Pat Iyer’s Blog
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The Power of Reverse Outlining
In school, I remember a lot of time being devoted to teaching the skill of outlining. Teachers recommended it as the best way to form the foundation for an essay or term paper. The essay style I learned was highly structured. First came the Roman numerals, then the...
Book Design: An Inside Job
Writing Your Book is Only the First Step I’ve published nearly 60 books and had a role in designing many books I’ve ghostwritten and/or edited. From this experience, I know that the interior design of a book plays a huge role. It can even determine whether a reader...
You Need More Than a Critique Group
You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “I’m not an expert, but I know what I like.” This idea works fine for personal choices, but it can be a disaster in a writing critique group. If you’re a new writer who joins one for new writers, the odds are that no one will...
Instruction manuals – helpful or useless?
If Your Company Uses Instruction Manuals for Its Products, You Must Read This. Too many businesses don’t give enough attention to what may be their most important documents. Entering Appliance Hell I recently bought an appliance. (I’m not naming either the specific...
Buyer Beware: Seller Take Care
The buyer beware thinking is yielding to the need for the seller to take care to avoid unhappy clients. If you are a Latin speaker (who is?) you'd say caveat emptor. The phrase describes the concept in contract law that places the burden of due diligence on the buyer...
How Often Do You Check Your Blog’s Stats?
As a blogger, you’re convinced of blogging’s value. You have lots of ideas, and you like to write. What could go wrong? You can get consumed by the desire for your blog to be (very) popular. How often do you check your blog's stats? One of the biggest mistake...
Is Your Writing Short Enough?
Know When To Stop No matter what you’re writing, if you get carried away by your own words, you’ll lose your audience. Mark Twain told a story about sitting in church one day. The preacher was giving an inspiring sermon on the subject of a worthy cause. He was asking...
Show Off Your Expertise with a Top Notch Website
Do you know how to show off your expertise? Having a top-notch website is crucial. You might be the most brilliant business owner, but how will your market know it? Do you blog about your expertise? Do you share advice in a select group of private forums? Of course,...
Short Books, Short Reads – Easy to Complete
What is a short book? And how long should it be? Thirty years ago, you would have had no trouble answering that question. A book was an oblong physical object that had either hard covers and a dust jacket or was a paperback. You turned the pages with your hand. That...
How Good is Grammarly?
You’ve probably heard of the editing tool, Grammarly. If you go to its web site, grammarly.com, you will read claims that the app ensures that what you write is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. It presumably detects grammar, spelling, punctuation, word...
Recent Posts
Five-Minute Formula for Writing a Book
If you’re a busy professional—an LNC, physician, attorney, or speaker—you’ve likely considered writing a book. Maybe you’ve even started one. …Read More »
Are You a Highly Skilled Professional Struggling to Start Your Book?
Are you a highly skilled professional struggling to start your book? Attorneys, physicians, legal nurse consultants, and public speakers often operate …Read More »
No time to write
Did you know “no time to write” is a myth when it comes to writing your book—and you can still …Read More »
Fear of Criticism—The Silent Roadblock for Aspiring Authors
You’ve likely built a career that demands confidence—testifying in depositions, diagnosing patients, analyzing legal records, or commanding attention from an …Read More »
The Art of Editing: Refining Your Written Work
As a writer, you’ve invested considerable time and effort in crafting your document, be it a report, speech, newsletter, or …Read More »