The Writing Podcast

Entrepreneurs and writers have a lot in common. One is the persistence needed to fight through the doubts and insecurities that come when creating something from nothing. In this episode, Melissa and Dave discuss the writer as entrepreneur and why the entrepreneurial mindset is essential for writers on the road trip to complete their book. Writing demands patience, flexibility, and even a sense of calling. Melissa and Dave offer hope and encouragement to persist through the inevitable valleys to create a unique book.

Writers need editors. Editors amplify the voice of a writer. Editors assist with clarity, flow, and emotion. In this episode, Melissa and Dave make the point that the editor is almost always right. And that writers should welcome with open arms the feedback of an editor. That doesn't mean, of course, blindly accepting everything that the editor suggests. Melissa and Dave come up with four questions to help you evaluate what your writing needs.

What makes an idea substantive enough for entire book? In this episode, Melissa and Dave interview Cathy Carroll, founder of Legacy Onward, a leadership coaching practice for family businesses. After years in corporate, she was asked to run her father's  business, and learned first-hand the stark differences between corporate leadership and family business leadership. Cathy's experience became the basis for a book idea that promises to reshape the conversation about leadership in a family business.

There's an enormous energy required to start something new. And maybe even more energy is expended when restarting a book project after a long pause. In this episode, Melissa and Dave discuss the challenges of starting to write again. And how to pick up where you left off and, once again, make progress. They provide encouragement as well as practical advice for jumping back in the car and completing another leg of the book writing road trip.

It's no snap turning a PhD dissertation into a book. For starters, a dissertation is positioned for a micro-audience (your committee members). The bulk of the project is focused on the research methodology. And the writing cadence of a dissertation is constantly interrupted by references to dead authors. The writing of a book must appeal to a completely different mindset than that of a dissertation committee. In this episode, Dr. Alan Amling, a former senior executive with UPS and teaching fellow at the University of Tennessee, discusses the long road to translate his dissertation thesis into a book for a wider audience.

So what really motivates you to write and publish a book? In this episode, Melissa and Dave talk candidly about how publishing changes your life. Or doesn't. At least, not like you think it will. We all tend to have overblown expectations about publishing, whether sales or prestige. Publishing is an important mile marker, no doubt. And it can evoke a great sense of satisfaction. Unless you're on a longer writing journey, however, you may feel some disappointment.

Few aspiring writers wake up one morning with an idea for a book and start to write. Often, we think about an idea or ideas for months or even years before the decision to start writing is made. In this episode, Melissa and Dave interview Alysa Clark, a storytelling photographer who recently made the decision to start writing her book. Founder of "Water Street Dreams" and a regular blogger, Alysa has wanted to write a book for years but now is doing the hard work of writing 20 minutes every day.

Research is essential to a well-written book. We all know that, but how much research should you conduct? And when is enough enough? In this episode, Melissa and Dave identify different kinds of research and help aspiring writers with some of the basics of book research. This is an introduction to the topic of book research, meant to encourage writers to start with the question, "What do I want to know?"

Who likes to "network"? Not many of us. The very idea of standing around at a holiday soiree with a cocktail in hand trying to make small talk is enough to cause nausea. And yet building relationships now is essential as you promote your book later. In this episode, Dave and Melissa discuss how to build authentic relationships that you can draw on later in your book publishing and promotion journey.