We all present, whether in meetings, explanations, or conversations. Each time we present, we’re wielding influence. Here are seven ways to strengthen your influence. 1. Know your stuff. The meaning, reasons, details, background, challenges, exceptions, and weaknesses. You don’t have to share it all, but you should know it. Uncertainty voids authority, and you can’t […]
Category: writing & publishing
Five tips for writing a book introduction
When you buy a novel, you’re paying for a story. That’s why storytellers drop you right into the action. Never keep a customer waiting. Nonfiction is different. Readers buy books to reap benefits — whether it’s to learn something or gain expertise. They want to go somewhere, and your introduction is the entrance ramp to their […]
The thing you are unable to write
You should always be trying to write a poem you are unable to write, a poem you lack the technique, the language, the courage to achieve. Otherwise, you’re merely repeating yourself, going nowhere because that’s always easiest” (John Berryman, quoted in Letters & Life, by Brett Lott). This week saw the thousandth blog from a good […]
Humility in writing and pastoring
The greatest challenge with wielding influence is getting out of the way. Whether I’m writing, teaching, or praying, my focus often drifts back to me — and I am not the point. Brett Lott references this theme in Letters & Life, his slim volume on being a writer: I saw, suddenly and fully, that a story was about the […]
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