Switch hats again. You’re an Acquisitions Editor at a major publishing house sitting behind a desk, asking yourself, which of these 163 proposals that arrived this week is worth risking my reputation, bank account and job to publish? Then put your Publishing Consultant hat back on, and do your translation—but don’t forget about that anxious editor.

Here’s an example:

Bob Jones, who’s writing a book on personal accounting and finance for masses, picks a phrase from his Scribe list, “Instructor at Coleridge Community College for twelve years.” With his Publishing Consultant hat on, he rewrites this phrase to read “translated high-level accounting concepts into laypeople’s language to over 3,000 adults of various backgrounds over twelve years.”

Moving right along, Bob changes “facilitated students home accounting practices, enabling them to pay bills and prepare taxes with greater efficiency” to “Over these twelve years, author developed a series of steps, called Number Crunch Shuffle. Students consistently report that Number Crunch Shuffle helps them overcome their fear of numbers, streamlines their home accounting process and cuts their bill and tax preparation time in half.

guerilla tip: Bob didn’t really call these steps “Number Crunch Shuffle” at time he taught them at Coleridge Community College. He got help developing this tag for technique around which his book is built. However, he did develop method itself while teaching those 3,000 students.

guerilla insight: There’s plenty of reality to work with. Take what’s there and describe it in new and exciting ways. Find a gem that makes your book special and give it an attention-grabbing name.

You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided following is included at end or beginning:

Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.

The one time I disobeyed my own advice and discarded what was I believed was possibly most poorly written sentence in history (or at least my own history), I rejoiced. Five minutes later, I needed gem in a new sentence, and struggled to reconstruct one I’d discarded. May you never make that mistake-do as I say, not as I’ve done.

These gems also shine through at unexpected times. This is why I advise my clients to carry at least some scrap paper and a pencil nub if not an electronic recording device. The times at night and in mornings between wake and sleep often yield good raw material, so keep your recording device of choice bedside.

The idea behind saving every little scrap, writing everything down and cultivating arrogance to believe these activities matter is that finished pieces often assert themselves over time, forming a coherent whole from little scraps, like a Rorschach, or getting that crucial letter right in Wheel of Fortune. The key is to keep feeding collage and trusting that something or things will emerge over time.

Not every sentence will necessarily lead to an essay, book or screenplay of its own. But some might add that missing piece to make a good piece great. Even tidbits that go nowhere for now still give your brain a chance to exercise itself and keep your creative pathways well-hacked.

When it comes to choosing which pathway you’ll write your way down, trust your wild and wooly impulses. If you’re drawn to something, chances are you will make subject come alive. You’ll seduce your readers by very fact of your relationship to material.

Finally, give your pieces time they need to develop. Being an arrogant writer means honoring gestation period your writings must pass through to be born into world healthy and ready to engage readers. Honoring this gestation period may mean asking for help. Just as dedicated gardener finds right soil, fertilizer, seeds, watering schedule and equipment, so arrogant writer finds her coach, buddy, copyeditor, ghostwriter, or colleague’s expert eye. I have seen writers move from stagnation to publication with right combination of assistance. I love being part of that process.

You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided following is included at end or beginning:

Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.