| We all write. Essays, term papers, grocery lists and business expense reports are part of our lives. Most Internet users write email and many blog. Many people even talk about writing a book. When I talk to people about writing a book or tell people I am an author and publisher, typically some one will say; "I would love to write a book" or "I am working on a book." While many people talk about writing a book or eBook, only about 2% of the population ever does. Why do the majority of us contemplate writing a book but few of us actually do it? Maybe part of the answer is reflected in two very common questions I am asked when I talk to people about writing. "What do I write about?" and "Where do I start?" Why Write a book or eBook? The answer is often difficult to pin down. Is it the notoriety of being a published author? Is it a get rich quick scheme (you do want to get rich don't you?). Is it because you want to make an impact on the world? Is it because you are an expert on the subject of your book? Is it because you want to let your family or friends know the real you? Do you just love to write? Maybe all of these are part of your why. Try this exercise. Take out a sheet of paper, or better yet a journal, and pen. At the top of the page write: I experience a feeling of exhilaration and deep joy when: Spend the next 20 minutes completing this sentence. Write as much detail as you can. Don't worry about punctuation or proper grammer. Put down on paper what flows from your mind and heart. This will give you a sense of your passion and what to write about. How Does Writing Enrich Myself and Others? To know and understand ourselves, we need to know something about our ancestors. Much of human history is described by stories of families with several generations grouped together in tribes, sects or regions. It is this connection that helps to define us. In reflecting on the books and ebooks that I have written, I think there are essentially two reasons to write. The foremost reason is to serve others. By sharing ourselves with friends, family and the world in general, we make our unique perspective, experiences and knowledge available to help others. The second reason is to leave a part of ourselves for our children and the next generation. Besides being a means to share our knowledge and experience with others, writing can be a powerful tool to help us learn about ourselves. What we feel Why we feel what we do What we believe Why we believe as we do How our feelings and beliefs affect our daily life and our dreams Define our goals and plans Discover our passions, strengths and weaknesses The more we learn about ourselves, the more we are enriched. We enrich others by making our perspective available so they might see the world from a different point of view or experience a historical event through our thoughts, feelings and unique experience. This ensures that we provide opportunity for deeper understanding to the next generation that might result in equipping them to make wiser choices. Our children and grandchildren can begin to know us as human beings through our journals, articles, blogs, ebooks and books. We become part of the continuity of history. |
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