Writing a Book: Paul chats about the writing process, routine and inspiration

Why did you want to write a book? And how did you land on the topic?

Over more than two decades in working with top thought leaders in complex professions, we’ve learned that there’s no better way to establish your credibility on a topic than writing a book. So when our team and I had developed StoryCrafting to the level that we were taking clients through our process, we knew that a book explaining the importance of storytelling in business, and more specifically, the Capital S Story concept, was a great way to give clients, and potential clients, the background they need to understand our expertise.

Was the process easier or harder than you thought and what was most surprising?

The hardest part of the process for me was finding the time to write. There’s a joke that the shoemaker’s kids are always barefoot because the shoemaker is too busy making shoes for everybody else. In a firm like ours, where the focus is on helping our clients share their Capital S Story, it took me some effort to protect the time I needed to write about us!

How long did it take from idea to published work?

From inception to completion probably took eight years, but that’s not quite accurate. Once I broke down and hired Bonnie Budzowski of Gravitas Press, an incredibly smart and inspirational book editor, I finally had the accountability partner I needed to complete the book. That took maybe a year.

Did you have a writing routine or goals for how much you wrote and when?

No matter what you are writing or who you might be, a writing routine is critical. Horror author Stephen King wrote one of the best books on the craft of writing. I often joke that my book is not in competition with the latest Stephen King novel for popularity. But what you learn from a top author like Stephen King is that writing discipline – whether it’s daily or weekly or whatever, is critical to success.

What helped you get into a creative flow?

Working with Bonnie and being disciplined about setting aside writing time were critical to completing Finding Your Capital S Story.

Tell us what the book is about and who is the target audience?

Finding Your Capital S Story is written for C suite leaders, especially CEOs. It’s all about the most important story any organization has to share, which is the one that answers four fundamental questions: Why someone would buy from you, work for you, invest in you or partner with you. The answers to these questions define the very character and nature of your organization. In our work, we’ve drawn from biology, psychology and sociology to develop a process that connects the brain’s innate hunger for stories with the specific stories of our clients. We align the archetypal narratives that already live in our brains with the distinctive aspects of our clients’ Capital S Stories to create narratives (and marketing) that are unique, compelling and memorable. Our goal is to share the authentic story of a client, moving hearts and minds and inspiring action.

What do you want people to take away from the book?

My goal in writing the book is to help senior leaders understand the power of their organization’s story, which is the most valuable marketing asset the organization owns. So much time, effort and money are wasted in marketing because organizations fail to share the right story that will drive the best results for them. We are on a mission to help organizations get the results they desire by sharing their Capital S Story.

Do you have plans to write more books?

I don’t want to jinx myself, but I do want to hold myself accountable. In addition to a second edition of Finding Your Capital S Story, including more on artificial intelligence and its role in storytelling, I’ve got a manuscript that my dad wrote about his World War II flying and POW experiences in the works (dad started it and I’m filling in some blanks with information that’s surfaced in recent years). I also have another nonfiction book about PR in the works and two novels!

Any advice for someone wanting to write their first book?

The most important thing is to get started. And today, we have so many tools to help us. I’ve used the voice memo feature on my phone to record thoughts, the Notes app on my phone, yellow legal pads and of course, Microsoft Word. It doesn’t matter what works for you; start with whatever tool makes it easy for you to get started. And then set a schedule – be disciplined. It absolutely helps if you have an accountability partner, a friend, a family member, or if it makes sense for you, a professional editor.

How can people purchase your book?

Finding Your Capital S Story is available on Amazon as an audiobook, eBook, hardcover or paperback. You can also download a sample chapter from our website.

Thanks, Paul! We hope you learned a little more about Paul’s writing journey and maybe feel inspired to start your own book or writing project.

If you want to chat to our team to learn more about your Capital S Story, reach out to us anytime.

— interview by Tara Darazio