The Daily Writer

As I talk to writers, one of the most frustrating parts of the book creation process seems to be creating an outline.

Many people have great ideas for books. They seem equally motivated to tackle the writing and publishing aspects. But the outline gives writers a lot of trouble because it seems like a mysterious, vague process.

On this episode, I’ll walk you through a simple 5-step roadmap for outlining a standard non-fiction book. This is the exact process I walk through with my clients when we are creating their books.

1. Determine who your ideal reader is and the problem you are trying to solve for them.
2. Figure out why your reader hasn’t already achieved these results.
3. Use the reader’s pain points/questions and organize them into 3-4 major sections of 3-4 chapters each.
4. Look at similar books in your genre to ensure you haven’t left anything out.
5. Get feedback from a few people who represent your ideal reader.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

I had the opportunity to speak with Marie-Elizabeth Mali. I have only recently gotten to know Marie-Elizabeth through an introduction by our mutual friend, Tricia Brouk. I wanted to have Marie on the show because it's so easy to get lost in the processes and details of writing and publishing, and so easy to lose the heart of what we do and why we are doing it.

Drawing on her Master’s in Chinese Medicine and over 20 years of client work, she teaches people how to be authentic instead of shrinking themselves to fit in. She has an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College and is the author of one book of poetry, Steady, My Gaze (Tebot Bach, 2011) and the co-editor with Annie Finch of the anthology, Villanelles (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets, 2012). Her relationship work has been featured in Thrive Global and Forbes.

On today’s episode, Marie-Elizabeth shares her poetry and writing routines, and also reminds us that it's important to remain vulnerable in our writing. Vulnerability is a quality that isn't talked about much in the writing world, so I'm glad we could bring it back to the forefront.

You can find Marie-Elizabeth on her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

No matter what you’re writing, your mission as a writer is to help the reader get a clearer vision of life.

But how is your vision? Do you see clearly? No one can believe your writing, believe the truth in it, unless you first believe it yourself.

On today’s episode, you’ll discover why your vision and your belief in what you’re doing are essential in accomplishing your mission.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

Nothing else defines you quite like your family. It’s where you got your name, your personality, your sense of a place in this world, and so much more. Some writers came from a supportive environment, while others were not so lucky.

On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged that regardless of what family you come from, you have the ability to dream big, set huge goals, and define yourself.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

It’s scary to start a writing project. But you know what’s even scarier? Finishing it.

Sometimes we think that being a writer means to be constantly gaining new ideas and exploring creative possibilities—which is true. But those ideas and possibilities must live somewhere. They need to be published.

On today’s episode, Kent challenges you to be confident and finish what you started.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

Much has been written about the voice that lives in every writer’s head. We normally think and talk about this voice as a bad thing. So, it’s not a surprise that we think of that voice as untrustworthy. But if you listen as closely as you can, there is another voice.

On today’s episode, Kent reminds us why we can trust our intuition when we make creative decisions.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

This one is for all the kids who were always picked last in middle school gym class. You remember what it was like:

You’d stand there awkwardly with the group, each kid getting their name called by one of the team captains. Each time, you hoped you wouldn’t be the last one. But once again, it got down to four, then three, then two, and you were the only one left.

On today’s episode, you’ll be reminded why it’s more important to choose yourself, instead of waiting to be validated by someone else.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

On today’s episode, I share a business update about my ghostwriting business, what’s been happening with the Daily Writer, and a few updates from my personal life, as well.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

I'm excited to feature a conversation with my friend Matt McWilliams. Matt helps online business owners and brands, both large and small, to leverage the power of partners to grow their businesses. He teaches you how to make money as an affiliate and how to work better with affiliates.

He has worked with the best of the best in the online, entrepreneur, and leadership space, including Ray Edwards, Brian Tracy, Lewis Howes, Shutterfly, Jeff Goins, and many more.

Matt is not only a cool guy with a killer business sense—he's also working on a new book about turning your passion into a business. I've asked Matt to come and share his insights about creating a business and what he has learned from some of the amazing people he has worked with.

You can connect with Matt through his website, podcast, programs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Instagram, or email. If you want to contact him personally, you can text him at (260) 217-4619.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders    

Have you ever done a little bit of research on the percentage of people who start writing books but don’t finish them? Statistics vary, but no matter what numbers you look at, one thing is clear: most people who start writing a book never finish it.

A casual conversation with writers will reveal the same thing, at least if they are being honest.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn why writers do not finish writing their books and what you can do to complete yours.

***    

Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.     

Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!    

Connect with Kent:    

https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders    

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders    

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders    

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders