Here are my posts about writing this week, along with some posts about writing from others. This week there are posts on no shoulds in writing, the future of the book, writing advice from Tracy Kidder, defining a niche, lost history, and claiming your expertise.

My Posts on Writing Well

Writing a Book: There is no should

Maybe you should write a book, maybe not. Maybe you should write a book, but now is not the right time.

What’s a book to do?

What’s the purpose of a book, if a person can find all the information that’s in it on the web?

Advice from the Masters: Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder wrote one of the most insightful chapters I ever read. Here’s some advice he and editor Richard Todd have for you.

What’s a niche?

You’ve heard that niches are profitable. So how do you choose a niche?

Posts by Others on Writing Well

From Michael Wade: Lost History

“Science waits to be discovered. History, on the other hand, can be lost. Scan the obituaries and you’ll see brief descriptions of people who had fascinating stories to tell. Most likely those stories were lost.”

Wally’s Comment: Stories give your writing richness and insight. And the best stories are the ones the ones that are different from everyone else’s. Learn how to find those stories.

From Sharlyn Lauby: Being a Subject Matter Expert (SME)

“The truth is we need to get comfortable with being an expert. We need to know what we are an expert at. It’s called knowing what you do well. And we should be able to articulate those things we do well along with what we did to get there.”

Wally’s Comment: As you think about becoming a subject matter expert, remember that writing a book is a way to develop deeper expertise as well as demonstrate it.