Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Book » Reviews » You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins » User review

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by ...

Book

Edit Topic

< read all 1 reviews

Advice and encouragement in a quick e-book...

Apr 28, 2012

by duffbert
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

It used to be that to become a writer, you had to hope that you could convince the gatekeepers to let you pass. Publishers held all the cards, and your only option was to play the game their way (or not play at all).

Those days are gone...

Jeff Goins is a great example of someone who has figured out the new rules and freedoms that exist when it comes to being a writer. He shares his insights as well as dishing out plenty of encouragement in his new e-book You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One). What I found is that I'm much closer to "being a writer" than I give myself credit for. In fact, I *am* a writer... I just need to decide where I want to take it from here.

Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
Writers Are Born, Not Made
The Truth About Writing
Building a Platform
Establishing a Brand
Channels of Connection
Getting Started
Before Your First Book
What Next?
About the Author
Share this Book

Being a writer comes down to making a choice... a choice to BE a writer... to write. There is nothing to prevent you from putting your words out there for others to read. Goins acknowledges that it isn't necessarily easy to commit to writing (as opposed to just thinking about writing). But with all the online tools available (blogs, e-books, newsletters, etc.), there's no reason that your writing has to remain in your head or be limited to actual paper and ink.

Beyond the encouragement aspect of the material, Goins has solid information on how to put down a foundation on which to base your efforts. Building a platform (get experience, demonstrate competence, generate buzz) establishes you as someone worth listening to and following. Branding yourself is also critical in today's over-saturated media environment. Take the time to figure out what you want to portray to others, as that will be what people will think of when they turn to you. Finally, you need to figure out how you'll communicate and connect with your audience. While it's easier than ever to make connections via Twitter, Facebook, and other online tools, it's also critically important to not neglect those channels once you set them up. It's a privilege to have people listen to you. If you don't reciprocate that listening, your audience won't stay around very long.

You Are A Writer is a book that won't take you very long to read, but it will stay with you forever if you let the message change the way you think about who and what you are. You *are* a writer if you choose to be...

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Author
Payment: Free

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized

Post a Comment

JSMaresca April 28, 2012

Write about thoroughly familiar topics and people will identify with your writing. You cannot write about something elusive because you will not do a good job of conveying the essentials to readers. This is true because you don't have sufficient background in the essentials.

Let's say that you like baseball and that you are thoroughly familiar with the game and the major teams. Go ahead and write an article about a favorite team. You'll find that the ideas just flow onto the paper.

Then, take a topic that is out of the domain of your experience like fine wine. Try writing an article about an exotic drink. You'll find it difficult due to unfamiliarity with the technical terms of the trade. Good writing may involve extensive research and fact checking. These aspects may bring you into an area like investigative reporting which is very specialized.

show text editor

reply to this comment

Follow this review

About the reviewer

Thomas Duff (duffbert)
Ranked #48

Thomas Duff, aka "Duffbert", is a long-time member of the Lotus community. He's primarily focused on the development side of the Notes/Domino environment, currently working for a large insurance … more