Intention, Structure and Practice: My Writing Process

My friend and colleague, Sheri Andrunyk (an NLPCT Master Practitioner) has been developing a wonderful partnership publishing program at IC Publishing. Sheri Andrunyk is the founder of I C Publishing and the I C Bookstore, entrepreneur expert, and author of Working From Home & Making It Work and Hearts Linked by Courage; and she is extremely passionate about providing more choices and high level support to other writers, business professionals, wellness coaches, and spiritual mentors.

Sheri is an expert is getting the word out about independent authors and publishers. She invited me to participate in a virtual book tour and I am delighted to blog the results.

What am I working on?

At the moment I am in the final proofs of my most recent book, Living Your Purpose: The Heart of NLP. It is that stage most hated by authors, the one where I have to do one more brutally detailed reading and decide the book is ready to be released into the world.  As soon as I do, I will be doing a rewrite of my first book, Shiftwork, to prepare a new edition and then I can't wait to start the next one: Storywork.

In the meantime, I blog, write newsletters and our website and I'll be writing a new, improved course manual for our certification in NLP: The Art of Change on Purpose.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

NLP books tend to be a mixture of textbook-sounding works and transcripts of courses. My own work is quite different: it's a set of coaching conversations trapped between the covers. I mix metaphors, stories and a fluent, conversational style with information and exercises. My hope is that readers will keep the book handy when they need a shift, a change in perspective that creates new energy or new choices.

It's also different than many other psychology books because I come from a background in literature. I believe in using the simplest words that will carry my meaning and that sentences should sound lovely even when they are carrying concepts and research and facts.

Why do I write what I do?

I believe that the work of the human mind is to learn as much about itself and the world as it can. Doing this means capturing moments and slowing them down to learn from them and appreciate their complexity and precision and beauty. I write what I do so that I can capture moments in time in a way that allows me to engage with them and appreciate them and open up new connections between them and the questions that other people may be asking about their thinking or their lives. I also write so that I can shift my own perceptions and live better.

How does my writing process work?

When I am writing short pieces, I start with the intention to give my readers something they can use to make a difference in the way they think or act. Reading is one of my practices for living better: I believe that it creates tangible difference in what I choose, what I communicate and what I do. I think the same should be true for people who read what I write. They should find enough detail so that they can imagine making a difference by accepting or arguing with what I have said.

When I am writing a book, I begin with the bones. I find a structure and then I sit in different parts of the structure and build something to fit the space I have outlined. The goal then is to have small units that create experiences that can be changed together so that they also build experiences out of the relationships between them.

I don't usually write because I am inspired. I usually write because I need to inspire myself in some way and the words that come and the shapes they make will show me something I need to know.

Let me introduce another friend and NLPCT Master Practitioner 


Noreen is a MYSTIC, a perpetual SOUL searcher, an ENTREPRENEUR, an NLP MASTER Practitioner, a LIFE coach, a POET, a personal TRAINER and metabolic balance NUTRITION coach. Enjoy meeting her at The Noreen Project.

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