Conquering Writer’s Block: Small Steps and Practical Tips
Writer’s block is traditionally defined as a period where you can’t produce new work or your creativity takes a nosedive. This definition, however, is limited. What if we view it instead as a natural part of the creative process during which ideas are brewing beneath the surface? It’s not a block; your inability to put words on paper can be a resting point, giving you time to recharge. Taking a different tack can turn frustration into understanding and patience. Specifically, when you take small, manageable steps, you can unlock your creativity and productivity. Understanding Our Energy Cycles Our mental and creative energies fluctuate throughout the day. Recognizing your personal high-energy times is crucial to properly align your productivity. Maybe you’re most creative in the quiet of the early morning or you find late-night is when your best work gets done. Conversely, you experience low-energy phases during the day as well. This is when you should engage in activities that refresh your imagination. Reading, taking a walk outside, grounding yourself to the earth in some way (I recommend stomping your bare feet in the grass, weather permitting), or practicing mindfulness gives you a much-needed break so your best work rises to the surface. We are not machines; our energy levels ebb and flow throughout the day. Recognizing and respecting our natural cycles is critical for our personal and professional success. The Power of Small Tasks Sometimes we remain stuck despite taking a walk, grounding ourselves in nature, or practicing mindfulness. Choosing our smallest task and crossing it off can often move us forward when nothing else will. Crossing off just one thing on your “to-do” list creates a sense of accomplishment and builds momentum. And there’s science to support this concept: When the words just won’t come, the idea of starting much less completing a book can squash your motivation. Breaking down the process into smaller goals lines up with the adage: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Whatever you tackle first, taking any step as the first of several small victories builds your confidence and creative momentum. Harness Your Productivity Few things are more frustrating than reading over your list of things to do and just not being able to get started, but there are some steps you can take to activate your creative flow. Final thoughts I’m not saying writer’s block isn’t real or can’t be discouraging because I’ve been there. I might be there today! But I also know that taking it in stride as a natural part of the creative process is key to moving past it. Starting with one small thing and completing it, then doing it again, and again, and again, still, establishes and builds the momentum you need to solve what feels like an impasse. It’s worth mentioning that every great journey begins with a single step, and every great book begins with a single word.
Connect with Your Audience Through Storytelling
Your clients — current and future — are naturally drawn to stories, especially when they see parts of themselves reflected in them. Stories help you move beyond business transactions to establish strong, meaningful relationships with your audience because you recognize and validate their values, dreams, and struggles. Strengthen current connections When you deploy the power of storytelling to describe what keeps your customers up at night—their pain points, fears, and uncertainties —you walk in their shoes, showing you understand and empathize with their challenges. You make them feel seen and heard. And, like any good storyteller, when you present a problem, you also need to deliver a solution. Your products and services are their beacon of hope, positioning your business as a crucial part of their customer journey. Grow your business Because cold audiences also love a good story, telling yours is a solid strategy to attract new audiences. A compelling story resonates and lingers. Most importantly, your stories about your experiences, your brand story, and your products and services are more likely to be shared, spreading the word much like a rock thrown into a pond creates ripples. Stories foster a sense of community and invite potential customers to become part of a shared narrative. They serve as bridges, linking the unknown to the familiar and can make discovering a new product or service a lot less daunting and a lot more fun. Reaching audiences where they are The real beauty of modern storytelling is that you can reach audiences where they are by posting and publishing your stories across a variety of channels such as blogs, podcasts, social media, and more. You have ample opportunity to connect with diverse audiences with stories are accessible, relatable, and engaging. Final thoughts Because we live in a world where nearly everything in our lives is digital, making real connections is especially valuable. Storytelling helps you relate on a more personal level about how your products and services can serve as the solution to what keeps your audience up at night. If you’re ready to write your own story to grow your business, schedule a call today.
The Power of Curiosity: Using the 5 W’s (and one H)
The most successful writers are the most curious. In this way, authors are very similar to journalists. They thirst for understanding and don’t stop asking questions, even when their way forward takes a sharp turn or information isn’t readily available. Both groups fill in the blanks related to the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a topic to breathe life into their stories. Your job is to take readers on a journey with a clear beginning, middle, and end using the five W’s (and one H). Who played a role? The self-made millionaire is a myth. No one makes it on their own; we learn from and with the people who help and hinder our progress. Who fills these roles in your story and what part did they play? Maybe you learned an important lesson about customer service from your first boss when you were a teenager, or you mentored a teenager and gained valuable business insight from the experience. What do you want readers to learn? The what of your story is really the transformation you promise and deliver to your readers. Using the lessons you learned, you teach readers how to skip the line, so-to-speak. They read about the mistakes you made and how you corrected for them so they can avoid making the same missteps. This way, readers come through the process that much faster. When readers purchase your book, they hope you can help them. By the time they turn the last page, they’re already taking action so they can feel and think and act differently to reach the goal that pushed them to find help in your story. When and where does your story take place? Believe it or not, the setting of your story is just as important as it is in fiction. Readers need to know when and where most of your story takes place. If you begin with your childhood, we need to know at least the decade to make appropriate pop culture connections for greater context. Likewise, if you move the action to your college years or you share memories about the early years of your business, having a sense of time and place lends weight to how a particular experience helped shape you. Historical markers such as the Great Recession of 2008 or the coronavirus pandemic starting in 2020 almost certainly had an impact on you, your business, your career, and/or the people who played a role in your journey. Anchoring your story in specific moments that live in your readers’ collective memories, albeit in very personal ways, centers your reader and allows them to pay closer attention to what you’re teaching them. Why should people listen to you? The entirety of your journey defines why readers should trust you to deliver what they need to succeed. Your education is important, of course, but it pales in comparison to how you lived and worked and played and what you learned and lost and gained through it all. You might have advanced degrees, but your experiences and how you navigated them is what make you relatable to your reader. They need to see reflections of their lives in yours to convince them you have a way forward and a framework they can follow to get there. How: Your Conflict and Resolution Your primary conflict — the biggest problem — and how it got resolved is the core of your story and what spurred your reader to buy your book. Now, your conflict is almost certainly multi-faceted because we are complex beings, and your resolution may have led to outcomes you didn’t imagine, both good and bad. Spill it all! You readers need all the details; the good and bad and everything in between. Mini-conflicts can grow out of your most pressing issue and you need to talk about how you dealt with them, even if they were resolved without your direct involvement. The most important facet of your story is that you identify with your reader’s pain point(s), and you clearly and concisely present the solution(s). Final thoughts Employing a sense of curiosity as if you’re a journalist investigating the corners of your story expands and enriches the journey for your reader. By using the five five W’s and one H — who, what, when, where, why, how — you’ll uncover details you may not have considered before, producing a deeper and more meaningful narrative for your reader. If you’re ready to embark on your author journey to make more money in your business, I’d love to talk with you. Schedule a call today.
15 Minutes a Day to Better Mental and Physical Health
Prioritizing our mental and physical health has become more crucial than ever, and one way to improve both only takes 15 minutes a day: daily expressive writing. The key is using pen and paper, not your computer or the notes app on your phone. Pen and paper. These brief sessions, using a pen and paper, can have profound effects on our overall health. When you write every day with a pen and paper, you can improve your memory and recall, boost your academic and professional performance, and even experience better social interactions. Studies aggregated by Cambridge University — those focused specifically on daily expressive writing using pen and paper — shed additional light on the benefits of incorporating daily writing into our lives. The Mental Health Benefits 1. Stress Reduction: When you put pen to paper, you externalize your thoughts and emotions, making them easier to process. More than one study cited by Cambridge University reports lower levels of stress and anxiety in participants. Results indicate the simple act of writing releases pent-up tension, leading to a calmer, less chaotic state of mind. 2. Improved Emotional Well-being: Daily writing prompts that encourage self reflection can lead to deeper understanding of where your thoughts and feelings originate. Your journal becomes a valuable tool for managing your emotions and could lead to improved emotional regulation and a greater sense of self-awareness. 3. Enhanced Creativity: Regular writing sessions can also boost your creativity. The physical motions of writing engage your brain’s creative centers and encourage the development of new ideas and perspectives. It can be a gateway to exploring new hobbies, interests, and even career paths. The Physical Health Benefits 1. Reduced Blood Pressure: High stress levels are linked to increased blood pressure, which can lead to various health issues. Cambridge University’s research has shown that daily writing can contribute to a significant reduction in blood pressure over time. 2. Improved Sleep: Restorative sleep is critical for our mental and physical health. Insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns can stem from racing thoughts and unresolved stress. By addressing these concerns through daily writing, you might enjoy better sleep quality and increase the amount of time you are asleep. 3. Fewer doctor appointments: Because daily writing can have such a positive impact on your physical health, you may not need to visit your doctor as often. Less frequent appointments save you time and money, and who doesn’t want that? Writing in Community Makes a Difference Moment of total honesty: I really dislike journaling. I won’t do it on my own, but writing every day with our morning writing group has made all the difference. My day simply doesn’t begin properly until I’ve spent time in community with my writing room besties. We’ve already established that personal journaling offers significant benefits, and engaging in a writing community amplifies these advantages. Group writing sessions provide a sense of camaraderie and shared experience we miss when we go it alone. We’ve also developed a real sense of belonging because of what we share together during our sessions. Incorporate Writing into Your Schedule Make writing an essential part of your daily schedule by following one or more of the following tips: 1. Set Aside Dedicated Time: Give yourself 15 to 20 minutes at the same time every day to write. This can be in the morning to start your day with clarity or in the evening to unwind and reflect. 2. Create a Writing Ritual: Establish a ritual around your writing practice. Maybe you have a special notebook and pen, you light a candle, or you sip tea from a specific mug. When you create certain habits around writing, you signal your brain that it’s time to relax and focus. 3. Join a Writing Group: I host 30-minute writing sessions at 8 a.m. CST Monday – Thursday, and I cannot stress enough the positive difference it has made in my life. If you are interested in joining us, register using this Zoom link, and save the confirmation email you receive. We use the same link every day. Final thoughts If our thoughts are clogged with negativity and our emotions are jumbling all over the place, we can’t possibly operate at peak performance either mentally or physically. Our cells eavesdrop on our thoughts and emotions, and medical studies have shown time and again this is true, which is why depression shows up as that persistent knot in your shoulder and anxiety is a troubled digestive track. Writing, specifically with a pen and paper, has too many mental and physical health benefits to ignore. So, what are you waiting for? I’d love to see you in our writing group! Register here.
It’s Nice to Meet You: Understanding Your Ideal Reader Avatar
Have you met your ideal reader avatar? Before you write or type the first word of your manuscript, you need to know who will ultimately hold your book in their hands. If you’re a speaker, coach, consultant, or trainer with content you’re ready to transform into a book, your reader may differ from the person you normally stand in front of. And to be clear, you are identifying one person, not a group of people. Read the next paragraph, and then close your eyes. Picture the person who buys your book. They sit on their couch while they read. Who is that person? What do they look like? Describe the room you see. Is it loud because kids are running about or playing video games or is it quiet because your reader lives alone? Now, give your reader a name. Demographics: The Facts About Your Reader The foundation of creating an ideal reader avatar starts with knowing basic facts about them. Data such as their gender, age, race/ethnicity, where they live, if they own or rent, their occupation, and their annual household income help you write a more targeted message. Is your reader married, single, or divorced? Do they have children? If so, how old are they? Does your reader have any pets? Do they even like animals? Are they a business owner or do they hold down a 9-to-5? My ideal reader avatar is Publishing Penny. She is age 45 or older and either owns her own business or is a female executive. She is ready to work less and make more money by writing a book about her zone of genius. Penny has children who are either in college or out on their own, and she owns her home in a mid- to large-size city. Penny is single with a close group of female friends she sees regularly. Do you see how understanding basic facts about Publishing Penny helps me begin understanding who she is? To really get to know her, though, I need to dive deeper into the qualities that make Penny who she is. Psychographics: The Meaning in Your Reader’s Life Demographics allow you to answer questions about your reader you could learn at a networking event. To develop messaging that truly resonates with your reader, you need insight into what gives meaning to their life. What motivates them? What values and beliefs do they hold dear? What fear keeps them up at night? Who brings the biggest smile to their face? If your ideal reader avatar is an entrepreneur, for example, related psychographics could include how they value financial independence, they believe pursuing personal growth is continuous, and they are driven to create a legacy. You want to connect on an emotional level with your reader so your message resonates on a deeper level with them. Knowing the behaviors of your ideal reader is another critical aspect for crafting a message that speaks to them. Are they avid readers, podcast enthusiasts, or more inclined toward video content? Do they engage with online communities, attend seminars, or prefer one-on-one interaction? Finally, understanding the buying habits of your ideal reader is essential for authors starting from scratch and for those of you with content that can be converted into a book. How do they make purchasing decisions? Are they price-sensitive or willing to invest in premium products and services? Do they conduct careful research or do they given into an enticing point-of-sale? Publishing Penny wants to live a life of abundance in every way; she works smarter not harder so she has the time and the money to travel and live with greater ease. She is an avid reader and loves music. Penny is an active member in several online communities but values in-person interactions above others. She tends toward research when making large purchases and impulse buying for stuff she doesn’t really need. Penny invests in her business and in herself with personal and professional development. She’s also focused on a secure future so she engages a financial planner for her retirement. While you may never directly address their psychographics in your writing, knowing your ideal reader avatar on a deeper level makes it so much easier to write for them. Crossover Appeal: The Power of Traction I’ve talked to a handful of writers who tell me during our initial conversation that their book is for everybody. And, while their book could have massive crossover appeal, authors need to first write for the person with the most interest in and who will benefit the most from the topic. For example, if you write a book about your experience with entrepreneurship for middle-aged professional women, you may later find traction among a younger audience or retirees looking for a second career. Crossover appeal usually only happens after your book has a loyal following within its intended audience. Identifying your ideal reader avatar is a fundamental step on the journey to success no matter if you’re an author starting from scratch or you’re a speaker, coach, consultant, or trainer looking to convert your content into a book. Understanding your reader’s demographics and psychographics will give you the insight you need to write a message that resonates with them and makes them happy they invested in your book. If you’re ready to start your publishing journey, I’d love to talk with you. Schedule a call today.
How to Find the Time to Write A(nother) Book Before the Holidays
You have years of experience in your field and industry and a list of dozens of talks, webinars, and presentations on your resume. As a result, you already have plenty of content and know-how. And you know you should write a(nother) book to further cement your subject matter expertise and reach more people, but like most busy professionals, you struggle to find the time. Your existing content has already proven it converts, so you have everything you need to create a(nother) book. Your speech, webinar, presentation, or training module serves as the foundation for your manuscript, saving you significant time and effort in the writing process. With a solid structure in place, a strategic approach, and the right professional partner, your content can be turned into a manuscript without the heavy lifting of starting from scratch. Publishing your expertise and stories in book form allows you to potentially: If you’re a woman business owner or executive who’s given a number of speeches, made presentations, or conducted training sessions, writing a(nother) book should be on your radar. You can elevate your authority, increase your income, and live the life of time freedom you deserve and dream about. Don’t let the concern of not having enough time hold you back; instead, consider working with an editor as an investment that can transform your business and your life. The good news is you don’t need large blocks of time to write a book. With a strategic approach and the right professional partner, your content can be transformed into a manuscript in just about 30 days. Are you ready to talk about your book? Schedule a call.
Nonfiction Is Built on the Pillars of Consistency & Congruency
When you sit down to write your book — no matter if you start from scratch or use content you already have — you need the pillars of consistency and congruency as your foundation to take readers on a journey with a definitive beginning, middle, and end. Creating this solid structure for your story is imperative to deliver the transformation you promise your readers. Consistency is key An author’s job is to keep readers immersed from the first page to the last, and to do that, you need to be consistent. Think of consistency as the mechanics of your story — tone and style, word choice and phrasing, and sentence structure — that play a part in reader engagement and comprehension. When your voice is steady, you take readers through a cohesive journey without being disrupted by abrupt shifts or contradictions. Tone and Style Your tone sets the mood for your book and lets the reader know immediately if they can relate to you or not. Do you take a more authoritative stance, or are you more conversational? Perhaps you’re more introspective. Either way, you need to choose your approach and stick to it throughout your book. Style, on the other hand, is more about how you express yourself. Maybe you include (bad) dad jokes or incorporate slang. This is how you create a sense of familiarity, enhance readability, and deepen the connection with your content. Phrasing and Word Choice Your phrasing and word choice play a pivotal role in maintaining consistency. Readers should never feel jolted out of the narrative because you shifted from vocabulary and language most people use in everyday conversation to a stuffy, academic tone and applicable jargon. When you use words similar in tone and style, you create a more cohesive experience for readers to more easily absorb the information. This also leads to greater trust, making it much more likely for readers to follow the advice you give them and to share your book with others. Sentence Variety Consistency is one thing; monotony is quite another. Imagine a book filled only with short sentences or one with sentences that comprise three or more lines of text. Both would cause you to lose interest quickly. Mixing and matching your use of short, long, and complex sentences increases reader engagement and holds their interest. Congruency locks in your story If consistency is the key to reader engagement, think of congruency as how you lock readers into your story. Establishing a firm sense of time and place, including well-drawn characters, and ensuring each point has a definitive conclusion provides the clarity readers need to connect to your story on a deeper level. Establishing Time and Place A clear sense of time and place is critical for grounding readers in your story. How detailed you get will depend, of course, on whether or not the story you’re telling requires a precise date, time, and address or if a more general description will do. Either way, the goal is to bring readers along for the ride, and they need to know where and when they are in the world of your story to do that. Importance of Characterization The phrase, “self-made millionaire” is a misnomer if ever there was one. You didn’t succeed without the help of key individuals along the way, and some folks undoubtedly gave you some trouble as well. Readers need to know about both. Anyone who played a part in your story needs to be as unique on the page as they are in real life. Speech patterns, personality traits, and notable physical characteristics all help define the people in your story and pull readers in more firmly. You want readers nodding their heads and identifying personalities they recognize in their own personal and professional lives. Eliminating Loose Ends At the beginning of your book you promised readers a transformative journey, which means you need to be sure every point you make has its own beginning, middle, and end. Every thread introduced at the beginning of your book should have a resolution. By answering all questions and resolving each issue you mention, you leave readers with a sense of closure and satisfaction. You reinforce the transformational arc you promised and leave a lasting, positive impression on your readers. Final thoughts For an immersive experience, your readers need the smoothest flow of information possible, and consistency plus congruency is how you get them there. I cannot overstate the need for both in your nonfiction book. Consistency is the key through the use of a specific tone and style, phrasing and word choice, and varied sentence structure. Congruency incorporates a firm sense of time and place, thoughtful characterization, and full resolution to create the lock. If you’re ready to talk about how to write or create your nonfiction book, please schedule a call.
What Does the Life of Your Dreams Look Like? Let’s Visualize it.
We’re going to visualize the life — the real life — you see for yourself. Yes, this article is interactive! Sit down and remove your hand from your mouse. Place your hands in your lap. Make sure your feet are flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and hold it for a moment. Squeeze your shoulders up to your ears. Now, pull your shoulders down at the same time you let out your breath with an audible sigh. Do it again, but this time, really push out the air. When you think of the life you really want to live, what do you see? Are you with your family, enjoying time together learning about a new culture in a country you’re visiting for the first time? Maybe you’re reading a book while sitting on a beach with the crush of the ocean lulling you to sleep. Perhaps you and your friends finally took that girls’ trip you’ve been talking about for too many years, and you’ve already got the next one on your calendar. Whatever scenario popped into your mind, the real question, of course, is how you’re going to make it come true. Women business owners and female executives have been giving speeches, conducting workshops, and consulting for years. The key to delivering on your promise to yourself could very well rest in the digital pages of all those slide decks, seminar notes, video scripts, and recorded sessions. Okay, you will need your mouse to follow this link to a guided visualization to help you become re-acquainted with the life you really want to live, the life that right now feels like it can only exist in your dreams. That life can be your reality. If you’re ready to make it happen, schedule a call with me.
The Very Real Cost & Potential Benefits of Self Publishing
For self-publishing authors, the financial investment is considerable, and so is the potential benefit. Final costs might total between $8,000 to $10,000, but what you earn could be unlimited. Why such a significant outlay? Why is editing, in particular, such a costly step in the process? And how can you reap bigger rewards by investing in self publishing? The Vital Role of Editing Editing is much more than proofreading. You absolutely can ask your aunt who taught English for 30 years to read through your book to fix grammar and punctuation mistakes, but she’s not a professional editor who understands the need for clarity, coherence, consistency, and compelling narrative flow. Editors ensure that your voice is clear from the first page to the last. Moreover, editing acts as a safety net, catching potentially damaging errors that could compromise the book’s credibility and your brand reputation. The potential losses from an unedited or poorly edited book far outweigh the cost of professional editing. Breaking Down Self-Publishing Costs For those considering self-publishing, the financial journey is multifaceted. Here’s a breakdown: 1. Group Coaching Program ($2,000): Writing can be lonely, which is part of why it’s so hard to start AND finish writing a book. Participating in a group coaching program could help you craft your narrative, develop your voice, and provide a community where you feel supported. Your writing coach provides guidance, feedback, and mentorship and keeps you on track. 2. Editing ($5,000 for up to 20,000 words): Editing is the most important step in your publishing journey, and it’s also the most costly. For a manuscript of up to 20,000 words, authors might spend up to $5,000. This cost reflects the time, expertise, and depth of the editing process. Professional editors have a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of narrative structures, character development, and language nuances. 3. Formatting, Cover Design, and Publishing ($3,000): Once your manuscript is about as perfect as it can be, there are additional steps before your book reaches readers. The Benefits of Self-Publishing While the costs might seem prohibitive, there is a substantial upside to investing in self publishing. 1. A Growing Industry: Self-publishing is a $1.25 billion industry. This isn’t just a testament to the volume of self-published works but also indicates how much readers value diverse voices and narratives, which are too often unrepresented or overlooked in traditional publishing. 2. Empowering Women Writers: While traditionally published authors are represented by just 39% women, a majority — some 67% — of self-published authors are female. This indicates a broader shift towards inclusivity and the democratization of literature, allowing women to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach audiences directly. 3. More Lucrative Option: Traditional publishers typically offer royalties between 10 to 12%, but self-published authors can earn between 50 to 70%. While self-published authors bear the initial costs, they stand to reap a greater share of the profits in the long run. I should also mention that marketing is what makes all the difference. Self-published and traditionally published authors both shoulder the responsibility of marketing their work. If you have a comprehensive marketing strategy that you work with due diligence and take intentional action to build a strong community, you could see significant deposits. 4. Complete Creative Control: Beyond finances and demographics, self-publishing empowers authors with complete creative control over their work. From the tone, style, and direction of your narrative to the book’s design and marketing approach, you make all the decisions. This autonomy ensures that the final product remains true to your vision. 5. Direct Engagement with Readers: Traditional publishing often places a buffer between authors and their audience. As a self-published author, you have the opportunity to cultivate direct relationships with your readers. Through social media, your personal blog, and sending regular communications to your email list, you receive immediate feedback, understand your readers’ preferences, and build a loyal fanbase. Final thoughts While the journey to self-publishing your book requires significant investment, especially for editing, it is a realistic and robust alternative to traditional publishing because it can lead you to unlimited earning potential. Readers today have more choices than ever before thanks to the flourishing self-publishing industry, and ensuring your book stands out for its quality and professionalism is essential. Investing in editing and the other facets of the self-publishing process underlines your commitment to your field and to your readers.
The Power of Three: The Elements of Every Great Story
Every great story shares a not-so-magic formula that deeply connects with its audience. A definitive sense of time and place, character development, and a conflict with resolution are three powerful and critical components of bestselling novels, riveting films, and unforgettable keynote speeches. Let’s talk about the elements of every great story: Establishing Time and Place Setting is the foundation of your story. It immerses readers in your world, providing a backdrop against which your story unfolds. A definitive time and place not only grounds your narrative but also sets the tone and mood. Consider your experiences: Did you overcome challenges in the corporate world of the 90s, or did you transition to remote coaching because of the COVID pandemic? Perhaps you navigated the shifting terrains of global markets. Your readers need these details for appropriate context about the environment in which you gained your insights to make your own journey that much more relatable. Character Development The heart of every story revolves around its characters. For nonfiction authors, the cast of characters includes anyone who participated in or influenced your journey. In addition to their presence, think about how you represent them. Remember to retain the qualities that make them unique, such as their personal style and their speech patterns. Readers appreciate you staying true to the essence of each character, including yourself. Dig into your experiences: Who were your mentors, and how did they shape your path? When you provide a genuine portrayal of your journey, with all its ups and downs, you build trust and rapport with your readers. For consultants and coaches, character development also means highlighting how your expertise has evolved. How you’ve grown and adapted over time further establishes your authority in your field. Conflict and Resolution Conflict is the engine that drives a story forward. It’s the challenge(s) you conquered, the question you answered, or the journey you completed. Your story is almost certainly rife with conflicts – times when you faced obstacles that felt insurmountable or you had to pivot your approach. Conflict alone isn’t enough, though. Of course readers need to know the mistakes you made, but they also need to understand what you learned from them. Resolution is the payoff, and this is where your experiences as a speaker or trainer shine. By guiding readers through the solutions you found and the strategies you adopted, you provide them value, inspiration, and a way forward. Final thoughts As a speaker, coach, consultant, or trainer, you already understand how to take your audience on a journey through your signature speech, webinar, presentation, or training module. You’re really providing an opportunity for transformation, using storytelling and the combination of a firm sense of time and place, well-defined characters, and a conflict with a resolution.