Inspirational Writing Tips for Your Self-Help Book

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

It’s no secret that books can change the world. A well-written book read at the right time and in the right mindset can change the trajectory of your entire life. In this era where self-help books are more popular than ever, it is within the realm of possibility to write one and reach a wide audience, thus transforming many lives simultaneously. This may seem quite the daunting task. Perhaps you have a great deal of knowledge in your subject area, but not a lot of writing experience. Or maybe the converse is your situation: you’re an experienced writer, but you’re unsure of the subject in which your true expertise might lie. Whichever is true for you, here are a few inspirational writing tips to help you focus and create the best possible self-help book you have within you.

#1 Finding your voice

If you’re going to devote yourself to inspirational writing, it’s important to know your own unique perspective. Which fresh ideas are you bringing to the table? Chances are the subject matter of your book has been explored in print before. Your book will be unique, interesting, and ultimately more marketable if you can present it in your own writing voice

What does “voice” mean as applied to the written word? When we talk about a successful writer’s voice, we mean the unique combination of sentence structure, tone, vocabulary, patterns, and perspective that makes your work recognizable so readers can identify a passage or chapter as “you” without seeing your name. One tried-and-true way to develop your voice is to write as much as possible while staying true to who you are and how you would say something in real life. Reading works of other writers and noticing/imitating their styles can also be helpful, but don’t get lost in the ways of others — it’s your voice and your perspective that matter. Authenticity goes a long way in earning the trust of readers in the self-help format. As you grow your audience, this will be your greatest asset.

#2 Connecting on a personal level

Almost all inspirational writing connects with and uplifts an audience on a personal level. Often this is done through first-person narrative and stories of personal experience that demonstrate how the author has overcome a specific challenge. People identify with stories. When we hear a story, our brains actually release oxytocin, a hormone associated with empathy and trust. This helps us as humans to connect to characters and events in a story. Writing a self-help book provides the opportunity to speak directly to your readers’ souls and experiences, then tell them stories of you overcoming adversity. Don’t be afraid to share openly, honestly, and thoroughly. Your stories will be one of the most powerful tools you have to inspire people.

Writing simply and clearly will convey your message most effectively. After all, what is going to sell your book (both literally and figuratively) is you — your personality and your being. Your book can (and should) motivate others. Dense language, technical jargon, and inaccessible vocabulary will only alienate a reader. Speak in terms they understand. If this kind of writing doesn’t come naturally to you, imagine your words as conversation; let the sentences flow easily as if you were speaking to a friend. If the first draft seems stilted on the printed page, well … that’s what professional book editing is for! There’s plenty of time to revise after you’ve captured the tone with which to draw in your audience. The more “you” you can make your book, the more likely that someone will relate to you as a person and in turn relate to the message of your book.

#3 Organizing your ideas for impact

While inspirational writing doesn’t have the same narrative structure as fiction, you will still want to present your ideas in a coherent, cohesive fashion that will lead the reader on a journey of understanding. The good news is you don’t have to figure this all out before writing; many nonfiction writers feel it is best to dive in and get a bunch of chapters written before going back and organizing around an outline or central ideas. It can be helpful to write out an imagined book table of contents and think in broad categories as opposed to specifics. The organizational flow can be plotted later in the process; jump on in and get to writing ASAP!

It’s also good to strike a balance between facts and emotion for maximum impact. The reader needs factual information to understand your message and subject matter, but connecting to emotions will make them remember your message and engage more deeply with it. Balance the personal anecdotes and histories with hard facts about your subject. For example, if you’re writing a book teaching writers to tell stories, you could present the scientific fact about stories leading to more oxytocin production before an anecdote of how you first learned the value of storytelling. This kind of balance will keep the reader interested and connected to what’s being said.

#4 Techniques to elevate your creative writing process

Using metaphors and analogies effectively and efficiently can be a great tool in your writer’s toolbox. A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a non-literal comparison between two unlike things, emphasizing an implied quality, i.e. “you are a clown.” An analogy is a logical argument comparing two unlike things to make a point, like the Forrest Gump quote “Life is a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get.” The point of using metaphors and analogies is to give the reader a way to understand complex ideas that might not be as accessible when simply described. Inspirational metaphors are abound in literature and media, from Rocky III’s “Eye of the Tiger” to common phrases like “a breath of fresh air” and “grabbing the bull by the horns.” While you want to mostly avoid clichés, you also will want to give the reader something familiar to hang their proverbial hat on.

Another helpful technique to maximize the impact of your inspirational writing is to make sure your chapters are well-structured. The opening of a chapter should be like the dangling carrot that entices the reader to continue reading; don’t deep dive into your main ideas up front. For nonfiction especially, outlining your chapters is a great way to organize your thoughts and make sure that every part of a chapter serves the larger whole of the main message. But ultimately it will be the details, your stories, and the substantiveness of your supporting material that will hook the reader.

#5 Polishing your draft

Just like in music where mixing and mastering an album are equally as important as recording the songs, editing your written work is crucial in writing. A first draft is just that — the beginning of the writing journey. The great part about writing a full-length book is that you never have to regret what you didn’t say; you can write, rewrite, rework, and refine until the words and sentences come out exactly how you want. The beginning of your book is the most important; if you can craft an excellent first few pages, you’ll have a solid chance to retain the reader. Ruthlessly cut what doesn’t serve you well, proofread voraciously for errors, and pay close attention to structure and how it functions to convey your message.

It can definitely help to pay for professional editing and proofreading services. Often, a second pair of eyes and a fresh brain can detect flaws that your weary nervous system might have missed. You can pay for a simple proofread for grammar, a copy edit focusing on word choice, or a deep line edit that will evaluate for plot and character development as well as technical errors. BookBaby offers all of those services at a reasonable cost for fellow writers.

Are you ready to inspire change?

Inspirational writing doesn’t necessarily come naturally to anyone; it is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. Working on finding your unique voice will help you in any style of writing. Learning how to leverage your anecdotes and stories in service of a theme and/or message will give a potential audience something to seek their teeth into, and it’s vital to plan the structure of your chapters and book as a whole to ensure that, like a sales funnel in marketing, the target audience is progressively drawn in. Hone your craft and work on your basic writing skills while also enlisting other professionals to shape your book as needed. Just like Star Wars was saved in the editing room and went on to be an all-time classic movie, your self-help book might just be a classic in need of a few helping hands.

You can theoretically make a lot of money from writing and marketing a self-help book if you happen to strike a chord, but keep in mind that the purpose of self-help books is not just to make money. Ideally, you’re also trying to offer a life raft or a ladder to those who are drowning in life or in certain situations. The primary purpose should be to help inspire motivation in people to solve problems they might not be able to solve themselves. As renowned mythology professor Joseph Campbell said: “The goal’s of the hero’s journey is not personal enrichment, it’s returning with the wisdom and power to serve others. Your painful personal experiences can be shared and framed in such a way as to inspire others to better their own lives and themselves.”

If your ultimate goal is to become an inspiration and help people, you will write a better book and have more of a chance of having your message resonate with an audience. And if you run into any issues during the self-publishing process, the experts at BookBaby are here to help.