Writing for the Ravenous: The Ingredients of a Cookbook

Cookbooks have emerged as a very popular book choice in recent years. With the emergence of cable channels for cooking, alongside a growing interest in all things culinary in the country, cookbooks have been flying off the shelves in recent years. However, they are a very special form of book writing, and they have their own special requirements.

First, the creative aspect of the cook book is not so much in the book, but in the cooking. Creativity typically takes a backseat to communicating the useful technical information required to help the reader successfully replicate a recipe. Cookbooks certainly can be creative, but most of this is confined to the layout, organization, and photography in the book. Cookbooks are first and foremost, user manuals, though there is a special category of cookbook that is as much an art book as a manual.

Clarity in communication is important in a cookbook. For those with a lot of experience in the kitchen, the hard part of writing a book can be in determining the difference between what they know and what is known by the typical reader of their book. You want to ensure that cooking instructions are clear, concise, and can be easily followed. Of course, different books are written for those with differing levels of kitchen expertise, so the key is to make sure you understand what your audience does and does not know.

One method used by cookbook writers is to have the recipes tested by people with the level of expertise to which they are writing. This helps them to identify where changes need to be made for clarity or conciseness.

Photographs are a huge component of cookbooks. Not only to do they help the reader to visualize how a recipe is supposed to look when complete, they are inspiring and often beautiful to look at when done well.

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Off Into the Wild Blue Yonder: Writing a Travel Book

For many writers, and for many travelers, the notion of writing a travel book is the perfect dream. What could be better than combining the love of writing with the love of travel? And in truth, for those who both write and travel, the life is a good one.

Writing a travel book is much like writing a user’s manual, or a cookbook. There is certainly room to exercise your writing skills, but much of the value of the book for the reader is how well researched the destination is, and in how well you are able to write about their particular travel needs within the context of that destination.

Writing a travel book typically starts with selecting a destination. Though there are books written on the broad topic of travel, generally speaking, they focus on a destination spot or region. A good deal of time must be spent at the destination, because a great amount of information must be gathered about lodging, restaurants, local customs, currency issues, laws, travel options, and entertainment venues.

Much of the information about the specifics of hotels, eateries, and so on can be gathered through simple research, and much of that can be done from your computer at home. The real value of a travel book is in providing the readers some sense of what to expect. Is the high-priced hotel worth it? Is the low-priced lunch at the tucked-away restaurant a hidden gem or a land mine? Is the bus that runs out to the countryside dependable or not? These questions are the ones that people who buy travel books want answers to, and the answers to those questions can only be had through direct experience.

Travel books also are enhanced by going beyond the usual listing of food, lodging, and entertainment options. The best of these books provide history, photographs, stories from locals, and other things that give the reader a sense of the place they are about to visit.

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27 DAY GAMEPLAN PROVIDES THE SECRET TO REAL WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS

Experienced Lifestyle Transformation Coach Writes New Book to Help Build A Success Mindset

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA: A brand new book aimed at helping overweight Americans regain a slimmer, healthier life is about to be released.

Written by life coach Jonathan Conneely, the book is called “The Secret to Real Weight Loss Success”. It provides a complete twenty seven day body transformation game plan that people can use to change the way they think about food, health, and the way they eat. He has made the book available on his website CoachJC.com.

“The book is a mindset, weight loss, personal development success book,” says Jonathan. “It is a 27 day transformation game plan that will coach you and motivate you to change your thinking so you can have anything you desire in life – especially that weight loss.”

Jonathan goes on to say that “there are some great workouts and nutrition programs out there. But none of these will work without conquering your mindset.” This is what his book aims to do.

The principles included in the book are backed by Jonathan’s ten years of experience working with people from all walks of life. His background as a lifestyle transformation coach, lifestyle fitness expert and strength and conditioning coach give him the unique perspective to write a book that will appeal to millions of people across America. Jonathan states that he has drawn on “my experience of dealing with people on a daily basis and coaching people for years.”

“The Secret to Real Weight Loss Success” does not contain a diet. Instead it has three distinct parts to the twenty seven day game plan that focuses on transforming thinking, eating, and the body. As Jonathan says, “the secret is the mindset!”

The book is aimed at anyone who wants to lose weight, get fit, take control of their health, and live a better life. It also contains testimonials from people who have already tried the plan and made it work for them. Furthermore results have been achieved not just with weight loss but with other areas of people’s lives. The changed mindset can achieve many goals. Jonathan adds, “You will hear from real life people on how these principles have transformed their life forever.”

Jonathan does not claim that losing weight with the help of his book is easy. But he does describe the process as simple once the basic mindset is discovered and understood. Everything that is needed is in the book. Nothing else is required.

Jonathan Conneely is the founder of Bootcamp Tulsa, the area’s first outdoor fitness program, and he also runs the website www.coachjc.com. Visit the website to find out more about his book “The Secret to Real Weight Loss Success – Your 27 Day Body Transformation Gameplan”.

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Hey Waiter, I'll Have What She is Writing: Using Quotation in Your Book

Have you ever struggled with finding the right words to illustrate a point? On these occasions, integrating quotations into your book’s content can help bridge the gap between what you want to convey and how you want to be understood by the reader.

Quotations are used to rephrase a concept in a different light, to make a connection between something in the book and something previously not thought of as relating to the subject of the book, or simply to add emphasis and perspective to the subject matter in the book.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using quotations in order to maximize their benefit and avoid their pitfalls. First, the source of the quote matters. The source of the quote will convey the associations tied to that source. You might have run across an insightful quote that fits your story, but if it was uttered by Adolf Hitler, the quote will carry with it associations, actions, and history. And this might not (or might) be your intent.

Second, make sure that you understand what the connection is between the quotation and what within your work the quotation is supposed to connect with, so that the reader can make that connection. The connection does not have to be overt and literal (it is often more interesting if it is not literal), but the connection needs to be understandable.

Avoid the most obvious sources, such as Shakespeare and Mark Twain. While sometimes these will be the perfect sources; they can be perceived as uninventive.

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