Author Archives: ljgale

How to write a book

I just finished writing my first book.

Here are 40 tips for writing yours.

  1. Build an audience
  2. Embrace their problem
  3. Solve their problem
  4. Have a singular purpose.
  5. Be honest with your intentions.
  6. Turn off social
  7. Process email once daily
  8. Turn off spell check.
  9. Think “calling card”
  10. Don’t think “income generator”
  11. Write in isolation.
  12. Write by water.
  13. Write with music.
  14. Set an early alarm
  15. Set a deadline.
  16. Outline top-down
  17. Write a title
  18. Pick a proven structure.
  19. Build an outline
  20. Expand the outline
  21. Expand the outline again.
  22. Write by section
  23. Write easy sections first
  24. Write conversationally.
  25. Write short sentences.
  26. Get people to the next sentence.
  27. Use simple words.
  28. Make it finish-able.
  29. Keep em wanting more.
  30. Ignore page count.
  31. Ignore word count.
  32. Get a printer.
  33. Get an editor.
  34. Be done.
  35. Price for value.
  36. Publish to Amazon Kindle.
  37. Tell your audience.
  38. Ask for honest reviews
  39. Give limited-time free access
  40. Be delightful.

Want the color commentary on this list? Watch this vid I just published.

[The Perfect Mix is available on the Amazon Kindle store, free today only.]

Publish your thoughts

I read a thing lately that really messed me up. Here it is:

Humans have been anatomically human for 200,000 years. But, we didn’t start writing stuff down until 3,500 BC.

So for 200,000 years, we harnessed fire, and that’s about it. (Around the last quarter of that, 50,000 BC – ish, us behaviorally modern humans communicated a bit, but still did not write anything down. We only spoke.)

But since starting to write stuff down (currently only the latest 2% and 7% of our existence as anatomically modern and behaviorally modern humans, respectively) we figured out how to make FaceTime calls work seamlessly from underground subway stations.

So despite being unsure if I wanted to keep writing on this blog, the answer is clear.

Publish your thoughts.

Let go of what others think. Let you readers (or lack thereof) be damned.

If 99 out of 100 thoughts are duds, maybe one of them lights a spark.

***

FYI: I wrote a short-read ebook published to the Amazon Kindle store. It’s for people struggling to eat more plants: The Perfect Mix.

Around the people

People have things to teach you.

And they love teaching.

So let them!

Your only job is to put yourself around the people. They’ll do the rest.

Standing desk analogies

When you step up to the plate, you know what you’re trying to do.

Get on base. See some pitches. Drive in a run. Whatever.

This is kind of like what it’s like to use a standing desk.

Except this analogy makes it seem like you’ll only work for five minutes, four to six times per day.

Maybe it’s like basketball.

Run around and play until you’re tired and need to sit for a minute. Stretch before and after.

Yeah.

Having a standing desk is like playing basketball all day.

It’s definitely not like playing soccer. They get nothing done.

Creating for whom

Who are you creating for?

Is it your home? Your property? Your community?

Or is it someone else’s world? One where they make the rules.

Be ready for changes to what you can’t control if you’re away from home.

Give blood.

The travel. The checkin. The waiting. The questioniere. The finger stick. The iodine. The big needle. The light headedness.

The chance it doesn’t work this time.

Giving blood is a damn blessing. 

You should do it ever two months.

Even if it might be a bummer before, during, or after.

Potty phone

You should really be able to go to the bathroom without playing on, thumbing through, or reading your phone.

If you can’t, you might be addicted to your phone.

And that’s okay.

Just remember that life is better when you’re not.

[If it’s not clear, I struggle with this. Breaking addiction to my phone is something I’m actively working on.]