As you scroll through your Facebook or Twitter feed recently, have you noticed all of the breaking news? Trump this! Hillary that! Zika this! Isis that!

You may be too young to remember, but I remember when the Iran Hostage Crisis was breaking news way back in 1981. I remember the most immediately breaking of news that took place on September 11, 2001. Since then, with the ascent of cable news networks, social media, and twenty-four hour news the items that are breaking come fast and furiously.

There is so much breaking news these days that I hardly pay attention to any of it. I have become numb to it. I scroll right past. More often than not it’s just click bait to get me to look not just at a story, but especially at the advertising that accompanies the story.

So what does that mean for those of us who are trying to get a message out into the world? There’s so much static and interference. Distractions are everywhere. Even news that’s supposedly breaking really isn’t. We need to cut through it.

Truly breaking and important news has these three characteristics:

1. Consistently sincere. If you want people to take note, first and foremost you have to be consistent with your message. More than that, your consistent message ought to be sincere. One of the most sincere writers I know is Donald Miller. He consistently makes himself vulnerable. Vulnerability is the quickest way to demonstrate sincerity.
2. Consistently honest. Along with sincerity comes honesty. This is one of the most difficult things to do when broadcasting a message. People appreciate honesty, but it takes guts. The most well-received messages are the ones with which we can identify. We identify with people who are similar to us. People see our similarities when we’re honest with our frailties, our faults, our failures, and even the things that make us cry for joy.
3. Consistently valuable. People pay attention to your message when you have given them something valuable many times before. How is your message helping? Where is your message moving someone forward? How often have you given free, valuable content? When these things are consistent, your message will be received much more readily.

There’s no need to use cheap gimmicks like “breaking news.” Just be sincere, be honest, and provide value. Your message will be well-received.

How do you see to it that your important message is received?

Since I published my book a couple of weeks ago, I have encountered any number of people who want to do the same. There is the guy who’s half finished with a novel. There’s another man who said he has about five books written but has never taken the step of publishing them. Then there is the woman who says she’s had an idea for years but has never taken the time to sit down and write.

I know what it took me to put a book together, write it, and publish. There’s no doubt that it’s a serious and time consuming undertaking. But there’s also no doubt that most anyone knows how to put some thoughts together and write them down. Usually it’s just excuses that keep people from doing something they’ve always dreamed of doing:

• I don’t have the time.
• I’m not a writer.
• I’m stuck.
• I’m not creative enough.
• My idea is dumb.
• No one will take me seriously.

For almost as long as I can remember I have wanted to write a book. I know the above excuses are true because they were mine. But I looked every one of them in the face and made the determination that I would write a book no matter what stood in my way. So I answered each one of those excuses:

• I made the time by writing early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
• I studied writing, read about writing, and followed good writers to hone my craft.
• When I was stuck I had an outline that kept me going.
• I used creative exercises I learned from here and here and here.
• The thought that my idea was “dumb” was an obstacle only in my own mind and one I leapt over to begin the creation of my book.
• The more I wrote, the more people took me seriously. Now that the book is published people see just how serious I was about doing this.

The guy who’s half finished with a novel spoke to me about it at a conference I attended last week. As we parted ways I said to him: “500 words a day. That’s all. Finish it.” He thought about it and said, “Yep. I better get back to it.”

I hope he does. The world needs his art.

When are you going to start writing your book? (P.S. I’d be happy to help you.)

I’m not a big fan of the saying: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Sometimes the “village” has values of which I am not too fond. Having said that, I’m a big fan of using a village to help write a book. My new book, Fully and Creatively Alive: How to Live a More Joyfully Fulfilling Life, was just released yesterday. You can buy it here. I couldn’t have done it without a great deal of help.

Now that my book has been published, I want to recognize the people that helped me make it happen.

1. Allison Fallon and Author Launch. When I first had the idea to write a book, I found this platform that provides a step-by-step process to help authors write books. It’s a series of videos helping authors through each and every step of writing a book. Without this invaluable tool I wouldn’t have a book today. Author Launch has become Author Guides, and you can find it here.
2. A team. I had four people who read the book along the way, helped with advice, promotion, minor editing, and various kinds of help. The team included Brian Fricke, Tim Wesemann, Tanner Olson, and Leah Mitchell.
3. Creative entrepreneurs. My whole book is based on the stories of creative entrepreneurs. A good many were willing to freely give of their time for me to interview them. You’ll have to find their names and their stories in the book, but trust me when I say that they are an incredible inspiration to me and to many others. The interviews were fascinating. As I did each one of them the time flew by. This is why I’m planning on starting a podcast based on this format: interviewing creative entrepreneurs.
4. An Editor. I am so thankful for Mark Zimmermann. He is a professional editor for Creative Communications for the Parish, for whom I have written. He was willing to help me out by being my editor. He made corrections and changes that I would have never known to make. What a valuable asset an editor is.
5. Designers. Good designers make a book pop. They help it stand out from a distance and make it pleasant on the eyes when reading it. Megan Phillips is a fashion designer who lives in New York City and does graphic design on the side. She designed the beautiful cover of the book. Lindsay Galvin is a professional graphic and book designer who did the interior of the book. She made it look far better than I could have imagined. I can’t recommend them both highly enough.
6. My family. My wife supported me even when I used time to write the book that could have been dedicated to her. She encouraged me every step of the way. I never felt like I was robbing her by spending time writing the book. She never made me feel guilty. She was excited for me at each milestone. In addition, both of our children, Ashlyn and Ben (and their spouse/fiancé), were so helpful in reading the book, offering feedback, and bringing support. The book would not have been published without all of them. I am eternally thankful to my family.
7. The reader. There is no point in writing a book if nobody will read it. I am amazed at the number of people who have already expressed an interest, are already reading it, and are purchasing it on Amazon. The reader is the reason most every writer writes. Thank you for reading this. Thank you for reading the book.

When have you noticed that it takes a village to accomplish a big project?

The first draft of a book is a major hurdle toward getting a book published. I recently finished the first draft of the book I hope to publish in the first quarter of 2016. It was exactly 35,800 words and felt like a major accomplishment. I know that there’s a great deal of work left to do in the editing process, but I felt a true sense of accomplishment as I wrote those last few words of a first draft.

The process of writing the first draft was fun, frustrating, and frightening. I suppose it could be compared to labor pains (although I have thankfully never had to have that experience). As I reflect on the process, I have learned some important lessons this first time around. I hope to apply these lessons for my next book (I hope this book is the first of  many), and am happy to share these lessons with you. Whether or not you are now, or ever will be writing a book, I hope these lessons will be helpful to you.

1. I need guidance. I found my guidance in the form of an online “course” that helped me, called “Author Launch.” Author Launch is a series of weekly materials and videos that walk writers through the process of becoming authors of books. I can’t recommend Author Launch highly enough. I would never have written a first draft without the things I learned.
2. I need encouragement. It’s tough to spend the hours and days writing a book without encouragement. I found it in three places: My wife who constantly encouraged me to sit down and write; a Facebook page set up by Author Launch where all those in the program encouraged one another; and a team of four people I put together who held me accountable and applauded me for my milestones. Encouragement is a nearly essential ingredient in getting a first draft written.
3. It is good to get away. About two-thirds of the way through the process I was able to spend a week in a cabin the North Carolina mountains thanks to the generosity of some friends. I was at the point in the writing process where things had come to a screeching halt. The time away was just what I needed to dig deeply down and accomplish a great deal toward getting the first draft complete.
4. It took me far longer than it should have. I began writing the first draft in February and didn’t finish it until December. I let too many distractions and “life” get in the way. I used too many excuses not to write. Had I really buckled down I probably could have finished the first draft in about three months. That will be my goal in the future.
5. I enjoy interviewing people to learn from them. The book I am writing is largely based on the interviews I did with people. As I did them early on in the process, there were times when friends or family would listen in on the interviews. After I was finished with each one I wondered whether the people who listened found them as fascinating as I did. To a person they all did. As a result, I hope to launch a podcast in the new year that will be patterned after the interviews I did with the people I questioned for the book. I’d also like to use this tool for future books.
6. I need a team to surround me. As I said, Author Launch encourages writers to create a team: 1. An Ideator; 2. A Writer; 3. An Editor; and 4. A Marketer. These people were kept apprised all along the way, and will now serve very important roles as the book moves from the first draft into the creation of a book that will be edited, published, marketed, and read.
7. I love Scrivener software. Many authors use Scrivener software. It allows a writer to jump from one place to another (for instance, from chapter to chapter) as you write, instead of having to scroll through an entire document like you have to with a Microsoft Word document. It helps with organization and even publication. You can even use the software to publish a book to Kindle platforms. It’s a powerful tool.
8. The best way to write is to sit down and do it. It may sound obvious, but you won’t write unless you’re sitting in front of the computer with a blank screen and an idea in your head. You have to commit to writing. It takes dedication. It takes effort. It takes time. It won’t happen unless you make the commitment to do it, and then…do it.
9. The best time to start writing a book was yesterday. Finishing a first draft showed me that I can, indeed, write a book. It’s something I always wanted to do. Now I have. I have learned that I wish I would have done it a long time ago. I should have started writing “yesterday.”
10. You can write a book, too. If I can do it, you can too. Trust me. There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about me or my ability. I simply sat down and did something I had always dreamed of doing. I have no doubt that you could do the same. Really. Start writing now. You won’t regret it.

If you would write a book, what would be the topic?