relevant topics.
While some writers are comfortable tackling any given topic as needed [apparently a sign of a competent writer], many prefer to specialize in subjects they know well such as food, travel, technology, fashion, politics, local issues and others. Copywriters write text for commercial advertisements and other marketing-related materials such as press releases, product reports, advertorials, and branded packaging. This type of writing must be concise and effective in capturing the attention of consumers.
Ghost Writer
A ghostwriter is a writer who authors books, manuscripts, screenplays, scripts, articles, blog posts, stories, reports, whitepapers, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. The writing process involves developing a purposeful relationship with the author to make sure the storyline is authentic and exemplifies their individuality.
Speech Writer
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. The writer must be thoroughly acquainted with the rules of public speaking, including cultural etiquette, when not to use humor, body language, using visuals, and duration of the speech.
Non-Fiction Writer
A research writer, or non-fiction writer, typically works independently to develop their manuscript or partners with a book publisher or other business on a freelance or contract basis. They write general-knowledge, academic, technical, or biographical books on an extensive range of subjects. Web content also falls in this category.
Skills
Writing a manuscript intended for publication usually requires the author to possess extensive specialized knowledge of the subject. Non-fiction book writers are generally hired to write one book at a time, working from a well-planned brief. Journalists, in the employ of newspapers, magazines and online services, investigate and report on people or events. Journalists must be able to instantly gauge whether a story has newsworthy appeal, write quickly, effectively and meet deadlines. Other writing paths include translators, screenwriters, reviewers, columnists, content for gaming applications, and novelists.
Occupation
Writing can be a challenging career choice, and requires extensive knowledge and skills, as well as years of actual writing experience and being published. Anyone considering a career as a full-time writer must determine what style of writing they excel at and who their target market is. Important qualifications include a degree in English, diploma in Creative Writing & Editing and a working knowledge of publishing. Showcase samples of your work on the Internet; your dedicated Web site should be easy to navigate, provide an outline of your education, professional experience in developing a manuscript, preferred genre, writing samples, and related services. Decide whether you want to work at home as a freelancer or if you would prefer a more traditional employment environment?
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Business Plans for Writers
Any writer who wants to publish their work — whether it is fiction or nonfiction — should produce a Book Business Plan (Proposal) for each manuscript. Book publishers require writers to submit a proposal on their book together with sample chapters, for review. An acquisitions editor and select editorial personnel determine whether the manuscript fits the publishing firms’ book list profile and if it is a viable business proposition.
The book proposal prepared by the writer facilitates their decision-making process. Writing a Book Business Plan allows the author to think about how to go about creating a framework to write the manuscript, choose a title, decide on the number of chapters, which topics require research, whether to sell to a publisher or publish independently, how to identify the right publisher, what self-publishing involves, costs, revisions and new editions, film rights, how to pinpoint your specific readership and what quantitative and qualitative benefits this target audience seeks, and how you intend marketing your book (pre-publicity, launch, and what you intend to do once the book is successful).
When do you start writing your Book Business Plan?
The Book Business Plan starts at the moment you begin writing your manuscript. At this stage you should already have a clear vision of the plot and characters, the target audience and even the venues where copies of the book can be sold. Start with your end goal in mind; decide how much revenue (or number of copies) you want to generate from book sales. Be realistic; you probably won’t make the top ten best seller list with your first publication (don’t rule this out altogether) but by setting the right strategy you are establishing a future goal to potentially earn big money down your career path.
- How do you plan to organize and manage your new book?
- Do you need a publicist or are you competent to undertake the marketing campaign by yourself?
- Do you need to employ an advertising agency?
- Who will write a review?
- Who will write a literary critique?
- Who will undertake content illustrations and cover design?
- Who will write the back-page cover blurb?
- Who will register the ISBN and convert the number to bar-code?
- Who will edit the manuscript?
- Do you have the right contacts to organize a range of merchandising, including a book video, imprinted bookmarks, chap books, T-shirts, or posters?
- Bear in mind that as the author you too are the product. Could you schedule book signings, community events, workshops, and media interviews?
- A big part of your Book Business Plan is knowing beforehand who will want to buy your book. It’s vital to know precisely who your market and readership target is. Are they women? Men? Adolescents? Romance lovers? History buffs? Knowing who your market is will also make it easier to determine the venues they frequent when the book is ready to be launched, and choosing the promotional activity that will attract their attention.
- Establish what it is that makes your book so special and better choice compared to similar publications. Many writers write books they would love to read, or choose topics that are currently in vogue but write it from a different perspective. Make sure you know why you and your book is special; it’s the backbone of a good Book Business Plan and effective marketing strategy.
- Know how to promote your product; make a point of telling everyone you know about your book. Print and distribute copies of chap books with your book review. Print an edition of bookmarks to leave at libraries, book shops, and book events. Publicize your book through social networking. Print size A4 posters to display in shop windows. Offer to give a talk to members of local book clubs or writers’ groups. Create novel marketing strategies. Put your book online with Amazon. Negotiate with local book stores to accept a small edition of your books on consignment (they only pay you when the books are sold). Think creatively; if your book is about travel, you may want to distribute copies through travel agencies and run an advertisement (or blog feature) on their web site. Promote your book as a gift item. If your book is aimed at a young audience, consider including a small gift to make the purchase more attractive. Is your story about wine? Wineries have gift shops. If your book is historic in nature, museum gift stores would be an ideal venue.
- Market Research: Describe the book reading behavior of your target market.
- Similar publications in the marketplace.
- Format and length of proposed book.
- Biographical details.
- Media & PR Plan.
- Does the proposal provide sufficient commercial returns?
Contact Theresa (ecottage@gmail.com) for any writing and editing assignments, including review, literary critique, book business plan (proposal) editing, ghost writing, graphic design, and self-publishing.
Writing a Proposal
Need help writing a proposal?
Proposals are informative and persuasive forms of writing that attempt to educate the reader and convince that reader to do something. A good proposal is always readable, well-organized, grammatically correct, and understandable. Use a spell checker before submitting the proposal. Proofread carefully. In general avoid abbreviations; for example, use laboratory, not lab and mathematics, not math. The first time you use an acronym, write out what it stands for and put the acronym in parentheses. For example, the South African Writers’ Network (SAWN); after that you may use the acronym. Make sure all your references are correct. Consider using graphics to make your point stronger and clearer. A time line to show when different components of your project are to take place can be particularly effective. Include a table of contents which makes it easy for reviewers to locate important sections of your proposal. Budget information should be complete and unambiguous. Carefully review your budget to ensure that ineligible items do not appear in the budget and that adequate attention has been given to cost sharing.
Any proposal offers a plan to fill a need, and your reader will evaluate your plan according to how well your written presentation answers questions about what WHAT you are proposing, HOW you plan to do it, WHEN you plan to do it and HOW MUCH it is going to cost.
Any questions that the reader might pose should be anticipated and answered in a way that reflects the stated position of your proposal. It is important that the writer also considers all sides of the argument — providing other alternative solutions to the problem, but showing how the one chosen is superior to the others included. The goal of the writer is not only to persuade the reader to do what is being requested, but also to make the reader believe that the solution is practical and appropriate. In persuasive proposal writing, the case is built by the demonstration of logic and reason in the approach taken in the solution. Facts must lead logically and inevitably to the conclusion and/or the solution presented. Evidence should be given in a descending order of importance, beginning with the most important evidence and ending with the least important.
The writer must also determine beforehand the level of knowledge the audience possesses and take the positions of all the readers into account; for instance, its important to know whether the readers are members of the technical community or technical discourse community, or of both, which will enable the writer to use the appropriate materials and language to appeal to sectors. It is a good idea to include an executive summary that is written in non-technical (easily accessible) language, or even a glossary of terms that explains technical language used in the body of the proposal.
The most basic composition of a proposal, as with any other written document, is simple; it needs a beginning (the Introduction), a middle (the Body of material to be presented) and an end (the Conclusion/Recommendation).
- The INTRODUCTION presents and summarizes the problem you intend to solve and your solution to that problem, including the benefits the reader/group will receive from the solution and the cost of that solution.
- The BODY of the proposal should explain the complete details of the solution: how the job will be done, broken into separate tasks; what method will be used to do it, including the equipment, material, and personnel that would be required; when the work will begin; and, when the job will be completed. It should also present a detailed cost breakdown for the entire job.
- The CONCLUSION should emphasize the benefits that the reader will realize from your solution to the problem and should urge the reader to action. It should be encouraging, confident and assertive in tone. Look again at the goals and objectives and at your written plans and procedures for achieving the goals. Check to see that the goals are well-developed and realistic and that your plans are innovative and appropriate.
Contact Theresa [ecottage@gmail.com] for proposal writing.
Find Your Target Audience
Very few books – if any – appeal to a nonspecific audience. It is therefore necessary to find your books target audience before you start trying to appeal to ‘everyone’. Bear in mind, one of the main reasons people will be interested in your book is because the subject matter appeals to them on a personal level.
Profit Motive
Many book publishers naturally favor books that will attract a wide readership; their chief objective being to generate volume sales and subsequently a larger profit margin. However, the risk of poor sales is often the case because the larger the market the more competition you are likely to encounter and the bigger the drain on expenses to explore unique ways to make the book stand out above the rest.
Reader Profile
Hence, instead of trying to create a book that has mass appeal, it is wise to explore the needs, wants and desires of a realistically sized ‘niche’ target audience instead. To do this the author must identify and research what the intended target reader finds fascinating [ideally before writing the book], and establish unique and meaningful viewpoints to achieve this expectation.
It helps to know what your central philosophy is in writing and wanting to publish a book, and why it is important that you share your views with readers. It is important to gain clarity about your own expectations and the message you put across so that you can deliver a convincing pitch that highlights your work’s benefits, points of difference, and unique qualities.
The author will find it easy to answer a question like, “What makes your book so compelling that a customer would choose it over a similar publication, or another author in the same genre?” An author’s understanding of the competitive nature of attracting the attention of potential buyers makes it easier to discern who is most likely to buy their book and what it takes to make it stand out from other books in the same category.
Who do you need to reach?
Segment a broad market into distinct groups of individuals [men, women, young children, academics, adolescents, business executives, and so forth] who are like-minded or share specific behavioral characteristics.
Geographic –
- Where do your potential readers live [country, region]?
- What is their home language?
- Do they live in an urban or rural environment?
Demographic –
- What is the age and gender of your target reader?
- Occupation?
- Generation: Baby boomer? Gen X? Gen Y?
Behavioral –
- Are they already fans of your genre/topic)?
- What motivates them?
- What are their reading preferences: eBook, Print?
Where Can You Find the Answers?
The answers to the above questions should not be left to guess-work. Consider asking followers on your social networks to complete a short questionnaire to better understand how to serve your potential readers.
- Ask questions in emails and your blog posts.
- Join forums and writers’ clubs that discuss book topics or genre to find out more about your potential target audience.
- Search for similar books in retail outlets and online, and investigate the books on author websites. Learn what type of content is shared [reviews, book signings, author biography, author interview] and what platforms are used to share information about a publication.
- Do an online search for reader demographics for magazines or publications relevant to the subject of your book.
- Reach your audience by engaging with your target audience by monitoring mentions of your book (Google Alerts), and stay up to date with what other authors, bloggers, and industry leaders are talking about; also contribute to the dialogue (Feedly, AllTop, Google Trends and NewsMap).
Planning Business Meetings
Make Business Meetings fun and revitalizing!
Planning business meetings revolve around achieving corporate excellence in today’s competitive business environment. It is as simple as shifting the traditional rules of running a meeting to bringing in new tactics that focus on one issue at a time, and encourage contentious dialogue around the constant development of a forward-looking identity, lean management and shared vision for the organization. Purpose-driven meetings are empowering, offer members a dedicated platform for constructive communication, the opportunity to develop work skills and leadership, and are morale boosting.
Banish Deadly Meetings
Eradicate habitual views such as ‘people don’t take meetings seriously; they arrive late, leave early, and spend most of their time in absent-minded doodling’ by structuring a proactive agenda that groups topics that match the aim of the gathering so people can leave the meeting when their area under discussion is complete. This tactic will greatly facilitate efficient productivity since people complain that ‘meetings are too long, cover issues that are irrelevant to them, and encroach on their normal work obligations’.
Initiate Lively Meetings
Every business, whether it has two employees or 500 and more, set regular meetings as a strategy to plan the organization’s goals and determine who will do what by when. Meetings are an important way for management and employees to collaborate, explore innovative proposals and delegate work to employees. It is vital that employees are provided with the right level of support to get the job done well, including a clear outline of the task and expectations, access to relevant primary information, resources and training; the designated employee must be held accountable to deliver the pre-determined outcomes. Every employee must feel inspired to perform at their best and confident to act on own initiative to get the job done well. It is important to dispel the negative belief many employees have of meetings, ‘that nothing happens once the meeting ends and that people don’t convert decisions into action’.
After each presentation, take a two-minute break
It is important that people at the meeting stay alert. Make sure the room is well lit and ventilated. Here are some ideas to help them remain attentive:
- Get everyone to stand up, jump on the spot for 10 seconds, and stretch their arms above their head, lean to the left, lean to the right, lean forward to touch their toes [or knees] and to sit back down. Play up-tempo music so that individuals can move to the rhythm.
- Get everyone to participate in tossing a beach ball randomly to people standing around the boardroom table.
- Hand out a clump of play dough to each person and have them make something, anything.
- Play ‘What’s in the Box’ and have each person imagine what they are holding before removing the item from the box. Fill the box with items such as sandpaper, felt, golf ball, sock, comb, calculator, stress ball, candle, bulldog clip, and mouse pad.
- Value the power of food at a meeting: Food helps people sustain positive energy levels. Offer snack food such as fruit [apples, berries], yoghurt, nuts [walnuts and almonds], sunflower seeds, and bottled water. An idea for a healthy light lunch: garden salad [lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, grilled chicken strips or tuna], wholegrain or rye bread, coffee and dark chocolate bonbons.
Pick the right person
The assumption ‘that nothing happens once the meeting ends and that people don’t convert decisions into action’ rarely occurs because employees lack enthusiasm or have a poor work ethic; in most instances they leave a meeting with a conflicting analysis of what was discussed and decided upon and don’t know what should happen next. The best way to avoid any misunderstanding is to focus attention on one issue at a time and to make firm decisions when discussions are concluded. A guideline to follow when delegating work is to establish who has the requisite capability, interest, expertise and enthusiasm for personal growth to entrust the duty. The purpose of delegating a job to the right person is to engage loyalty, commitment, a sense of belonging, and personal empowerment. From this emerges a vibrant commitment to carry out strategies to cultivate a business philosophy of continual improvement and an engaging corporate culture.
Maximize Efficiency through Teamwork
As a business grows, different problems and opportunities demand different solutions. Today more of what people do [including meetings] takes place in teams. Successful teams are well-balanced, represented by specialists from relevant areas of interest or departments, bringing together individuals who each contribute unique skills and abilities. Good communication allows team members to learn from one another and augment the game plan as the business meeting unfolds. Author Phil Baguley puts it in perspective in his book ‘Teams and Team-Working’; he defines a team as ‘a group of people who work together towards a shared and meaningful outcome in ways that combine their individual skills and abilities and for which they are all responsible’. Baguley further states that behind virtually every business success is a close-knit team, but creating a well-oiled machine out of a diverse group of employees takes skill. By breaking down his definition we can see that several conditions must be satisfied if we wish to call ourselves a business team:
- A team must consist of a group of people [business units or departments]
- Team members must work together [everyone must know who is responsible for which actions, what the budget is, and which tasks have already been accomplished]
- A team must work towards a shared and meaningful outcome [project/micro management]
- An effective team must combine its members’ individual skills and abilities [monitoring schedule performance, responding to change requests, setting up ad hoc team meetings]
Mutualism and Teamwork
Collaborative relationships are a vital part of effective teamwork, particularly for business meetings. It is however critical that individual members pursue the right kind of relationships within their team dynamics. While mutualistic relationships benefit everyone [ensuring a win-win outcome and are sustainable over the long-term] conflicting viewpoints and aspirations may collide with established norms, both socially and within work environments. Consequently, business leaders need to put together an appropriate Succession Plan that collates the demographics of its workforce on the subject of [but is not limited to] race, gender, ethnicity, organizational function, and educational background. The aim of Succession Planning is to provide the organization with information whereby employees are recruited and developed to fill key positions within the company, develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities, and prepare them for advancement or promotion into ever more challenging roles.
- Identify employees with the potential to assume greater responsibility within the organization
- Provide critical development experiences to those that demonstrate the aptitude to move into key roles
- Engage leadership opportunities
- Improve employee commitment and retention
- Upgrade career development expectations of existing employees
Corporate Culture Dictates
Working effectively as a team has to do with much more than a group of people sitting around a boardroom table, discussing challenges and evaluating common goals. In general, individuals operate according to the team’s modus operandi; companies have preset times to arrive at work, take refreshment breaks or clock out and must follow rigid rules and procedures governing leave entitlement. Most employees are expected to adhere to a specific dress code. More often than not, the business’s corporate culture dictates professional behavior at work. As a member of a team you need insights into how other interrelated departments within the organization correlate with your area of expertise, including how you interact with suppliers, competitors, product manufacturers, stakeholder groups, government agencies, trade unions, and the media.
Call to Action
It is important to observe the relationships between team members, determining whether existing goals are supported by close-knit mutualistic interaction. Talk face-to-face and take interest in an individual’s point of view. Clear and effective communication is a prerequisite for any group wanting to work effectively as a team. The language used in delivering presentations will depend on the topic being conveyed, based on the needs of the audience. Avoid using excessive jargon as some members of the audience, team or group may not be familiar with these phrases. Summarize the discussion and answer any questions to make sure everyone fully understands the intention of the proposal; conclude with a plan of action so that everyone at the meeting will know who is doing what by when.
Words by Theresa Lutge-Smith (ecottage@gmail.com)
About Theresa
I’m a published author of four business books and have written a number of self-study tutorials [creative writing; editing and proofreading; business writing; and self-publishing] and an eBook [Workplace Harmony]. I am an experienced writer, editor and publisher. 
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