Writer's First Aid

How's this for a wish-fulfillment fantasy: You snap open your first-aid kit and pull out, as needed:

•	a vanishing cream for writer's block . . .
•	a pill that eliminates anxiety and increases self-confidence . . .
•	a booster shot that jump-starts your writing and keeps you moving . . .
•	an elixir that changes your creative process from one that sputters to one that hums.

Now this fantasy can become a reality for you through a remarkable new book, Writer's First Aid, by award-winning author Kristi Holl.

Dear Writer,

You won't actually find pills or elixirs in Writer's First Aid. But you will find proven remedies for getting past that writer's block (page 43), finishing a stalled chapter (page 14), overcoming distractions (page 69), banishing crippling anxiety (page 36), improving your focus (page 73), changing habits that hurt you (page 91), and dozens of other problems that writers, from beginners to established authors, struggle with.

"Kristi Holl understands the emotional struggles that can sabotage a writer's best intentions. She offers real solutions to help us cope and keep us writing," says Patricia Curtis Pfitsch, author of Riding the Flume (Simon & Schuster, 2002) and Keeper of the Light (Simon & Schuster, 1997).

"Kristi Holl's Writer's First Aid is what I reach for when I need motivation, inspiration, or suggestions on any part of the writer's life," says Linda George, author of over 40 books of fiction and nonfiction. "Every writer should have this book within arm's reach!"

It's no wonder that Kristi Holl's Writer's First Aid is garnering enthusiastic praise from both new and established writers. Kristi is a rare combination: an award-winning author (24 published novels and over 180 stories and articles) who has proven herself equally adept at helping others to realize their writing dreams.

Over the past 17 years, both as an instructor and as the website editor, her expert mentoring at the Institute of Children's Literature has inspired and guided hundreds of ordinary people of all ages and all walks of life to become published writers.

Eileen Bertanzetti, author of four books and more than 150 published articles and stories, writes, "If it hadn't been for Kristi Holl's expert teaching skills, I wouldn't have made my first sale."

"I often marvel at the way Kristi Holl seems to read my mind, understand my concerns, and provide the exact bit of insight or advice I need--right on cue!" writes Sandy Asher, author (Stella's Dancing Days, Harcourt, 2001) and playwright (A Woman Called Truth, Dramatic Publishing Company, 1993).

Kristi understands those concerns because she has wrestled with and conquered them herself--building a writing career while coping with raising children, undergoing surgeries, dealing with moves and financial crunches--the same real-life pressures her students face.

"Kristi Holl's mastery of the writing craft is second only to her understanding of the day-to-day struggles every writer faces," writes her former student Christina Mierau, author of Accept No Substitutes! The History of American Advertising (Lerner, 2000).

After 17 years spent refining her solutions to the specific writing problems of her students, Kristi was urged to make these proven remedies more widely available. She did so by publishing a series of articles on the Internet, which were enthusiastically received by both writing students and published authors throughout the English-speaking world. There were so many requests for reprints that Kristi decided to gather 40 of her most in-demand articles into Writer's First Aid.

The book has four sections for easy reference: "Getting Started," "Work Habits That Work for You," "Money and Other Practical Matters," and "Creating the Writing Life You Want." Each section has 10 articles, each article addressing a different problem or writing issue.

Need a getting-started trick that keeps you going? See page 26 in the "Getting Started" section. Coping with distractions? Find success-proven strategies on page 69 in "Work Habits That Work for You." Overcoming anxiety? Go to page 36. Improving focus? See page 73. Identifying and conquering that writer's block? You'll find the answers on pages 43-48.

"Writers take heart!" says Teri Martini, author of 31 published books for children and adults. "Filled with imaginative solutions, Writer's First Aid offers help on problems that plague all writers."

"Kristi has gathered the kind of in-depth, honest information that could only come from a frontline writer, an author who is in the throes of creating, rewriting, and publishing," says Dandi Daley Mackall, author of over 300 books, including Off to Bethlehem (HarperCollins) and Are We There Yet? (Dutton). While Kristi's award-winning works have been written primarily for children, the guidance and insights in her articles are eagerly sought after by all writers needing to integrate their work with other aspects of their lives. For example, in a few seconds, you'll find specific techniques and strategies to:
•	Double your creative energy (page 65)
•	Cure doubts of originality (page 17)
•	Break the start-and-stop habit (page 79)
•	Use fear as a fuel (page 225)
•	Disarm your inner critic (page 205)
•	Boost productivity (page 93)
•	Reach that full-time freelancing goal (page 133).
Writer's First Aid is practical--and inspirational. You'll learn how to become your own agent and negotiate a "win-win" contract; how to raise your expectations and produce your best work. Above all, you'll find sure guidance for keeping your commitment and creative energy high, and mapping the shortest distance to your dream writing life.

Once it's in your hands, we think you'll find the 232-page Writer's First Aid an invaluable resource for your writing success. However, we want you to be sure. Browse through it, use it, apply its remedies and insights. If you don't agree that it is everything we have promised, simply return the book to us and we'll refund the full purchase price.

No questions asked. No hassles. Guaranteed.

If you'd like to receive Writer's First Aid for a 30-day, no-risk examination, simply complete the order form today. Just click on Order Now.