Write the Book You Want: Be Your Own Coach

By Valerie Haynes Perry

Award-winning author, Valerie Haynes Perry, has written this book to help you maintain the clarity, self-confidence, and motivation you need to bring your own book into being. Write the Book You WantBe Your Own Coach is the third book in her writers trilogy. Its preceded by Listening Out LoudA Friend to the Serious Writer and Write, Read, ListenYour Handy Writing Coach. This capstone empowers you to combine your desire, experience, and skill in order to live up to the promise of the title. You can benefit from this book if you are new to writing or experienced and wish to approach the craft from an innovative perspective.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: May 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504348096

Valerie Haynes Perry

After writing three novels and a collection of short stories, Valerie wrote two books to help writers enhance their individual processes. Her third book in this trilogy helps the serious writer maintain their vision from start to finish. A native New Yorker, Valerie has long considered California her home.

Book preview

Write

the Book

You Want

BE YOUR OWN COACH

VALERIE HAYNES PERRY

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Copyright

© 2016 Valerie Haynes Perry.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Author Credits: Valerie Haynes Perry’s books have won national and international USA Book News awards.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-4810-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-4809-6 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 5/10/2016

Contents

Introduction

FIRST Chapter—My Books

The Moment

What Did I Know?

Tanner Blue

Back-Cover Text

Intentions

Music for the Dream—Seven Short Stories

Back-Cover Text

Intentions

Painted Deserts

Back-Cover Text

Intentions

Members

Back-Cover Text

Intentions

Fiction and Nonfiction

Listening Out Loud—A Friend to the Serious Writer

Back-Cover Text

Intention

Write, Read, Listen—Your Handy Writing Coach

Back-Cover Text

Intention

Can You Relate?

The Next Chapter

SECOND Chapter—Your Book(s)

Start

Continue

Finish

Write More

Today

Where am I with my writing?

Writing the Book You Want

How Will You Know?

Nurture the Work in Progress

Tell Your Story Well

My Books, Your Book(s)

The Next Chapter

THIRD Chapter—Listen

Learn to Listen

Listen Out Loud

Stylistic Voice

Physical Voice

POV (Point of View)

Voice as Sound

Voice as Discipline

What It All Means

Answer the Call

Trust the Power of Your Imagination

Read Aloud and Listen

Write about everything you’re hearing right now.

The Next Chapter

FOURTH Chapter—Read

Analyze What You Read

How did this book come into my life?

What attracted me to this book?

Why do I like (or dislike) this book?

What do I think of the characters and topics?

What is my response to the author’s use of language?

Am I in this writer’s audience as a reader? Why or why not?

What single point stands out as a result of reading this book?

How has reading this book made me a better writer?

What are you reading?

What attracted you to this book? How did it come into your life?

Why do you like (or dislike) the book?

What do you think of the characters or topics?

What is your response to the author’s use of language?

Are you in this writer’s audience as a reader? Why or why not?

What single point stands out as a result of reading the book?

How is reading the book making you a better writer?

Reading Favorite Writers

Richard Bach

James Baldwin

Charles W. Chesnutt

Paulo Coelho

Robert J. Conley

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Percival Everett

Jessie Fauset

Chester Himes

Gwen Ifill

Nella Larsen

Paule Marshall

Toni Morrison

Walter Mosley

Anne Petry

Sara Rivard

Susan Trott

Alfredo Vea, Jr.

Edith Wharton

Colson Whitehead

John Edgar Wideman

Isabel Wilkerson

Richard Wright

Monica Zarazua

Four Valuable Signings

Advice about Reading

The Next Chapter

FIFTH Chapter—Write

Concentrate on Expression

Trust Your Comfort Level with Vocabulary

Discover Your Process

Write Generously or Economically

Be Intentional

Avoid Static Conflict

Show versus Tell

Dive Beneath the Words

Befriend Distraction

What are your distractions? How can you manage them?

Apply Basic Editing Skills

Clarity

Consistency

Conciseness

Make Revisions

Print Out Your Manuscript

Keep Egos in a Healthy Perspective

Resources

Writers’ Groups

Conferences

Contests

Publications