I hope you’re having a great day. Today, I’m going to give you some tips for writing fiction. I’ll include four ways to develop a great story. As I discuss these four ways of developing a great story, I will place the tips into four different categories.
Video: Tips for Writing Fiction
Personal Tips
You want to make the story your story. It should be a story that you love, a story that you would like to read. You want to put yourself into it.
Personal experience can help write a great story
Then you want to make it your personal journey. As you do that, you don’t have to actually make it an autobiography. You might use elements of your own life story.
Practical Tips
Secondly, we have what I would call practical tips.
Write every day.
First of all, write every day. I resisted journaling for many years because I didn’t know what to write about. I didn’t feel like I would be very good at it. Even when I had past attempts at writing diaries, I had trouble getting started. But in the past year and a half or so, I have discovered that I do actually enjoy journaling. The secret has been I just pick up the pen and start writing whatever comes to mind. Sometimes it is a diary entry, sometimes I talk about ways of doing things, and sometimes I talk about ideas for the future. But I just write whatever comes to mind. That is called free-flow writing. When you’re writing your actual book, of course, you will be writing daily in that regard. But write every day.
Next, you should read other stories. When you find a fiction writer that you really like, read a lot of his or her stories. Read other fiction writers as well.
There are also many ways to beat procrastination and writer’s block. I won’t go into all of that right at the moment. However, my book on how to write a book in 28 days or less goes into that in detail. One of the things that it involves is breaking your project down into smaller projects. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time? How do you write a book? Write a chapter. So you want to chunks.
Practice free-flow writing where you just write as fast as you can. Simply let the words come. Don’t correct that spelling mistake you obviously made, don’t correct that typo right there. Keep writing and get the flow of the story going. and practice that free-flow writing.
After you have your rough draft or a section you want to edit, read it aloud to yourself.
So far, we’ve had personal tips and then we’ve had some practical tips. Let’s go into general tips while you’re writing your fiction.
General Tips
First of all, ask questions. You can make your main character ask questions. You can have the minor characters asking questions. You want to think of what questions your readers might have and ask those questions. Ask yourself questions about the story. Ask yourself, how did they get in that predicament? Ask yourself, how are they going to get out of that? Ask yourself what comes next.
Next, you’ll want to withhold some information. Maybe withhold a lot of information. You don’t have to give the whole story the whole biography. What you need to do is to give enough info for the start of the story, and then you know where the story is going. Withhold information so you can have some surprises along the way.
Add action to your stories
Use action and active voice. Active voice is where the subject performs an action. Passive voice, that’s where the action is being done to the subject. For instance, “The ball was hit.” In that case, you had the subject, which was the ball and the action was being done to the subject. But you can change that around and say “The batter hit the ball.” In that case, the subject is performing the action. The way to find this passive vs active voice is to look at your manuscript and find instances where you’re using that passive voice, and make changes.
So those are some general tips for writing fiction.
Story Tips
Now for some more specific tips: Give the main character a problem.
Next, get that main character into trouble quickly; very early in your story. Of course, the first part of your story should include a lot of information about your character’s regular life, before he/she gets thrust into the life-changing aspects of the story. But you want to get them into trouble as quickly as possible.
Then as the story progresses along, intensify the problem, make it worse in their minds.
Include a series of progress and setbacks.
Attempts to correct the problem seem only to make things worse. So show the attempts to correct the problem making things worse.
Finally, make the situation seem hopeless. Of course, you know the way out because you know where you’re going with the story. But write in such a way that the character doesn’t know how he or she is going to get out of this seemingly hopeless situation. Then guide your character down the path to where they get to a resolution to the problem.
Victory!
That will make for some exciting fiction as you’re writing your story.
Be sure to check out the video that accompanies this blog. You can see it here.
Sam wanted to write a book but he didn’t know how to go about it. Then he came across his friend Jim who had written a book before.
Jim gave Sam some good advice.
When Jim found out it was a how-to book, he told Sam, “Well, you can write a how-to book. What you need to do first is to figure out what the problem is. Then define that problem. Then come up with some steps to a solution for the problem.
“So when you write your book, you talk about the problem first. Next, you talk a little bit about the plan for accomplishing the problem. Then show the steps to the solution. Finally, at the end, you summarize what you did to get to the solution and suggest a next step for the reader.
I want to start off by talking about writing a basic how-to book and then I’ll talk a little bit more about how you can expand that.
Getting Started
Getting started with your how-to book
First of all, define the problem. Then picture the solution to the problem and what life would be like when the problem was solved. Then brainstorms some steps that it takes to go from problem to solution. Sometimes those steps will be in order, but sometimes they may not be chronological. Either way, figure out a number of steps to get from problem to solution.
The Steps
We think of seven as being the perfect number, at least in my circle of friends. Our Christian worldview and our Biblical worldview, think of seven as being the perfect number. So I would urge you to reorganize what you come up with in your brainstorming into seven steps.
That’s not set in stone. You may not be able to get everything done in seven steps, so maybe you would have eight or nine steps. Or maybe you can cover it in six steps or five steps. So somewhere between five to nine steps, but aim for seven. You may be able to combine some of those steps to make a chapter or split up a step if it looks like it would take longer than the other chapters.
While having done that then you can come up with a basic book. So you may have a little attention-getting introduction at the beginning of your book. But then in your first chapter, you will be introducing the problem, and then it’s a good idea to agitate the problem. For example, “What will life be like if we don’t solve this problem?”
This will get the reader wanting to look at the book and the steps that it will take to solve his problem.
Making progress.
Chapter Two
Then, in chapter two, describe the plan. You’re going to go into detail with the plan in chapter two. Give a brief description of the plan and what they can look forward to in the rest of the book.
Chapters 3 – 9 (ish)
Then chapters three through nine, especially if you had the seven steps as your perfect number, describe the steps. Those would be your chapters three through nine.
Finishing Up
Finally, you come to chapter 10. There, you will summarize and visualize what life is like with the solution to the problem and give the reader the next step.
That’s how to come up with your basic how-to book. These are simple steps to get started.
Roadmap to Success
Now, my roadmap to success in coming up with a great book is to follow these four steps: 1. Come up with a basic book like I just described. 2. Make your basic book, your a good book, a great book. A fabulous book. Take a period of time, (not too long) maybe a month or so. to make your good book, a fabulous book. You will do this by adding stories and examples from your own life. Look at other books in your field. See if you’ve left anything out. If you have then you could add some chapters. You will have trimmed your book and then you will have expanded your book. Then you’ll go back through the editing process again and trim it until you have it where you want it to be. 3. Step three is publishing your book. We will look at the different options for publishing books. There are basically three options for publishing. I guarantee that you can get a book published in this day and age. 4. The fourth is to monetize that book. Get royalties off of it. However, there are also other ways of getting income from a book.
Roadmap to success in writing.
So I urge you to write a basic how-to book and then turn it into a fabulous book. A book that will help others and a book that will fulfill you.
New Coaching Opportunity for You
I also want to let you know about a cool new coaching program that I have, instead of a traditional coaching program which has set times maybe an hour or so per week where we meet together, you can now have unlimited access to me where I coach you using support just like this.
Now the price of this program is much lower than my normal coaching program, and there’s a reason for that. It’s because you can reach out to me and I can reply to you at any time of day. That’s convenient for each of us. This helps my calendar not be so full, allows me to have more time for my own personal writing projects, and it allows me to get back to you within one business day.
I’m offering a new coaching opportunity!
Plus, you can do it not just once a week, but throughout the week. You would think that unlimited that would cost more, but not actually because it does help free up my calendar.
If you’d like more details on this, just let me know. I’d be happy to make a quick video personally explaining my programs.
I’d like to start off by saying thank you. Yesterday, between 3 and 6 PM, “How to Write a Book in 28 Days or Less Without Stressing Yourself to Death” hit the best-seller list! In order for a book to be on the bestseller list, it has to be above 100 in a category. (Above meaning toward the top of the list) the number needs to be less than 100. By 6 PM, it was at number 28, making it on the bestseller list.
I’m so grateful for every one of you who bought it. My hope is that it will help guide you to fulfilling your dream of becoming a writer.
A Little Help from My Friends
Now, I have another favor to ask. If you purchased the book yesterday (or today, or at any time), it would be so helpful if you went to Amazon and wrote a review. The more reviews the book gets, the better. It will help keep the momentum going.
Again, thank you for helping “How to Write a Book in 28 Days or Less Without Stressing Yourself to Death” reach the best-seller list on Amazon. If you haven’t gotten the book yet, you can find it here. It will download immediately to your eReader and you will be on your way!
The day that I’ve been anticipating for several months is finally here! My new book, “How to Write a Book in 28 Days or Less Without Stressing Yourself to Death” is available for immediate download.
My granddaughter, Paisley.
I’m so excited to be able to help you start your dream of becoming a writer. You can do it! In my new book, I offer several helpful tips and strategies and include some personal experiences along the way.
If you’re seeing this on November 15, 2021, I have a special deal for you. The Kindle version is available for an incredibly good price. Just follow the link here, download, read it, and take the next step in your journey to becoming an author. Or, you can go to Amazon and search for Randy Carney, and see the new book, along with the other books I have published through the years.
As always, thank you so much for your support and encouragement. Happy writing!
In my recent posts, I’ve discussed edification or encouraging one another in the family. Here, I’ll be talking about building up each other’s confidence. While I’ll be focusing on relationships between husbands and wives here, remember that the church is the bride of Christ, so this blog post can be applied to relationships within the church as well.
Philippians 1:3-6, 25 (MEV)
3 I thank my God for every reminder of you. 4 In every prayer of mine for you all, I have always made requests with joy, 5 due to your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. 25 Having this confidence, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your joyful advancement of the faith,
Definition of Confidence
Let’s start off by defining confidence. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstance” Another definition is “…feeling sure of yourself and your abilities — not in an arrogant way, but in a realistic, secure way. Confidence isn’t about feeling superior to others. It’s a quiet inner knowledge that you’re capable.”
Confidence is not just our own confidence, but who we are in the Lord and how the Lord can bless us. We should be able to lift others up within the Lord and that should bring confidence within our lives.
Problems From Lack of Confidence
A lack of confidence can cause missed opportunities. Feelings of inferiority can cause you to think you can’t do something, or shouldn’t try. Maybe you won’t go out for that promotion at work because you feel like you wouldn’t be able to handle the extra responsibility. Perhaps you decline an offer to teach a Sunday school class because you think you lack the necessary abilities. It’s important to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. No matter if you succeed or you fail, you will always learn something.
Personal growth can stall without confidence. For example, what if, in order to get a new job, you needed to go back to school? If you’re feeling less than adequate, you may miss out on furthering your education, not to mention a great new career. You will feel defeated before you even start, so, you may not start. That goes back to those missed opportunities. How many things have we missed out on because the words “I can’t” or “I’m not” ran through our minds? It was once said that the word “can’t ” should be removed from the dictionary.
I think the worst thing to come from a lack of confidence is the feeling of being worthless and feeling that no one cares. It can get to the point that it will pull a person down. If Satan can’t rob you of your knowledge of who Jesus is, he will try to rob you of your joy. He’ll rob you of thinking clearly and he will fill you with lies. Satan will gleefully remind you of your past failures. That robs us of the freedom we have, in Christ, from those failures. When Satan gets a foothold in your thoughts and keeps reminding you about your past, it steals your confidence, and you fall deeper and deeper into despair. The sadness turns into more self-deprecating thoughts, Satan gains ground and the cycle continues.
Helping Rhonda
Let me begin by saying that I am in no way elevating myself. We all need to encourage one another.
Something I have always wanted to do is encourage my wife, Rhonda in her personal growth. She was once asked to speak at a Mother’s Day banquet. She had never really spoken like that before and was a little apprehensive. As a family, we encouraged her to speak. She did and was successful. Then word got out and another ladies’ meeting called and asked her to speak. We encouraged her to do that event also. Hopefully, that helped her develop some confidence
While living in Georgia, we started a Christian school. Rhonda hadn’t completed her education degree yet, but we felt like her main ministry should be at home during that time. She did come into the school once a week and started working with a reading program helping the children. She was also a monitor which is like a teacher’s aide. While helping out, I knew I could just ask her to do something and she’d understand what I needed.
Another time, I worked at Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). They did “Bible Time Boosters” which is similar to VBS. They asked her and another lady to work with the little ones. There were at least 35 children in the group. To get the kids to walk in line and stay together, they all had to hang on to a rope. When it came time for the closing program, her class’ turn came and she took the front of the rope, the children grabbed on, and the other teacher took the end and they did their program. When it was time to leave the teachers and children took the rope and went back to their spot. The rope trick really impressed a lady in the church named Mrs. Howard, who was in charge of many areas of the ministry. Later, she became president. When it came time to start the preschool program, they wanted someone to be in charge of the school. This school was to be the pilot program for the development of the curriculum, which would have a world-wide impact. Mrs. Howard asked me if Rhonda would be willing to do that. I would have encouraged Rhonda to do that, but we had already determined that her main ministry would be with our own preschoolers at home. Nevertheless, the idea of someone wanting her to head up the school was a big confidence builder for her.
Rhonda played the piano for her church as a teenager and she told me about a time that she couldn’t hold the foot pedal down because her knee was shaking so badly. But she’s practiced and played many times for our church and others and has gained confidence and been a blessing.
As a teacher, Rhonda’s confidence was in working with the smaller children. She worked with them for a while and was then asked to work with older children. It was intimidating to her, but she did it and gained confidence.
As a Sunday School teacher, again, her confidence was in working with children. But she’s taught young adults and adults and I’ve seen her confidence grow. I’ve just been trying to encourage her to grow.
My Personal Journey
Rhonda has encouraged me to grow and helped me gained confidence as well. She’s encouraged me to trust in the Lord, and I’m SO glad she was willing to do that. Our confidence in the Lord has grown through our lives because of our little, feeble faith that we started with that we could trust God when we couldn’t see what the next steps would be.
I was attending Seminary and had been a youth director at a church. That time was coming to an end, and it was time for me to graduate. The house we were living in did not belong to us, and we needed to move out because the new youth director and his family were going to be moving in. It got to the point where we had to be out in 6 days and didn’t know where we were going. I had sent out many letters all over the country telling them I was available to pastor.
I got a call from a church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois to preach a trial sermon. I went and spoke, but was not called by that church. That was not in God’s plan.
We got some replies from Georgia, and in that 6-day time frame, we went to one church, and I spoke. I was scheduled to speak the next week at a youth revival at another church in Georgia. After speaking at the first church in Georgia, we were headed back to Tennessee and were in prayer about what God wanted. We said if that first church called us, we would accept the call. Before we even got back to Tennessee, they had their meeting and called me as their pastor!
We loaded up and moved to Georgia. We pulled our U-Haul into one of the deacons’ yards with barely any time to spare and headed to the youth revival to fulfill that commitment.
Then we were going to start a Christian school but it all fell apart. I had already resigned from my church, and we had to be out of our house. The church people asked me if I had made a mistake. I said, “I don’t know. I don’t understand. I don’t know what’s happening. But, I’m pretty sure I was right to resign. I just don’t know yet what my next step is.”
They said they needed someone to fill in as pastor, so they asked if I would be willing to do that until I discovered my next step. I agreed, and they said my family and I could live in the parsonage until everything got sorted out. So, even though the direction wasn’t clear at that time, God still provided for our short-term needs.
That Sunday we went up to a Sword of the Lord conference in Atlanta. The regional coordinator from ACE was there, and I said, “It looks like we’re not going to start a school.” He said, “That’s OK. We can just keep everything on file and in the next 3 years the church there can start.” I started to walk away, and he asked if I needed a place to go. It had never occurred to me to tell anyone that I need a place to go. So, I told him that I did, and he told me he knew of a pastor who was wanting to start a school but didn’t have a principal or a supervisor and hadn’t sent anyone for training yet. Classes were supposed to start in a few weeks. So, it turned out that was the next step for us.
Through all this, Rhonda just went along with me, even though I couldn’t see clearly the direction that God wanted me to go. She got confirmation from the Lord along with me that He was doing something. Even though we couldn’t see it, we relied on Him and trusted Him. In our case, God seems to let us just barely hang on when things seem to be falling apart. We just cling tightly to our faith. Throughout our journey, Rhonda has encouraged me, and that has been a confidence builder for me.
Then, I worked for the International Institute, a college program for ACE, for a time. I then went back to southern Illinois and began a college there.
Things didn’t always turn out how we had planned, but no matter what, God worked through that, and people were blessed.
God Provides Confidence
We don’t know how big or small things will be, but they are never insignificant. God is faithful. He can instill the confidence in you, that when you take some steps, even if you can’t see how it will work out, God will come through and it will work out! Then, when you’re facing another time of uncertainty when you can’t see how it will work out, you will remember what God did before, and you ask Him to please do it again.
Rhonda and I decided that we wanted all our children to attend college. We didn’t know how we were going to pay for it, but we took a step of faith and enrolled them. Somehow, through God’s grace and provision, we made it.
We had one year when 3 of them were in college at one time. Our son, Rusty, was told by someone to apply for some scholarships. They scholarship providers didn’t know him and weren’t from our state. Rusty wouldn’t have had any idea about applying for those, but someone suggested he do so, and he got several scholarships out of that encounter. God works that way! He also provided jobs for them. That was the year that our income came up and was one of the highest we’ve had in our lives.
Then, Rusty decided that he was going to be a missionary to Japan. I said, “How are you going to get funding?” He went to area churches to get monthly funding. The mission board said he needed a budget of $108,000 a year. To us, in our area, it seemed excessive. But Rhonda and I took a trip to Japan and bought a watermelon while there, and it was $40, so we found out that level of funding was totally in line. But God made a way, and Rusty and his family were able to move to Japan, and he is still serving in the mission field today!
The Lord builds confidence in failures. Abraham Lincoln ran for office several times and didn’t get voted nt. Then, finally, he was elected the 16th President of the United States.
Encourage One Another
You can encourage one another. If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing poorly until you can do it well. You can encourage with that. Wives can encourage husbands. Perhaps the husband gets a new job and isn’t doing well in the beginning. She can encourage him by using that phrase and letting him know that she believes he will improve and be successful.
Encouragement Regardless of Personality Type
God can use every personality type. There are some people who are very driven and outgoing and will work to get things done. You can be thrust into leadership positions. You can be a follower. You can be the best support person you can be. But, there are also people who have milder personalities who can be leaders.
There is a spiritual gift of pastoring, but there are some pastors who do not have that spiritual gift. I am currently pastoring a church, but I don’t feel I have that spiritual gift. But I have learned that if God calls you to serve in a certain role, He will provide the necessary tools.
You may have that hard-driving personality, and God will cause things to happen because of your drive. You might have a milder personality. You might be introverted. In many companies, there are people that are introverted and quiet who are in positions of leadership, and people can’t figure out how they got there. The reason those kinds of personalities can be successful is that they are willing to put up with things that people with stronger personalities aren’t. God can take that and use that.
Whatever your spouse’s personality type is, please encourage them that God can use them.
I’m currently interested in Internet marketing and I’m trying to learn how to do that. My confidence grows each time I fail at that. I lean a little bit more each time I try. Maybe someday I’ll be a great Internet marketer and be telling you all how to succeed at doing that.
What Can Be if We Instill Confidence in Others
Think about what can take place if you build your confidence, and your family builds your confidence. You can begin to tackle new things, and you can see God do unusual things. You’d be willing to start without knowing what the next steps will be. You may be called to go to minister in a prison. You may be afraid, but you take a step and be willing to start. As you do this, you may appear to be more outgoing than you actually are. You may overcome some obstacles along the way, but you will recover from failures that you face.
Before Rhonda and I got married, I sang in a quartet. There was a song we sang that said:
When trouble is in my way, I can’t tell my night from day, When I’m tossed from side to side, Like a ship on a raging tide, I don’t worry I don’t fret. My God has never failed me yet. Troubles come from time to time, But that’s all right, I’m not the worrying kind because I’ve got confidence God is gonna see me through. No matter what the case may be. I know He’s gonna fix it for me. Job was sick so long Till the flesh fell from his bones. His wife, cattle, and children, Everything that he had was gone. But Job in he despair, He knew that God still cared, Sleepless days and sleepless nights, But Job said that’s all right because I’ve got confidence.
In Closing
I pray that you will have it as part of your mission to instill confidence in those around you. My desire is to instill confidence in you so you can talk to people about your faith. I want you to be able to step out of your comfort zones. When asked to be a Sunday School teacher, you will accept and see where the Lord leads. When you see a challenge before you, I pray for you to realize that God has never failed you yet. Step out. Even if there’s a failure, you learn from it. I pray that in your life, failure is never a bad thing. Don’t let the failure go to waste. Learn from it and build your confidence.
Thank you for reading. For more posts like this, go to Randy’s Blogs. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and my Rumble Channel.
Crash. Boom. Lightning strike! Was it going to rain on our . . . (Well, not actually a parade)? Persistence, a key success trait for life and business, was going to figure prominently for us on that day.
The Trip
Last Thursday, I went to Holiday World with Chip, my son-in-law, and Ralanna, my second oldest daughter. They have four children (four of my Grandchildren!). Three of them went with us. The eight-, thirteen-, and sixteen-year olds would be able to navigate the park very well. Their youngest stayed with my wife, Rhonda, who doesn’t care anything about most of the rides anyway.
We started the trip in a storm. Then the rain progressively seemed to get less and less heavy. We, after a couple of hours, could see bright spots in the clouds as we got closer to Santa Claus, Indiana. Yes, that’s really the name of the town where Holiday World is located.
However, about ten miles before the exit off of the interstate, what many would call a “cloud burst” hit–The hardest rain yet!
Would we have to go back home?
The rain let up again, and by the time we got to the parking lot, it was just a little harder than a sprinkle.
The Decision
The bottom line–We went on in. We had plastic ponchos, and they served us very well.
The rain continued off and on. That was OK because after riding the old-fashioned cars, where even the youngest could drive, and the bumper cars, which were inside, we were in the water park the rest of the morning.
Right after we ate lunch, the loud speaker announced that weather with lightning was approaching and all rides would be shut down temporarily. So, for about 45 minutes we sought shelter in some areas with rooftops.
The storm ended, and we changed clothes and went to the other part of the park. Our ponchos came in handy again when we rode the Raging Rapids and the log ride, both of which usually drench us.
The Rewards
Several rewards and nice surprises came our way because we persisted through the storm: The crowd was much smaller than usual. The lines were shorter. We even rode the Raging Rapids three times in a row–which delighted Makenna, the youngest member of our party, very much. Because some of the larger rides were closed, we rediscovered many of the smaller and medium-sized rides. Again, the was a great benefit to Makenna. The weather was cooler than usual. Furthermore, since some of the major attractions shut down for two hours, we also found out that we get to use the same tickets for another trip with no additional charge!
What does this have to do with writing books, having online businesses and other entrepreneurial pursuits?
Realize the value of persistence. Many failed businesses have been estimated to have quit right before their moment of success. Many experts say if those businesses had just hung on a little longer, they would have made it.
So, persevere through the storm. Many unexpected benefits may come your way.
For you, success may be just around the corner and right after the current storm dies down.
Where are you in your business ideas? If you are thinking about writing a book, for instance, here is a great way to start.
What are three getting started questions every new coach should ask?
Getting started in a new coaching business has many varied parts of the process. It can seem quite overwhelming in the beginning. Here are some of the main questions a new coach should ask.
I. What Kind of Coaching Are You Best Suited For?
There are many varieties of coaching. One type would help people with discovering their identities and clarifying their purpose.
Another type would help people in the area of personal growth, and this would spill over into business growth too.
A third type would be entrepreneurial coaching. This would be for people who would want to start businesses of their own.
Another way of classifying types of coaching would have to do with the delivery of the coaching experience.
First of all, you could have personal coaching. This involves meeting with people one on one. You could meet with them online, through the telephone or through the computer using through FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or some similar distance collaboration platform
Second, you could have group coaching. This is often done online live with a group watching in and asking questions.
Finally, you could have a type of coaching that is more passive. That could be in the form of delivering the information in the form of a course. Again, courses could be in person or online. Some online courses are set to where the student can go at his or her own pace and click on new lessons after completing the previous lessons. This is quite automated in that the coach does not have to do anything after completing the course materials.
So, first of all it would be a good idea to find out what kind of coaching you would like to do.
II. What Kinds of Additional Training would give you confidence?
You need to understand that credentials are not required for many types of coaching. In many cases your personal experience will be much more valuable than certain types of certifications. However, for your own benefit, you might want training to increase your confidence. Even though credentials are not required, they also sometimes can give you the perception of increased credibility.
I want to point out three certifications you can gain from Author Academy Elite. I mentioned identity coaching earlier. They have a certification program dubbed “Your Secret Name” coaching. I also mentioned personal or business growth coaching. AAE has another certification called, “The Deeper Path.” Then I mentioned entrepreneurial coaching. AAE also has a certification program called, “Day Job to Dream Job.” It specializes in guiding people through occupational change, and especially guiding those who desire to start their own businesses.
III. What Online Tools Could Help You with the Coaching Process?
You will need an online tool that will help you with email communication.
You would also need collaboration tools–a place where you and your client could keep track of assignments and further to communicate with each other.
Then you will need a website builder.
You would need a tool that would help you keep track of your progress.
Then it would be good to have an online tool that would help you with course building.
There is a program that includes all of the above options in one package. It is called “The Coaches Console,” and I highly recommend you consider it if you are indeed going to get involved in coaching.
Those are the three getting started questions every coach should ask: What kind of coaching are you best suited for? What kinds of additional training would give you confidence? And, What online tools could help you with the coaching process.
If you would like more tips like these, click here.
If you would like to check out the certifications offered by Author Academy Elite, click here.
Forced into doing things we are not used to describes the year 2020 for most of us. Video for blog posts is something that some of us discovered as a transferable skill that resulted from us meeting a need during the pandemic.
Along with being a speaker, writer, and book-writing coach, I serve as a bi-vocational minister. Several of my friends in this same category got thrust into some new experiences.
Many of us, as a precautionary measure, quit worshiping at our local churches for a while. That is when many of us started doing online services. I already had a YouTube channel and some experience producing my own videos. Others, though, learned how to do this for the first time.
The Background of the Transferable Skill of Using Video for Blog Posts
I had some experience with Facebook Live, but, as often happens, I had to learn the process all over again in order to record some of our messages. For a while, that was simply done in my home office, but when we decided to return to our church, we continued broadcasting live through Facebook.
Apart from that, I have a wonderful assistant who helps me carry out many tasks that can be time consuming. So, after I learned how to transfer the FB Live videos to YouTube, I trained her in that process too.
We edit the live recording to shorten it somewhat, and to remove any copyright claims for the wider YouTube audiences.
I know I can include the YouTube videos here on this blog, but I wondered if a link could go directly to the Facebook Live video from over a week ago too.
Trying the Temporary Links for Using Video for Blog Posts
So, here goes the experiment.
First, we will include the YouTube video. Some like for me to have these replays up anyway.
Here is the video from a week or two ago:
Here is a listing of that same link:
Now, here is the attempt to go to the original Facebook Live version:
I guess one way to check this is to publish it temporarily, and then come back and finish editing the bog post.
Since I am writing in real time, let me just say, “I will be back in a minute.” 🙂
I left and published temporarily and both of the links worked. So, you can use Facebook Live videos as well as YouTube links. (I will have to keep checking back to see how long the Facebook video links will work.)
Using Facebook Live to Produce Video for Blog Posts
How To Use Facebook Live To Get More Traffic To Your Website could be an alternate heading for this section.
Facebook Live is a quick and easy way to produce a video for a blog post that assists Internet marketers to get more traffic to their websites.
The bottom line here is that this is a quick way to produce a video for your blog post. Doing this gives you an almost unfair advantage. You will get more traffic to your website over other Internet marketers by inserting videos into your blog posts.
All Internet marketers should check out this tool because using it is a very quick way to produce videos. Once the video processes where it comes up when you open up Facebook, all you have to do is copy the url and use it as a link to a picture in your blog pos
Here’s why Facebook Live is so important…
You can start on an article, cut away to do a video, and then come right back.
How can you get started with video very quickly?
Go to your Facebook page
Click on the “Live Video” link
Your camera will come on and you will see yourself in the lower right corner
About half-way down on the left side of the page, you will see the word, “post”
You can go down two items below that and click on the down arrow to choose to share to your timeline, to a page you manage, or to a group
I would recommend putting in a title, but it is optional
Then put in a short description
When you are ready, click on “Go Live.”
After your presentation, click on “finish,” and then choose where you want to share the video on Facebook.
Wait a while for the video to show up on Facebook where you shared it
Start the video, and copy the url from the top of the page
Then you can place that link in your blog post
And the great news is, this incredible tool costs nothing at present.
You can check out this quick way to produce a video for a blog post by going to your own Facebook page.
If you would like more tips on writing, click here.
Have you ever wished you could be your own boss? You may have wondered about stay at home business opportunities. You may have thought about an online business. Yet, you may not have felt like you had the time or the money for an investment in such a business.
Many of us are having to stay home as a result of the Corona virus coming to the USA. It looks like we may be in until May.
Children do school work at home. Families spend more time together. Since the children were not in school, this presented many challenges for families where both parents worked. Now, it may be that at least one parent is home, and in many cases, both parents are. That helps with the childcare situation a little better.
With all the inconvenience and uncertainty, this may actually work out very well for you if you have always wanted to try working from home. This situation may just turn out to be an unexpected blessing in disguise!
My Off and On Story
When I worked as a staff writer for a major publisher of Christian-school curriculum, the company provided each of us writers and editors with personal computers. That upgraded our process very much. I am grateful for the skills acquired during that time.
Later, I bought, with the blessing of my wife, my own personal computer. That was great for writing projects.
Then the internet came along, I worked as a free-lance writer for at least a year. Following that, I wrote and published my own books. FWB Publications published one of my books. Currently I am working on a project that has been accepted for by Author Academy Elite Publications.
I also became very interested in internet marketing. Then I signed up for Wealthy Affiliate, which provided great training for online marketing. Besides the training, they also provide a hosting service that will provide hosting for up to ten of my own websites (such as this one) for no additional charge. That actually is the main reason why I have stayed with them for so many years. That, and the fact that they continually update their training and services.
Serving as a bi-vocational minister gave me opportunities to have a variety of jobs outside of the churches I was pastoring. Some of those were high-paying. Some were part-time. There were some periods where I could devote most of my time to online activities. There were others, where I had very little time.
A start-up faith-based college asked me to work with them. It was like what often happened in my journey. Just as my online activities picked up, my “Day Job” would pick up even more. So my work from home journey has been an up and down experience, but it has been a very rewarding one.
Now, that we are all, except for essential businesses, having to stay home here in Illinois, there is again an opportunity to devote more time to online work.
How Some of my Online Skills Blessed Our Church
We had a national directive to limit our contact with others. The governor of the state of Illinois followed suit. Our church complied by canceling our services.
So, some of my previous online experiences have come in handy. We decided to have our Sunday morning services for the last two Sundays streamed through Facebook Live. Here is one of those videos.
We also had our Wednesday Bible Study online or through the phone by using FreeConferenceCall.com.
The first Sunday, we just had the sermon preached while sitting at my desk at my home office. The second Sunday, our musicians uploaded a video right before the one listed here. It worked fairly well. We even had a special number by playing a video from my phone and holding it up to the camera.
A surprise came when one of our former church members from Georgia, over 500 miles away, sent us a message, asking when we were going to do this again.
Creativity Rises to the Top for Many During this Time
Many businesses are creatively retooling to meet needs during the Covid 19 shutoff. Some have switched over to making hand sanitizer. Others make ventilators for hospitals. Some make masks, and most recently, some contract to make hospital gowns. Some restaurants are optimizing their drive-through and carry-out options.
How will you be creative when you think about stay at home business opportunities?
You might want to consider a writing business, a speaking business (for the future when we are all released to be around people), or a coaching business.
This is a Great Time to Start an Online Business
If you have to be home anyway, whether you are temporarily unemployed, have reduced hours, or actually get released from your company, you might as well pursue stay at home business opportunities if you have that interest.
I mentioned Wealthy Affiliate earlier. You could check it out by clicking here.
If you would like a free report about Time Management for Writers, go to DrRandyCarney.com.
There are many opportunities beside these. You might want to write a book. If you are interested in a hybrid process between self publishing and traditional publishing, I highly recommend Author Academy Elite Publishing.
Conclusion
Many of us are having to practice social distancing for a while. Some of us will find that we have time to get to projects that we have been meaning to get to for awhile.
Maybe you have wanted to start a home-based business, especially and online business.
How wonderful would it be if this time off allowed you to start a new side hustle that allowed you to say goodbye to your day job forever (if that is your ultimate goal)!
You have heard it takes time and money. It is true it will take some money, but not nearly that of a fast-food franchise. Now you have time, take advantage of the situation.
If you would like to subscribe to my YouTube channel, just click on the video above and sign up when you get to YouTube.
You’ve heard my story. I would be interested to hear yours. How are you using this time off to your best advantage? If you have a story about online marketing, we would certainly be glad to hear it. Leave your reply below.
Wishing you the best in the short, and long, term,
Take a chance in business. Sometimes (many times) you have to do that to make progress.
In baseball, you can say that you miss all the pitches you do not swing at. In football, you miss every possible completion you do not throw. In basketball, you miss all the shots you do not take.
When it comes to business, you miss all the sales you do not ask for. You miss all the opportunities you do not attempt.
Thank you to Son-in-Law Brian Barker for cutting down a hickory tree in our back yard. We have wanted it down for quite a while. We either want to build an add-on dining room, or at least a deck. at some point.
He looked doubtful when he saw where it was located, just three lawn-mower widths away from our kitchen window.
We had noticed the leaves had spots on them, and we wondered if the tree were coming down with some kind of disease. He had asked about cutting down a tree in our woods for firewood. I don’t think he expected for us to suggest a tree in our yard.
He had to land the tree between our house and a pear tree, and it had to miss a pine tree at the edge of the yard.
Brian could have just not attempted to fall the tree. In fact, he suggested I talk to one of our mutual friends to see if he could suggest someone to do it for us. I think Brian was really worried about how we would feel if it went several feet farther south than where we were looking. If it did, it would hit the corner of our house and possibly tear off a gutter. I was able to persuade him that I really hoped he would try it, and we would not hold it against him if it did fall off course a little bit.
Brian said, “When you hear the saw start up, tell the girls (my wife, Rhonda, and his wife, Rachelle (our daughter)) to get out of the kitchen. … I’m serious.”
It fell perfectly!
Take a chance in your business efforts, just like Brian did with the tree. Sometimes, you will fail, but you will learn something. Sometimes, though, a surprising opportunity may come your way. You may be afraid to follow up on it. If you don’t, though, you will never know if it could have been good for you.
Maybe your skills are not good. They will never improve if you don’t try.
Be wise. Do your due diligence, but when the time seems mostly right, take a chance. The results may pleasantly surprise you. Maybe it will fall perfectly!
Would you like to write a book? Every book you do not attempt has no sales. It has no impact on anyone. Have you never done it before? Are you willing to take a chance? Would you like some help from some who have gone through the scary path before you? Would you like some time-management skills to help you in your writing?
