writing

The Hidden Cost of Weak Verbs

When writers want to strengthen their prose, they often focus on adjectives and adverbs. They search for more vivid descriptions or more expressive ways to tell readers what’s happening. But the biggest opportunity to improve a sentence is usually sitting in the middle of it. It’s the verb. Verbs carry the action. They create movement, establish pacing, and help readers visualize what’s happening. When the verb is weak, the entire sentence loses energy. Strong verbs … Read more

Why “I Help Everyone” Will Kill Your Book

One of the first questions I ask business owners who want to write a book is simple: “Who is your reader?” The answer often sounds something like this: While that may sound inclusive, it’s one of the fastest ways to write a book that connects with no one. The more broadly you write, the more generic your message becomes, and generic books are easy to ignore. You Can’t Solve Every Problem Every reader picks up … Read more

Why “In Order To” Almost Never Helps

Some writing problems hide in plain sight. They’re not grammar mistakes. They’re not spelling errors. Most readers won’t consciously notice them, yet they quietly make sentences longer, slower, and less effective. One of the biggest offenders is the phrase in order to. Writers use it because it sounds like proper writing: formal and complete. Unfortunately, it often adds words without adding meaning. But in most cases, removing it makes the sentence stronger. Why Writers Use … Read more

5 Differences Between Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing for Business Owners

One of the first questions business owners ask when they decide to write a book is: “Should I self-publish or pursue a traditional publisher?” It’s a fair question. After all, traditional publishing has long been viewed as the gold standard, while self-publishing was once considered a last resort. But the publishing world has changed dramatically. Today, many successful business owners choose to self-publish, while others pursue traditional publishing for the opportunities it can provide. The … Read more

Why Sentence Rhythm Matters

Most writers focus on word choice, grammar, and punctuation when they revise. Those things matter, but they’re not the only factors that determine whether writing feels smooth and engaging. Sentence rhythm plays a role too. Readers may not consciously notice rhythm while they’re reading, but they definitely feel it. When every sentence follows the same pattern, the writing starts to sound repetitive. When sentence lengths vary naturally, the prose becomes easier to read and more … Read more

5 Reasons Your Book Title Has to Sell and Tell

Many business owners spend months writing a book and only a few hours thinking about the title. Unfortunately, readers often do the exact opposite. Before they read your introduction, browse your table of contents, or learn anything about your expertise, they see the title. In a matter of seconds, they decide whether the book sounds relevant, useful, or worth investigating further. That’s why a good business book title has two jobs: it has to sell … Read more

Why Revision Is Where the Real Book Shows Up

Most business owners think sitting down and writing the initial first draft is the hard part. The real hard part is turning that draft into a book someone actually wants to read. That’s where revision comes in. Unfortunately, revision or editing has a terrible reputation. Many authors imagine endless rounds of edits, red ink, and someone telling them everything they wrote is wrong. In reality, the revision process is where the real book finally begins … Read more

The Problem with “Kind Of” and “Sort Of”

Most writers don’t intentionally weaken their sentences. They do it by adding small words that soften what they really mean. Phrases such as “kind of” and “sort of” often slip into a manuscript because they sound natural in everyday conversation. In writing, however, they frequently create hesitation, reduce clarity, and weaken the impact of a sentence. The Issue “Kind of” and “sort of” are forms of hedging language. Instead of stating something directly, they soften … Read more

How to Start Writing When You Don’t Feel Like a Writer

One of the biggest obstacles to writing a business book has nothing to do with time, publishing, or marketing. It’s identity. Many business owners never start because they don’t think of themselves as writers. They say things like: Here’s the good news: You don’t need to feel like a writer to write a useful business book. In fact, many of the best business books are written by people who never considered themselves writers at all. … Read more

Why More Words Often Mean Less Clarity

Most writers assume that adding words adds clarity. It feels logical. If one sentence explains something, then two sentences should explain it even better. If a phrase is good, a longer phrase should be even more precise. Unfortunately, writing rarely works that way. In fact, extra words often have the opposite effect. They slow readers down, bury important information, and dilute the impact of what you’re trying to say. The more unnecessary words a sentence … Read more

The 6 Mistakes That Make Most Business Books Useless

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth: Most business books fail. Not because the author lacks expertise, the topic isn’t valuable, or nobody wants the information. They fail because they’re difficult to read, impossible to apply, and quickly forgotten. Readers don’t finish them or recommend them or take action because of them. And ultimately, they don’t remember much about them at all. The good news? Most of these failures are entirely avoidable. After working with authors … Read more

The Problem with “Realized”

Most writers use the word realized far more often than they think. It’s one of those invisible words that slips into manuscripts unnoticed because it isn’t technically wrong. In fact, it’s often accurate. The problem is that accurate writing isn’t always the strongest writing. Every time you tell readers a character realized something, you’re placing a layer between the reader and the experience. Instead of letting readers discover information alongside the character, you’re announcing the … Read more

What Is a Business Book Really Supposed to Do?

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make when writing a book is misunderstanding the job of the book itself. They spend months—or years—writing, editing, publishing, and promoting a book, only to be disappointed when it doesn’t generate significant sales or transform their business overnight. The problem usually isn’t the book. The problem is the expectation. Many business owners believe their book is supposed to be the product. In reality, a business book is usually … Read more

Stop Explaining Dialogue And Let Your Characters Speak for Themselves

One of the fastest ways to weaken good dialogue is to explain it. Writers often spend hours crafting conversations, only to immediately tell readers what the characters meant, how they felt, and how the dialogue should be interpreted. The result? Dialogue that feels repetitive, over-explained, and less powerful than it could be. If the dialogue works, readers don’t need a translator. They need the writer to get out of the way. The Problem with Explaining … Read more

Stop Writing Your Life Story: How to Turn Experience Into a Business Book That Actually Helps People

Memoir creep is real. It starts innocently enough. You sit down to write a business book based on your experience, your expertise, your hard-won lessons, and your professional journey. Then suddenly Chapter 1 begins with your grandmother’s kitchen, your first job, your worst boss, your divorce, your dog, your spiritual awakening, and the time you realized spreadsheets could ruin a person’s soul. Some of that may be meaningful. Some of it may even be interesting. … Read more

Your Writing Has Favorite Words, And They’re Probably Weak Ones

Every writer has favorite words. Not favorite words in the poetic, literary sense. Not the words you carefully choose because they create the perfect image. I’m talking about the words you use so often that you don’t even realize they’re there anymore. The sneaky little crutch words that appear on every page of your manuscript. The bad news? You probably have them. The worse news? Your readers can see them even when you can’t. What … Read more

Stop Overloading Your Sentences: One Thought at a Time Works Better

Most sentences don’t fall apart because of grammar. They fall apart because they try to do too much at once. When a sentence carries multiple ideas, actions, and emotions all piled together, nothing stands out. The meaning gets buried, the pacing slows down, and the reader has to work harder than they should to comprehend the meaning. The Issue Overloaded sentences try to pack too many thoughts into a single line. You’ll often see this … Read more

Weak Sentence Openings Are Killing Your Writing And You Don’t Even See It

Most weak sentences don’t fall apart in the middle. They fall apart at the beginning. The first few words of your sentence carry more weight than you think. They set direction, establish clarity, and determine how quickly the reader understands what’s happening. When those opening words are weak, everything that follows has to work harder. And most writers don’t even notice they’re doing it. The Issue Weak sentence openings usually rely on placeholder words instead … Read more

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