An E-Newsletter of Profitable Advice about Writing
To Increase Your Personal and Organizational Success
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| August 2009
Volume II, Issue 8
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Sometimes It's Better Not to Write a Book
Anyone who regularly reads this newsletter knows that I love
to encourage people to write books. But sometimes I don't. To find out when
it's not advisable to become an author, read on.
In this issue you'll also get to -
- Learn how to write more forcefully.
- See how you rate on our famous vocabulary quiz.
- Read an amusing note from one of our readers.
Enjoy reading about writing!  Michael J. Dowling Professional Writer, Ghostwriter, Editor & Publisher |
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Becoming an author is a good thing. But can there be too
much of a good thing? Is it possible to go too far in becoming an author?
In my opinion, yes! Let me give you an example.
Here's the substance
of an offer currently posted on the Internet by a firm offering writing and
publishing services:
How would you like to co-author a book with an
entrepreneurial superstar who has his own TV show (Hint: He's famous for saying "You're
fired!") and several other highly successful entrepreneurs? Yes, you really
can. But you have to hurry. There are only 25 spots available in this exciting publishing opportunity.
What's that? You don't have enough time to write a book? You're
a terrible writer? You don't know what to say? Don't worry. We know you're busy
and that writing isn't your expertise. So we've made it easy.
All you have to do is contribute one chapter of about 1,500
- 2,000 words to the anthology we are about to publish. Don't worry about what
to say. We'll tell you the title of the book, and you simply need come up with 1,500
words that fit into that theme.
Becoming an author has never been easier! All you have to do
is contribute your one chapter. We'll take care of everything else. Before you
know it, you'll have 250 copies of your very own book in your hands.
Every one of your 250 copies will have your name and photo
on the cover, right alongside several other well-known business personalities.
(One of your co-authors, by the way, will be an internationally recognized
medium and intuition expert.) And inside your 250 copies, one full page will be
devoted to promoting your business.
I know that you're probably expecting to pay $10,000 or more
for this privilege. But here comes the best part! You can become a co-author of
this anthology for only $4,000. That's all it costs to become a legitimate
co-author. Just contribute 1,500 - 2,000 words and you'll be able to claim that
this book is truly yours.
Do you find the above scheme as disturbing as I do?
It focuses completely
on the needs (or should I say the greed) of would-be "authors" and
virtually ignores the interests of readers. Actually, it goes beyond ignoring
their interests - it insults their intelligence.
Let's be clear - I'm not saying that it's wrong to have "selfish"
motives for writing a book. In fact, if you don't stand to personally gain substantial rewards from your book, you probably won't have the motivation you need to finish it.
Yes, a book can produce big benefits for you, and that's a good
thing.
But your book must also benefit your readers. If your book doesn't
offer readers something of value, it's pointless. Besides, no one will read it
... except maybe your mother.
So make sure you have something worthwhile to say. Then you can enjoy the benefits of being an author with a clear conscience. |
"What Do You Call That?" Vocabulary Quiz
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E.F. Mutton, the executive lamb noted for his bold predictions, was recently
quoted in the Wool Street Journal as saying, "When more consumers buy, retail sales
will increase."
Is that statement -
a. An
oxymoron?
b. A
tautology?
c. A
non sequitur?
(Answer at the end of this newsletter)
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| White Papers Worth Reading |
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Our Readers Are Writing!
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Al Kennedy of Newnan, GA, sent us this amusing, writing-related story:
The teacher told her class that a double negative often means a positive, but a double positive never means a negative.
"Yeah, right!" came the reply from the back of the room.
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Don't Be Passive
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In their classic book, The
Elements of Style, Strunk and White advise writers to use the active voice.
"The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive,"
they point out.
That's sound advice. Many of us tend to use the passive
voice in speech, and often that carries over into our writing. So review your
draft documents looking for opportunities to transform the passive voice to the active.
For example, notice how changing from passive to active active voice improves the sentence below:
Passive: "Your
order will be carefully monitored by our quality control department."
Active: "Our quality control department will carefully monitor your
order."
See how much more forceful the active voice is? But on rare
occasions the passive voice is preferable. If you're writing an e-mail to get an decision from your
boss, for example, which of these do you think will work better?
Passive: "Do you
know when a decision will be made?"
Active: "When
will you make a decision?"
I suspect the subtle, passive approach will provide more job
security.
Fiction is another place where the passive voice can be very
effective. For example, consider this beautiful opening sentence from Jane
Austen's classic novel, Pride and
Prejudice:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man
in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
What great writing! Converting that poetic gem to the active
voice would destroy its beauty. But, alas, not all of us are novelists, and none of us is Jane Austen. So, let's stick to our business writing and use the active voice.
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Answer to Vocabulary Quiz
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That statement is a tautology (answer b).
A tautology is an expression that says the same thing twice
in different words.
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently
contradictory terms appear in conjunction.
A non sequitur is a conclusion or statement that does not
logically follow from the previous statement or argument.
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Michael J Dowling ~ Freelance Professional Writer ~ Editor ~ Ghostwriter
133 Worthing Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Phone: 912.230.5051 Fax: 912.634.5777
E-mail: MJD@MichaelJDowling.com Website: www.MichaelJDowling.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljdowling
Clear, concise, creative, and convincing writing and editing to enable individuals and organizations
to accomplish their goals and increase their visibility, credibility, and profitability.
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