Expert: Susan Rand - 2/14/2009

Question
Hello again Mrs. Rand,

The book that i want to write is non-fiction. It was an actual event that occured that only i know all of the details. The story is one of a kind. I have wrote a first draft, but its more facts than it is a story line. I'm trying to think of how to make the characters stand out more and how to really make people feel what i was feeling during that time.  

I'm wondering if i should even be the one writing this. Maybe i should get professional help writing it since I have never wrote before but I dont want to be taken advantage of since I really have no insight at all in this field.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated. Oh and one more thing, I seen that you had a mentoring program for people like me that would like to start out; what services should i be looking for and I assume i couldn't get an exact amount, but around how much should I be looking at to really try to make this successful.

Thank you again for your time today.

Hope you have a great Valentines day. :)

Rick Fowler

Answer
Hello again Rick:

If your book is to be non-fiction, facts are what you want. But of course you want to make it interesting and compelling so people will read it.

You are quite right in wanting the reader to feel what you felt at the time. This is tough for most "newbies," and it's not easy even for "experts." I believe you will need quite a bit of help in this area.

I can certainly understand your concern that you not be scammed. There are legions of opportunities to waste your money online and off: books, software that supposedly will all but "write the book" for you, writing classes, etc. I wouldn't waste my time with any of them, as they are very general, and a lot of what you find there will not apply to you. Be careful, but realise that sooner or later you will just have to trust someone.

Several of my clients have dropped out when they faced the actual writing. You must be TOTALLY committed to the work, be willing to churn out material on a regular basis, and be willing and able to follow instructions. The process is sure to take months or even years. As George Orwell said, "Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness."

That's the bad news. Here's the good: Having a mentor who is a published author with many years of experience will save you from flopping around endlessly in your material, which newbies are inclined to do (without help). And before you know it, a year has gone by and you have not progressed at all. My lessons are tailored to your particular project.

If you are interested in learning more about my mentoring program, please go to my website and contact me from there. The first lesson is free.

I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high scores over 1350+ questions.

Thank you for writing!