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April, 2011

Critter Fiction – Under the Seas

by Bruce L. Cook

 

Having trouble orchestrating your characters? Worry that character interaction might become unrealistic? .... (Continued below...)

   
         
 

How to Write a Book in Just 3-30 Days Even if You Can't Type

 

by Michele Blood Musivation.com

 

Do you have a book in you?

Well, I feel that everybody has a book in them. It's just a matter of when you're going to write it.

Do you have experience or expertise in some particular area? What about all your work/career experience, personal relationships, spiritual searching and studies, all the knowledge, all your life experience, the things that have helped you in life?

Perhaps you're a computer programmer, you're a single parent, you've been in sales, you know how to open a restaurant or a hairdressing salon. You know what NOT to do in relationships etc which mean you know what to do J! Right? Well, I feel that everybody has a book in them everyone has a story to tell or an experience to help people.

Perhaps you have a how-to book in you or it could be an audio program or video/DVD. It's such an AWESOME way to help yourself have PR for your life's work and/or business. Also having written a book will bring you 110% more credibility in the marketplace. So let's begin ...............

How do we write a book Michele????

This process I am about to share with you is so simple and so much fun. My friend Wilma McIntyre and I wrote "Conversations on Money, Sex and Spirituality in just 3 days using my method. I have been using this method now for over 12 years. I made it up because when I wrote my first book I could not type. This process you can also use when you are going to create a motivational audio program or even a video. (Unless you can ad lib to perfection. If you cannot ad lib without um thrown in KEEP reading) As this method will help you become very clear and totally professional.

Even IF you do not think you have a book in you, writing out the following exercises will help you gain so much clarity on what you do want to do.
I have had MANY people complete this section at my live events, really not thinking they had a book in them and some ended up writing books very quickly with more enthusiasm and passion then they ever knew they had.

If you are reading this now because you DO wish to write a book, I have some GREAT and yet simple examples to help you get started OR to quickly improve the writing you are presently doing.

First of all, make a decision on what it is you choose to write about. For example, if I was in network marketing and I'd been in the business for a while and had success, I know that having a book on how to have a successful network marketing business would be tremendous for adding publicity and credibility about who I am. This can be handed out and also sold through your own Website, or other websites including Amazon.com, and through many other areas. If you do choose to self-publish your own book, which I believe is a wonderful, freeing way to begin a writing career, we'll be covering that topic in another one of my articles on in the "How to Self-Publish."
For now let's get the book written.

Further down, (print out the article) write down areas of experience in your life. List six areas of experience you have in life. For example:

· I have studied many spiritual books and been to many seminars and feel that I have a great metaphysical self-help book in me.

· I have experienced a great deal of success in sales, and would like to write a book on sales.

· I have a great deal of experience on how to bring up children as a single parent.

These are just a few examples to get you started, because starting is what it is all about. Go ahead and fill in six areas that you have experience in from career related experience to your personal and home life.

AREAS OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
Now that you have listed the areas of experience that you have, write the top three areas that you feel the most desire to write about.

TOP THREE LISTING FOR your Book, Audio Program, Product IDEA:
Next, pick your number one area.
NUMBER ONE AREA I WOULD LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT:

Okay, now you have the area you would like to write about. Whether it is fiction, non-fiction, a how- to - book, or a workbook, an audio program or even a video/DVD, next you are going to write down some ideas for your title. It makes it very, very easy so please do this with an open mind. Write down five ideas now, just off the top of your head. Don't get too much into your left brain. Let the ideas flow through your right brain, and just write down anything you think of.

· How to Bring up Children as a Single Parent
· How to Increase Your Sales
· How to Eat a Healthy Diet in the Fast-Food Lane of Life.

Okay great!! So now you have some ideas! These are just working book title ideas; they are not in stone, they are not it yet. (Or one may be). This is just to get your juices/passion up and your creativity flowing. Later, you will come up with a great subtitle. These days, you can have quite an esoteric book title, but have your subtitle let the reader know what's in it for them, what the benefits are.

For example, you will notice that all my MusiVation™ products have a very dynamic subtitle. In my audio program, Be Your Perfect Weight, the subtitle is Dynamic Psychological Breakthrough in Weight Control. As another example, the title of my 6-tape audio program is Affirmation Power, and the subtitle done as a top of the title subtitle is: Be A Magnet to Success through [then the title] Affirmation Power.

My best selling book I wrote with Rock Riddle How To Be A Magnet To Hollywood Success, is subtitled Your Complete Step-by-Step system to making it in Show Business. My book I co wrote with Wilma Conversations on Money, Sex, and Spirituality is subtitled How to Attract Multi-Dimensional Abundance in Your Life.

As you can see from these examples, if you show the people what's in it for them through a well defined simple descriptive subtitle, then they know they are going to read a magnetic, powerful book before they've even started reading it.

Some of my titles are what's in it for them, as well. For example one I wrote with Bob Proctor, Be A Magnet to Money is the title, so that's basically telling them what's in it for them. And then our subtitle is Dynamic Psychological Breakthrough in How to Attract Money. So having a double whammy in two very strong areas is very powerful.

Number one, your book title is telling them what's in it for them, and Number two, your subtitle is telling them what's in it for them.

However, that is simply your title. Now for the exciting part! You are now going to write out your table of contents.
I suggest you write ten areas, or ten chapters. This is a little more challenging if you're writing fiction, however, I feel that just writing down ten ideas for your chapters or your book topics to start with helps tremendously in getting the juices flowing and keeps everything in Divine Order. You will see this clearly later on, after you write your ten topics.

Go ahead now and write ten topics on the next page. For example, if you were to write a book about sales, you could start your topics with:

· Is Money Everything?
· Love Your Customers
· Have a Positive Attitude
· How to Keep Keeping On
· Look Ahead, Not Behind

These are just a few ideas of book/product topic contents. Write down NOW ten- twelve areas. Sometimes people find such a great topic idea doing this that IT ends up being their new title, straight from their table of contents. Now go ahead and create your table of contents!

The next suggestion I'm going to share with you on how to write a book IS so SIMPLE. It came to me when I was working on my first book. I just find it so EASY to write a book or an audio program this way. What I do, is so very easy and fun (because remember, writing a book is FUN J)

Write ten questions for each topic. With these ten questions, ask a friend to interview you and treat it as if they are, someone who is a TV or radio show host (i.e., Oprah, Michele J) who is really interested in that particular topic in your table of contents, especially if it's a how-to book or a non-fiction book. Simply write out the questions; these will be questions that you will answer for all areas that you already know about. Then, I suggest you start reading a lot of books about that particular topic and getting a lot of information into your mind.

You already have a lot of information in your sub-conscious mind that is just waiting to be released when it's needed. With these questions, get a very good friend to interview you. Pretend it's an interview show. Get a tape recorder, get them to ask you the questions, and then you just flow with it. Just answer the questions; don't be nervous—no one's out there listening to this! It's just you! Ask your friend to please be very focused and not agree or disagree, or say, "Oh, yeah, that happened to me, too." They are going to be a professional interviewer and simply be there, asking the questions. When you're finished with one answer, they will ask you the next question. Do this for each topic; it's so much fun! Next, type up what's on the tape for each topic (or have someone type it for you). Finally, take out all of the questions; then just leave your answers. Then you have a whole chapter or topic for your table of contents done. Do this for all ten areas. Do not edit as you go, just take out the questions.

Once all ten topics have been done, go back and start typing. Add areas that you may not have had handy when answering the questions, for example, you may want to quote a particular person in your book. You may want to speak of the story of a successful person in your book. You can add that in later. What is very important to remember, whether you use this interview technique or simply go ahead and just write, is that you go ahead and just write! Every time you give yourself time to write, it doesn't matter what you write, as long as you write. Don't edit as you go. The editing can be done later. Too many people will never finish a book because they feel each area or every sentence has to be perfect as they go. Again, I repeat, DO NOT EDIT until you have finished and you have all the information written. Now you have your story/product written! Then edit later. Don't even edit each chapter as you go. Just get every chapter written; finish that book. The editing can be done later, either by you or by a professional.

I also feel it's wonderful, if it's a non-fiction book, to write stories about how other people conquered those particular topics. Perhaps you can even interview some well-known celebrities. A lot of well-known, successful writers and entrepreneurs want extra publicity. And, it is free publicity for you. So, go ahead and contact these people. You'll be surprised who knows whom. Email out to a whole group of friends, "Hey, does anybody know Richard Branson?" "Hey, does anybody know blah, blah, blah?" "Hey, does anyone know Melanie Griffith?" You'll be surprised how many people will know someone who knows them. You know, they say, and I agree with this, you know who they are—they are us! They, which are us, say you are only four phone calls away from any person you would like to meet. And I do agree with this. Sometimes it may be five or six, but very rarely. Just take some action. That is part of networking, which is another chapter.

It is also a very good idea to write little example stories of the success of others or conduct a short interview with the actual people. You can mention on your book cover that these people are included. And then, at the end of the book, you can mention the person's book and their Website and their contact information. People love this; it's free publicity. I have been interviewed for many, other books. People always put my contact numbers; I love it! I would do it for anybody. If anyone wants to interview me, I do it. Anybody will do the same thing. It's a very rare person who won't do it. This way you also you get to be networking and meeting great people while you're doing interviews. Priceless!!!! Call some people you've always loved to meet. It's so good to always remember to be in the consciousness of the people who are already doing what you want to do.

If it's a fictional book you're writing, storyboard it. I suggest you create a mind map. Put a big circle in the middle and get all the characters written from that circle. For example, if it were Gone with the Wind, then "Gone with the Wind" would be in the circle in the middle. Then a little balloon off from that would be Main Character—Heroine. If you know you want a heroine, think of a name for your heroine. Offshoot that—what century is it written in? Is it Sci-Fi, or is it back in the history books of the 1400's?

Storyboard all your characters. What type of characters they are, their characteristics, what type of personalities and looks? Allow the story to take on its own vision and flow. When you storyboard, mind map a fictional book, and put it up on the wall, it really gives you access to great ideas, because you're mystically saying to the Universe, "This is what I want to write about—give me ideas." And it will come to you!

Michele Blood 
Musivation.com
(ArticlesBase SC #43476)

Michele Blood - About the Author: Michele electrifies every audience! She is a dynamic, world class act. Her recorded and written works have the power to literally change your life. She discovered MusiVation™ after a near-fatal car accident and not only healed her body, but also went ahead and created great success in her life using her own MusiVation™ discovery. Many of the world's greatest teachers use her material for their own personal benefit. Michele has worked with such renowned teachers as Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield, Dr. Tony Alessandra, Jim Cathcart, Robert Kiyosaki and many more.

Brian Tracy, world authority on selling, comments, "Michele has put together materials that bring about permanent behavioral change. There is something in the human being that is naturally drawn by music, and you do not need to have any musical ability at all; all you have to do is hear the message combined with the music and it becomes part of you forever."

 

 

Critter Fiction .... (continued)

Here’s my solution – critter fiction. 1) Associate your characters with critters. 2) Have the critters interact in a natural way. 3)  Apply the critters’ sequence to your characters.  Voila! Your plot is done.

Let’s try it on undersea critters. They are:  A school of angelfish. Needle fish.  A sea slug.  A shark.  A moray eel.  And a blowfish.  Oh – and I almost forgot. The reader.

The equivalences? The angelfish are young lovers. The sea slug is something that attracts them, despite possible consequences. The needlefish are people who take advantage of nosey readers. A shark is a greedy merchant. The moray is a policeman. The blowfish is a homeless vagrant.  And the reader is…. well, a reader. That’s you!

The setting? A lagoon in the Pacific Ocean - a protected area just off an island. At high tide the water in the upper lagoon empties into the lower lagoon. At low tide it goes back. To transfer the water races through a deep “valley” - a break in a giant reef which separates the upper lagoon from the lower one.

One morning a school of angelfish courses through the valley, arriving in the lower lagoon. There, just like any other day, they find a slug on the sea bottom. But this time the slug has been injured and brain-like coils are slipping out, waving in the current. Immediately the school of angelfish descends on the slug and dines on this unexpected delicacy.

Meanwhile, the reader leaves a red raft to hover above the scene, adjusting a swimming mask. Settling into the water, the reader is amazed to realize the sea is not a clear rippling mirror. Instead, splotches of wasted meat and strange particles bob along, perhaps dumped by an ocean liner, and perhaps left over from fish fights and attacks on fish from hungry birds hovering above.

Descending to admire the angelfish, the reader feels tugs on the flesh of shoulders and belly, only to realize that the needlefish were lying in wait, hoping to find a sluggish mammal. Twisting away, the reader swims against the slowing current to grasp the reef and rest. Once there, the reader admires the startling variety of fish drifting through the valley.

A moray eel is seen, all ten feet of his muscular body buried in a deep cave so that nothing could pull it from his territory.  Nearby a blowfish surveys the scene from a shallow cave where he hid for the night, blown up like a balloon so nothing could dislodge it from the reef’s wall. The tide’s flow is nearly done, so the blowfish ventures out of its protected cave, avoiding the moray eel’s territory. Smugly it feeds on tiny parts of the reef.  There being no need for protection, its body collapses into normal fish size, and he browses happily along.

Now a shark saunters through the valley. Oblivious to danger, his snout nears the moray eel, which shrinks back into his cave for safety. The shark invades the moray’s territory, so the snake-like creature lashes forth, a seven-inch tube of mean muscle. He chomps on the shark’s fin. Irritated, the shark pulls away, tearing his own fin, and moves on – slightly hurt but angry.

The shark comes upon the hapless blowfish, which senses danger too late.  His tiny body involuntarily balloons for protection, but there was no time to reach a cave. He tries to escape the shark, but now his fins are tiny in relation to the large balloon of his body, and he cannot get away. In no time the shark consumes him.

Meanwhile, the reader turns his attention to the angelfish school, where all thirty angels flit away from the sea slug and seek the protection of coral reefs.  The reader tries to follow but is too slow.

The shark emerges from the valley, unaware of the reader, who remains motionless. The great fish makes lazy circles and settles down on the sea floor beside the reef to rest, waiting lazily until he might sense any large fish making wild movements, for that’s a meal for him.

Now apply the critter fiction to your characters. Your lovers have unwittingly fallen for temptation and shared a dangerous pleasure. At the same time, something jabs the reader, who struggles to look away. Diverted, the reader sees a policeman defending a homeless vagrant from the horrors of the neighborhood street gang.

The reader turns attention back to the young couple, trying to recapture their joy from earlier in the story. He looks back and sees the policeman enter a doughnut shop to sip coffee and rest, watching for neighborhood disturbances. And everyone lives happily forever.

That’s “critter fiction”. Give it a try. You will have writer fun. And you may discover some new writing ideas. Good luck!


Dr. Bruce Cook

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Publishing New Writers,

April, 2011 (no. 1204)

Publisher:

Dr. Bruce L. Cook
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Sanford, NC 27332

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