From Ervin · 1 min read
I Went to the Doctor and Thought About Books
The other day I went to the doctor and had a thought that had nothing to do with my appointment: How many questions has a doctor answered thousands of times?
Read article →17 journal articles
Writing from experience
Find your reader, organize your material, and revise a draft that still sounds like you.
Your starting material might be a recurring question, a voice note, a difficult decision, or a lesson you have explained many times. These articles follow the work of giving that material a reader and a useful shape.
Begin with the question you are trying to answer. Then choose one small task: inventory a recording, outline a chapter, prepare a feedback brief, or review an AI suggestion against your own notes. You can move between the articles as your draft changes.
Build a Story Map →Read this collection
17 results
From Ervin · 1 min read
My Uber Driver Has a Book
The other day I got into an Uber and it made me think about something. How many people do we meet every day who are carrying a book around in their head?
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
The Book Is Already in Your Business
Founders: your first book may already exist. Look at the questions customers ask you repeatedly.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
Expertise Isn't Enough If Nobody Can See It
There's a difference between having expertise and making your expertise visible. You can spend 20 years becoming excellent at something and still be relatively…
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
Give Me 15 Minutes and I'll Find Your Book
Your work, repeated questions, and hard-earned lessons can point toward a book. Start by naming what experience has taught you.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
A Book Is a 5-Hour Meeting With You
A book is basically a 5-hour meeting with you that you don't have to attend. Think about that.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
Don't Write 300 Pages
Start with ten important ideas, then add the stories, examples, evidence, and mistakes that make each idea useful to a reader.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
Your LinkedIn Is Probably a Manuscript
Your LinkedIn profile might already contain the beginning of your first book. Go back through your last 100 posts.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
A Book Shows How You Think
A business card tells someone your title. A book shows them how you think.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
Stop Measuring a Book Only by Copies Sold
Book sales are one measure. Ervin explores how a book can also introduce your ideas, clarify your work, and begin a conversation.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
Tell Me Your Profession, I'll Tell You Your Book
Tell me your profession. I'll tell you the book you should write.
Read article →Authorship · 2 min read
How to find the book hiding in your experience
Start with the questions people ask you. Find a reader, a promise, and a structure for the knowledge you already have.
Read article →Authorship · 2 min read
Listening for the question behind a story
Turn a conversation into a useful writing question while respecting the person whose story prompted it.
Read article →Authorship · 2 min read
How to turn voice notes into a book outline
Organize spoken ideas into reader questions, themes, and examples, then turn one voice note into a useful paragraph.
Read article →Authorship · 2 min read
How to brief beta readers for useful manuscript feedback
Give beta readers a focused brief, ask for specific observations, and turn manuscript feedback into revision decisions.
Read article →Authorship · 2 min read
Using AI for writing without losing your editorial judgment
Give AI a bounded writing task, check generated claims against your sources, and revise for your own meaning and voice.
Read article →From Ervin · 1 min read
I Became an Author and a Coach
I became an author and a coach. Becoming an author changed the way I looked at my own experience.
Read article →Questions to begin with
Do I need a complete outline to begin?
No. Start with one reader question and a concrete example. A small draft can help reveal what the outline needs.
Can I start from spoken notes?
Yes. Keep each recording focused, label the question it answers, and check the transcript against the original before using it.
What should I ask a beta reader?
Ask where they were confused, what they remember, and what question remains. Give them a manageable section and explain the stage of the draft.
A book to continue with
Follow the next question through Ervin’s collection.
Self-validation · Inner mastery · Authenticity
The Proof Is You
A guide to inner mastery, self-validation, discipline, and building confidence from lived evidence.
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