Key Business Partners, LLC

I had been following this lady (author, speaker, consultant), Daphne Gray-Grant for over a year before I finally decided to contact her to allow me to interview her. She graciously accepted and I so appreciate it.
Here is my interview with a fellow author and writer who just loves to help writer and author to get to publication.

1) Daphne, please share with the readers how you help writers and authors? I help people in a number of different ways. For some clients I actually do the writing or editing for them. For others I coach them on how to work faster and better. I find that people have many preconceptions about writing and that these can lead them astray. Maybe I could just say I take the mystery out of writing?

2) What is your #1 piece of advice for beginning writers? My #1 piece of advice is to STOP outlining. There’s good evidence that outlining takes you into the linear and logical part of your brain — and when you write you want to be using the CREATIVE part. Instead of outlining, I strongly recommend mindmapping. This means that you write your topic in the middle of a piece of paper that’s been turned sideways and then draw a circle around it. Then you write down everything else that occurs to you — in random order — and link it to the other ideas on the page. It might sound a bit confusing but it’s really simple. I also offer a free booklet on mindmapping to anyone who signs up for my short weekly newsletter (which is also 100% free!) One client told me he was able to increase his writing speed by six times, simply by stopping outlining! And am I allowed to give a #2 piece of advice? YES!If so, I’d say that you should always write as quickly as possible and edit as slowly as you can stand. Also, be sure to do it in that order — write first, edit later.

3) What are some of your upcoming events, products and/or services? I have a workbook that’s really popular called 81/2 Steps to Writing Faster Better. I’ve sold that all around the world. I’m also looking to open a membership site in the new year so that would be writers have a good place to exchange tips and information.

4) As 2009 has ended and a new year has begun, what is one lesson you have learned from last year you will take into next year? That too many people think writing is a really big deal. It’s not. We seldom second-guess ourselves when we talk but we second-guess ourselves all the time when we write. This is not helpful! Get that first draft out as quickly as possible. Write a report by pretending you’re writing an email. Write a book by doing 300 words a day. (Did you know that will give you a full-length book by the end of a year?) Writing is easy. But we make it hard by being so tough on ourselves.

5) Please share at least 3 of your favorite books on writing, reference or instruction you would recommend. Hmmm, I LOVE books on writing so it’s hard to narrow down to three. But I guess I’d have to say (1) Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale. She makes grammar understandable and fun! (2) The Right to Write by Julia Cameron. She encourages EVERYONE to write and provides lots of great exercises. and (3) I hope this doesn’t sound immodest, but I also recommend my own book 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. It’s really designed to take the fear out of writing and help people become more competent and feel easier with writing.

6) Where can others gather more information about your services? Please come to my website! It’s www.publicationcoach.com You can subscribe to my newsletter there (there’s a link at the top right-hand of every page) and you’re also welcome to email me as well.