[Tipster] Unique Is Every Writer's Fight

In this Tipster, learn how unique is every writer's fight.

Yesterday, I left Chicago at 6:55 AM and flew to Dallas for about six hours.

I was home by 7:30 PM.

I wanted a few hours with an older mentor/friend who has influenced my life in countless ways.

He thought the best way for us to spend time together, however, was to meet one of his friends for lunch, a writer who had produced more than 20 books, mostly nonfiction.

This writer was considering updating a book he had written almost thirty years earlier.

Our conversation headed down a familiar rut of worry:

It's the same tortuous path that you and I walk up when we begin to write:

"How do I write something that is fresh and unique to this world?"

This is true whether you want to write a legacy book only for your family. Or if you want to write a book for your industry.

Or if you want to write a novel.

How do you write a book that gets read? And makes a difference in the lives of its readers?

Here are some of the themes from yesterday's conversation:

1. "There is so much content out there on my subject now."

When this writer published his book years ago, the world was not awash with books, videos, and workshops on his topic.

Now, he wants to freshen up the book and make it relevant to today's audience.

Alas, his new book will compete with hundreds of books on virtually the same topic.

Our conversation about the content glut led to our next theme:

2. "Who is this book really for?"

This writer said, "There's so much out there that is for such and such audience.

"I'd like to write this book for someone who has never really thought about my topic before."

He wanted his updated edition to be for a slightly different audience than the first edition was.

That was good to know.

You can't write a book if you don't know who your audience is. Your book isn't for everyone.

The more narrow your audience, the better.

3. "What type of format would work best for this book?"

We also discussed trim size. And discussed some books in the market that are small in stature but pack a wallop.

One of those is Seth Godin's tiny book, The Dip: The Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick).

It is a hardback. And it is only 96 pages!

This was an important moment in the conversation, because he realized that the standard 250-page format may not be right for this updated edition.

How you package your book may be as important as what you write.

The "book package" is part of what makes your book unique.

Three Takeaways

I came away from yesterday's lunch with several thoughts:

1. Whether a first-time writer or a veteran, we all struggle to write and produce writing that is fresh.

It's every person's struggle. It is my struggle. It is yours.

2. It really is a "fight."

From start to finish, the hard, exhausting work is to lay down a sentence. And then to delete it to rewrite it in a fresh way.

Write/delete, write/revise, or write/restructure.

The hard work is also to listen to feedback that makes your stomach churn.

And maybe even makes you angry. And want to give up.

3. Your book is unique because you are a unique human being.

In the end, your book is unique, because you are the one writing it.

The world needs more of you, your opinion, your quirky ideas, your perspective on the truth of reality.

So, buckle up and do the necessary work to make your book unique.