Do you know about the book Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew T. Le Peau?

I recently led the BookCamp community through this book and strongly recommend it to any writer.

Below I offer my top 10 takeaways from Write Better:

1. When you start, don’t worry about where to start.

In other words, stop obsessing over your opening. Just start writing. Later come back to see what you have. Don’t be surprised if your best opening is actually four paragraphs down. Pay particular attention if you tell a story a little ways down; that story is likely your best beginning.

2. When you’re writing, have a specific person in mind.

One of the biggest mistakes writers make is thinking their book is for everybody or for a loosely defined group. Be specific. You may get other audiences too, but if you don’t start with one specific audience, you’ll miss all of them.

3. Tone is the key to powerful writing.

Le Peau says tone is the “atmosphere” our words create, be it humorous, candid, pastoral, or foreboding. As readers we all know tone exists, but Le Peau describes what it is and helps you be more intentional about it.

4. Don’t rely too much on your book’s subtitle.

Have you ever known, perhaps subconsciously, that something is a problem, and then someone comes along and says, “This, this right here, it needs fixing.” That’s how this takeaway hit me. In short, make sure the title of your book is carrying some of the weight of the book’s purpose. If you use an obscure phrase or reference in your nonfiction book title that only makes sense to you, your subtitle will have to do all the work. And that makes marketing your book that much harder.

5. Don’t worry about your audience, but do worry about your audience.

In other words, when it comes to choosing what to write about as well as your early drafts, write for you. Do your thing and don’t worry about your audience. Later, come back and make sure what you’ve written will address the needs of your readers.

6. Rewriting is really important.

It’s not what we want to hear, but it is what our writing needs. Be sure to read what you’ve written aloud, and ask for some trusted advisors to critique it for you.

7. You can increase your creative abilities.

We’re not born with a defined capacity for creativity and that’s it. Our creative range is flexible, and we can do things to enhance this ability. Le Peau offers several suggestions for how to do this, including trying a new sport, engaging new experiences, and reading books that are different than you normally read.

8. Writing can be part of one’s “calling.”

Your calling is what others might call your destiny, the fulfillment of your purpose in life. Andy provides questions to use in discerning your calling, such as (these are my paraphrases) “What makes you happy?” “What do others appreciate about you?” and “What direction do your dreams offer?”

9. We needn’t be obsessed with “finding our voice.”

Voice is hopefully the result of dialectical tension between inner and outer worlds. We draw on our inner life and bring it into engagement with the world around us. If we show up and do this consistently, we’ll nurture our own unique voice.

10. The Genesis narrative encourages writers to have courage and let go.

Rather ingeniously, Le Peau tells writers to look at what God does in Genesis. God creates, evaluates, and does more. Then God does the same thing again—creates, evaluates, and does more. This happens six times, and then God rests, giving creation to all of us to enjoy, to work with, and also to critique and abuse. All of this serves as a richly helpful model for how writers can approach their own work.

Bonus Takeaway: If self-promotion makes you uneasy, look to the psalmists, prophets, and apostles.

As a way to overcome our fear of shyness or distaste for self-promotion, Le Peau points to the psalmists, prophets, and apostles as people who were passionate about getting their message into the world—not because they thought they were “all that” but because they believed their message could change the world.

Question: Which of these ten takeaways is most helpful to you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.