Jack Hart’s A Writer’s Coach: The Complete Guide to Writing Strategies that Work continues to impress me with it’s sheer volume of pragmatic advice and writing tips. (My original post is here.)

I’ve since ordered copies for each of my sons, plus several friends. I’ve also encouraged the local independent bookstore to stock it.

Jack Hart’s A Writing Coach one of the few writing books that actually lives up to its promise…while keeping the reader happily engaged and entertained.

The Writing Process

A lot of the power of Jack Hart’s A Writer’s Coach is that it emphasizes “process” over indulgences that emphasize “creativity” and “inspiration” as a substitute for sitting down and writing.

As Jack wrote:  “Nothing generates ideas like getting your hands on the keyboard.”

Or, as Don Murray, Published & Profitable Editorial Board Emeritus, used to comment during lunch at the local Olive Garden, “The first rule of writing is to apply behind to chair.”*

6 Steps to Success

Rather than starting with “inspired writing,” Jack Hart recommends a 6 step writing process:

1. Idea. Jack frequently emphasizes the difference between topic and idea.  The best writing originates with an idea, or premise, that that author “tests” during the writing process.
2. Information gathering. As new information appears, the writer is constantly testing the validity of the idea.
3. Focus. As new information appears, the author’s task is to ascertain its relevancy to the premise and to the readers.
4. Organizing. The author must then organize the information in order of importance and sequence. (This is where I encourage authors to put mind mapping to work.)
5. Drafting. The author starts writing only after organizing the raw material, or components, of the piece.
6. Polishing. Jack refers to this as the “final tweaking and polishing” which can’t occur, of course, until the author has completed the first draft.

A different approach to writing

The 6-step writing process that Jack Hart’s describes in A Writing Coach is at odds with the way most first-time authors try to write. It also explains why so many people find writing hard and stressful.

Many new authors start by writing too soon, and make things worse by trying to write too perfectly!

Jack’s approach describes a far less stressful approach, one that acknowledges that even the best writing can profit from editing and proof-reading, but…editing for perfection can be postponed until after a purposeful first draft has been created.