Write a Bestseller: How to Use Stories to Illustrate, Inspire and Motivate Your Readers

Everyone loves a good story. It's more likely that your readers will remember the stories they read in your book long after they've forgotten whether or not your program had 7 or 12 steps.

Stories can be used throughout your book-as chapter openings, closings and everywhere in between. A compelling story can draw readers into a chapter and keep them reading to the end. As the chapter concludes, another story may entice them to read the next chapter.

If used wisely, stories will build a strong emotional connection between you and your readers so that they trust you. Achieving a trust with your readers is of critical importance. Without trust, they won't buy your book. If they don't buy your book, they won't read and apply it. If they don't read and apply it, they won't experience great life transformation and won't recommend your book to their friends and family. See how the chain of events plays out? It all starts with trust, and stories are one of the best ways to build rapport between you and your readers.

The purpose of including stories in your book is four-fold: to engage, illustrate, inspire and motivate. Keep these four goals in mind as you write your stories:

1. Engage

Include stories of people your readers can identify with. The best stories are well-written, sometimes with humor, and always with emotional accessibility. While the structure of a self-help book is quite different from a work of fiction, stories are used in similar ways--to move the action forward. You want to engage your readers so that they are eager to get to the next chapter to see how your program works and how the stories will end.

2. Illustrate

Stories expand the readers' understanding of the problem. The stories demonstrate how other solutions have failed leaving them frustrated and disappointed. On the other hand, your solution will succeed. You needn't write one story from beginning to end. Use parts of stories to illustrate different phases of your system, such as how readers can apply your solution to their lives and what they can expect as a positive outcome.

3. Inspire

Offering hope is one of the primary functions of a self-help book. But igniting hope in someone who is despairing is not an easy task. Neither is building self-confidence in someone who has failed in the past. But without a spark of optimism that helps your readers believe, "This time I'll make it!" they won't gain any of the assistance available in your program. Even something as simple as learning how to properly prepare pasta (I've found it's more than simply boiling it in water...) or making a center piece for a holiday gathering can seem daunting to someone who isn't gifted in that particular way. Don't underestimate your readers' need for stories that resonate with hope and possibility.

4. Motivate

Head knowledge is important, but not sufficient for your readers to experience the wonders of your book. They must be motivated to put what they have learned from you into action. This is where many self-help books fall short. You can have the greatest solution in the world, but if no one uses it then what good is it?

Keep this in mind as you write your stories. Do they clearly demonstrate that change may be difficult but doable-and certainly worth the effort. Remember, your readers have picked your book because they have a problem they don't know how to solve on their own.

In addition, your book is probably not the first book on your topic your readers have read. It's likely that they've suffered disappointment and could be quite skeptical or discouraged. If you want your book to sell successfully, your readers must also enjoy the sweet taste of success to the extent that they recommend your book to their friends and loved ones.

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Book Cover Design - Beginning Tips on How to Write Your Book & Inspire Your Book's Design

You have an idea for a book. Now What? Let's explore what it takes to write a book. Keep in mind that there are many different ways to begin writing a book and there have been many books written on the subject. So if my article hits home in even a little way... research what's out there for more information and start today... following your dream!

Here are a few beginning tips to writing your book:

1. What are your strengths, creating, developing, writing, editing, or slaes and marketing. Take your best strength and begin there and figure out how to get the rest done through other vendor services.

2. Pick the type of book you'll write:

--Non-fiction: how to books, self improvement, hobbies, psychology, coaching, tips

--Fiction: mystery, who-done-it, fantasy, science fiction, romance

3. Pick a subject that is interesting to you, something that others will be interested in learning more about and make it tightly focused for best results. Maybe you have a business service you want to promote or a new profession you are learning about and want to share the knowledge you are learning.

4. Create an outline of frequently asked or interesting questions. This becomes your table of contents that you'll write into.

5. Start collecting all types of information that relates to your outlined points. One of the best ways I've used is to create a three ring binder with divider pages that have pockets or use plastic sleeves and start organizing your clippings or notes you take as thoughts come to you.

6. Now determine if you are going to be the one to do the actual writing or are you going to hire an assistant. This is the first step for creating your final manuscript. Whether you are the one who will do the writing, or someone else, start that process once you have gathered enough research to fill a chapter. Don't worry yet about writing in sequence unless this is important to you, the flow paragraphs can come at a later version.

These are just a few beginning tips to get you started. While you are in this creation mode, be sure to keep an eye out for possible titles and subtitle opportunities as well as design elements you like that other authors have taken advantage of... these are all input you can relate to your book cover designer when the time comes to design your book.

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