{*Did you know you can write on Elephant? Here’s how—big changes: How to Write & Make Money or at least Be of Benefit on Elephant. ~ Waylon}

“Mattie, I am just baffled that you think I have a book in me!”

These words were uttered by a good friend and well-known business coach, who, over the past year, has told me more than once that she felt she had a book to write. On more than one occasion, we talked about her thoughts and inner desire to write a book. Once, we spent a whole hour talking about it, so I was equally baffled that she thought she didn’t have a book in her.

When people find out I am a ghostwriter, they have two reactions. One reaction is, “Wow, that’s great! I love to read!” The other reaction is, “You know, I’ve always wanted to write a book.”

Interestingly enough, sometimes, I know before people do that they want to write a book. I just listen to them and what they say because sometimes there are two dialogues someone is telling me—what their head wants and what their heart wants.

Now some people do end up writing a book and some don’t but one thing is true: there are readers and there are authors. The groups are not inclusive, meaning that authors are almost always readers; however, readers are not necessarily always authors.

Have you ever wondered if you have a book inside of you? Have you ever wondered if you had something others wanted to read? Have you ever started a book only to think it’s not good enough or that no one would want to read it?

So how do you know if you have a book in you? Did you know that you don’t have to be a writer to write a book? Wait, what?

Let’s use the analogy of someone wanting to build a house. They have a beautiful end vision of what they want their home to look like, right? To build their home, do they need to know how to draw up blueprints with all the fine details? Nope. They hire a designer or an architect. You define what you want in your home and all the fine features of your new domicile. You can do this in great detail or general details and (pivotal point here) you bring in a designer or architect to complete the process.

The same is true for writing a book. You are the author; it is your book; you write your story and then bring in any level of support needed to finish your book and get it out into the world. That support ranges from a high level of support (think ghostwriter) to a medium level of support (think editor) to a low level of support (a writers’ community).

Being an author is more the way you think and process your thoughts rather than the nuts and bolts or periods and sentences of writing.

Let me share with you what I think makes a good author:

1. If you are someone who has a story to tell, then you will be a good author.

Authors think the way they write. When a memory surfaces or a lesson is at hand or there is a “takeaway” from an event, those who have a story in them tie that story back to what just happened and learn from it. They make meaning of what just happened, craft that story, and often tell the verbal version of their story to people who want to listen to them.

2. If you are someone who wants others to learn from their story, then you will be a good author.

I have never met an author or coached someone as a book coach who didn’t want to make the world a better place. I was on a stage at a Women’s Summit once upon a time with a woman who, by the world’s standards, was a huge success as a Titan 100. Audience members looked at her on the stage and we all wanted to be her. Why? Because she was “successful.” At that time in my life, I was thinking small and the inner voice in my head said, “I am small compared to her. I am only a therapist.” (Yep, I started out as a therapist and have over 25 years in the field. I am an excellent listener. That is what makes me such a good ghostwriter!)

During the Q&A time at the Summit, she stunned me when she said, “In the time that I have left in my career and my life, I want to make the world a better place.” It was at that moment that I thought, “Me too! I want to make the world a better place, too, and if a successful woman like her can say that and mean it and not be ridiculed for being ‘out there’ then I can too!” And guess what? I am making the world a better place. I no longer think small. I think big. I understand your journey and I write too because I have something to say and want others to learn from either my books or the books that I ghostwrite. I believe in the transformational power of stories.

3. If you are someone who is ready for a transformation, then you will be a good author.

When I am asked what is one of the hardest things about being a ghostwriter and working with authors, most people wrongly assume that it is writing in the “author’s voice.” For me, writing in someone’s voice is not the hardest part of ghostwriting. The hardest part of ghostwriting is coaching the author through the transformation that needs to take place in a book to make it an impactful and meaningful book. Let me give you an example. Have you ever had this happen to you? You pick up a book at a store or a library and you think the title is catchy and you love the cover? You turn the book over, read the short description on the back jacket, and decide, “Yep, I’d like to read this book!”

You are already thinking of how much you will enjoy reading the book and what you will learn and experience. Whether it is fiction or nonfiction, you as the reader already have an idea where this book will take you. Later in the evening, you wait for the right time to start reading and notice that the book just isn’t good or engaging and it’s boring. That’s because is it likely the book wasn’t written in a transformational format with you, the reader, in mind. It was just a story or just a chapter or just the author’s experience. When you have page after page of detailed information, there is no transition or storytelling or transformation. I am a firm believer that a reader should emerge on the other end of a book a different person, having read that book. The same is true for the writer as well. A book without an author and reader transition is just a book. Written words on a page. A book with a transformational journey…now that is a book worth reading.

So it is up to you to decide if you are an author and have a story to tell. You will know when the time is right to write your story.

But listen to and discover the author in you as your thoughts and stories take shape. If you have a story to tell, a desire to make the world better, and a readiness for transformation, you might just have a book within you.

Crafting a book isn’t just about words on a page; it’s about creating a transformative journey for both you and your reader. If you’re ready to embark on this literary adventure, my own ghostwriter is here to guide and support you.

Let your story unfold, and let’s make your book journey exceptional.

~