Moving from dream to reality takes only fifteen minutes per day. You know it’s been rattling around in your head since you were young. You want to write a book because the call of the muse has been getting stronger. And, perhaps you have heard You Must Write a Book. The two keys to success for aspiring authors is consistency and a little bit of time. Honorée Corder and Brian D. Meeks are full-time authors who have written over three dozen books combined, both fiction and non-fiction. Honorée is an expert in non-fiction and Brian has penned tomes across five fiction genres. They’ve combined their knowledge to lay out the best practices and answer the most common questions they hear from new authors. The Nifty Fifteen will take you from the blank page to finished book by wiping away the fear that is born of not knowing where to begin. In addition, you’ll be given access to Brian’s Beautiful Gears, which is a session by session look at how he wrote his 13th novel in just fifteen minutes per day. You’ll see the unedited work with all of its errors to show how a full-time author is worried about one thing…get the first rough draft out. The edited version, all polished up and without the daily comments, will also be made available upon its release. Lastly you’ll be given exercises that will make the process easy to undertake. Everyone has a story to tell. It just takes a little time each day, give The Nifty Fifteen a read and put it to the test yourself!
Honorée Corder is the author of dozens of books, including Write Your First Nonfiction Book, You Must Write a Book, The Prosperous Writer book series, Vision to Reality, Business Dating, The Successful Single Mom book series, If Divorce is a Game, These are the Rules, and The Divorced Phoenix. She is also the co-creator of The Miracle Morning book series. Honorée coaches business professionals, writers, and aspiring non-fiction authors who want to publish their books to bestseller status, create a platform, and develop multiple streams of income. She also does all sorts of other magical things, and her badassery is legendary. You can find out more at HonoreeCorder.com.
This book has been life changing for me. I've always wanted to write faster, but I was never sure how to go about it. After reading this book and following the author's method, I'm on track to complete my first novel in under 100 days only writing for about 15 minutes a day. I highly recommend this book to new writers who are looking for a writing formula as well as seasoned writers who are looking to increase their writing speed. Also, this book will help any writer who is busy and thinks that they don't have time to write.
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.
Too much of the book focused on the discipline and habits one needs to write every day for 15 minutes. Habits/discipline are relatively easy for me; more focus on techniques and tools for the actual writing processes would have been helpful.
Prior to reading this book I've been on a six month hiatus. My excuse was: writers block (which still kind of is) but after reading this book (in the span of days I've read this book) was able to map out my two upcoming novel and crack on a couple of chapters. I personally love the mind mapping/planning technique as I was able to jot down all the scenes I knew I want for my book in hours. Hoping this is the start of a prosperous writing career for me!
A wonderful and humorous reminder about the power of consistency. And the fact that Meeks wrote a book using the technique as a demonstration only adds to the lesson.
Contracted to deliver a manuscript in just over 100 days. Needed some advice and inspiration. Interested in self publishing - read this. Developing, mindful and purposeful habits for writing and how to do it is worth the read. Recommendations for further reading in other aspects of the writing business appreciated. Recommendation for new, aspiring and veteran writers wanting a fresh way to approach the craft of writing.
The NIFTY 15 provides a plan and inspiration for writers to dedicate fifteen minutes a day over the course of 100 days to complete a novel. Of course, this assumes a certain level of productivity during those daily time blocks, making an assumption that the average writer can pump out approximately 600 words during each time block. Note: the author’s do make a case for why this goal is considered realistic.
But toward the end of the book, the authors champion a “you do you” approach. While the goals are suggested, the real prize is the development of a habit over consistent practice, whether that means one writes for longer or shorter blocks of time, or over a shorter or longer duration. I like how each chapter ended with exercises, which were compiled at the end of the book as well for convenience. I also liked how one author focused on non-fiction and the other on fiction, suggesting that the principles work for any kind of writing. They’ve also included plenty of resources for increasing output and on other writing-related topics.
The book briefly touches on topics such as self publishing, cover design, editing, marketing, and more in a kind of fast food drive thru style. There’s a taste, but it’s not comprehensive enough, in my opinion, to be a one stop shop.
While some readers might not find much new material, the book may inspire them to make some goals that will help them develop a robust writing routine. For me this was a three and a half star read, rounded to four.
If I had 15 free minutes, I would definitely not think that I had time to squeeze in some writing. This book completely changed my perspective on that. Now, every day, I set aside 15 minutes of time to write. Honestly, it often turns into an hour or longer, but I’m not complaining. It took me from the mindset of “I don’t have time today“ to “anybody can find 15 minutes.” Another thing it did for me was to force me not to be a perfectionist. I strive for a 100 word per minute word count during those 15 minutes. It can be edited later. I’ve always known that, but I can’t resist the temptation to edit as I go. Setting a 15 minute timer forces me to write as fast as I can and just get it out on paper...er, the computer. I might even try dictation someday and get even faster.
A short guide on getting into a writing habit, and the other things you need to take into account if you're thinking of writing for publication. These are self-published authors and they don't go into the business of getting an agent or a publisher.
Personally I would recommend Write A Novel in 10 Minutes A Day over this one, especially if you're a total beginner. It goes into far more detail about organizing your life, prewriting, and so on. But if you're looking for a short read to encourage you or give you a vague idea of what you might be getting into, go for it.
Poorly written & badly edited (possibly unedited). Full of unnecessary words, tautologies, and poorly constructed sentences. One of those books that give self-published authors a bad name.
Good advice from the book: DO set yourself up for success by planning when, where, how, and what you are going to to write. DO know why you want to write. DO keep yourself connected to your story/writing for 15 minutes (or more) each day.
My advice: DO find well written books to read. Reading good, concise, well-constructed writing will help you write the same.
This is the book I didn't know I needed! I anticipated applying its teachings to the writing of my first book, which I am. The bonus is I am also applying the Nifty 15 to writing assignments for my full time job. No more waiting until I have hours of desk time to work on a writing project. Today I had scheduled three hours to work work on an office writing project. As expected, I had several interruptions that ate into that time. I decided to see how much of the project I could tackle in 15 minutes. I got a great start and will work on it more tomorrow.
In all honesty, I was skeptical. Then, as I started reading, I started putting into practice the suggestions outlined in this book. Now, I’m writing consistently every day. I’m finding different places and times to write. I’m enjoying the creative process again. And, by golly, I’m going to finish my book! If you’re serious about your writing business, put this in your toolbox and take it out often.
The Nifty 15 is a short read, but it contains the encouraging words writers need to sit their bums in the chair and start writing. Now, the authors can’t force anyone to do the exercises included in the book, but if you do your part, you should be able to finally know how you’ll finish your book in just 15 minutes per day.
I love this book! Its so full of enthusiasm that I found its premise works for anything in life I want to do. I already worked for a decent hourly wage writing original material and field editing for American Lutherie magazine. I found the 15 minute plan so encouraging that I shifted it to my wood shop and made a pact with a friend who applied it to her flower gardening. We keep each other honest. We both have time to spare, so 15 minutes is never a problem. The benefit is that once engaged in the chosen activity it usually ends up taking a much larger time chunk and a lot of work gets done. The only trick is to break my own inertia and get out there. Of course, the same thing happens with my writing. Once engaged I often stick with it for hours. Initially I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited, but found that I highlighted so many passages I had better buy the book to always have it handy. This book is worth a lot more than its modest purchase price.
If you’ve found yourself spinning your wheels on when or even how to start writing your book then this book is a good place to start. Every chapter is summarized by exercises that you can apply so that you can best set yourself up for success. It’s also a quick read so no excuse. Good luck!
The authors are right onto the topic from first word, sharing wisdom and experience in each and every chapter, thus enriching reader to get to other side of roleplay - a writer.
Life can too often be busy. It's easy to push dreams aside and make excuses for why we can't achieve them. If you've ever dreamed of writing a book, but struggled to find the time, this book is for you.
Nifty 15 is an encouraging roadmap on how to write you book in 100 days. I can see a way to get into the process and writ my book. Honoree and Brian provide lots of ideas and resources for me to be success and birth that first book.
A good approach to writing regularly. A couple of things were a bit distracting/ annoying though: (1) because there are 2 authors the voice kept switching up, and (2) they kept advertising their other work.