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05.13.2008
13 May 2008
(ok– first correction — the movie is called Eastern Promises. Second– Paypal won’t let you give something away for $0. So Cut Out now costs a cent. Sorry)
Who Dares Wins
The publication date for WDW has been moved to June, 2009. A Father’s Day thing. Even though the book works just as fine for women. Seriously.
So here’s the draft introduction to the book below. My goal is to work through all nine steps in this blog, albeit not in the detail they are in the book. I’m open to feedback since I’ll have time to changes things
WHO DARES WINS—SUCCEED—THE GREEN BERET WAY: In tough times, it is the tough who succeed. The Green Berets are the toughest soldiers in the military. Mentally tough that is. You have goals in your life you want to succeed at and things you desire to do. And for most of you, the largest obstacle in the way of that success is fear. This book gives you templates used by the US Army’s Green Berets– person for person, the most elite fighting force over the history of the US Military—which you can use to conquer fear and succeed.
What you want to succeed at is personal. Varying from reader to reader. So besides the templates, you’ll get examples of how the templates are used in a variety of situations in order to get an idea of how to apply the templates to your situation.
There are three main areas, coming from the main title of the book:
WHO, DARES and WINS. We will starts with Wins, go to Who and finish with Dares. Inside each of the three areas are three steps:
Area One: WINS:
Step One: What
Step Two: Why
Step Three: Where
Area Two: WHO
Step Four: Character
Step Five: Courage
Step Six: Change
Area Three: DARES:
Step Seven: COMMAND
Step Eight: COMMUNICATE
Step Nine: COMPLETE
All nine steps constitute the Cycle of Success and you’ll see how each step leads into the next, giving you a clear path to accomplish whatever it is you want in life. The Cycle is not a one-time thing. One you hit Step Nine, you cycle back to Step One and start over again, each time peeling away a layer, getting closer and closer to being the ‘true’ you that you want to be. As you’ll see at the end of this book, the answers you’ve given all along as you worked the Steps will be very different based on what you’ve learned through the process of Who Dares Wins. You’ll also see that each step gets a little bit longer, building on the steps before it.
Bob Land
Since this is a blog and I’m revamping it, I thought I’d talk a bit about blogs as a marketing tool. A lot of writers have blogs. Most, frankly, are not very good. Jenny and I discussed this last year in He Wrote/She Wrote.
To have an effective blog you must do the following:
Who will be my readers, my audience?
Why would they come back?
You must inform and entertain.
The blog is not about you, it’s about the subject matter of the blog that is of interest to the readers. (Most of our lives are not that interesting. Really. Even mine. Jenny on the other hand. Nope. Not that interesting.)
You have to keep it current. That’s why I’m doing it every Tuesday. Once a week is max time you have can have between postings. I’d do more, but, like I have some books to write and consulting to do.
Have a purpose that interests the readers.
Have a time limit on it. This blog will go to the end of this year, then I’ll have to figure out what to do next year.
Movies and Books:
Last year I mentioned that I was not particularly fond of the movie A History of Violence. I felt old Viggo’s character was not redeemable. Well, he redeemed himself. Not that he wrote the screenplay for History. He starred in a movie called Out of the East. In it he plays a mobster. But is he really a mobster? Who exactly is he? There’s some great twists in the movie which I won’t give away, but he did such a good job actig that you wonder in the scene where he’s pretty much naked in the chair being ‘interviewed’ by the mob, whether he’s telling the truth and how much of it. BTW, for you ladies, he does an entire fight scene in the nude. I was not impressed, but then again.
Blog Special:
Ok. Can’t beat this. Hardcover edition of Cut Out, one of my early Special Forces novels featuring Dave Riley, in this case dealing with what happens when people in the Witness Protection Program really disappear. For free. Only shipping and handling ($4):
May 13th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I like catching up with Bob Land, and I’ll be back on Tuesdays. And, I’ll be watching for WDW to hit the Amazon pre-order list.
I’m sure that when the book is actually printed on the page, it will be easier to separate the Areas and the steps using font/bold/white space. I got a bit confused trying to keep the areas and steps separate.
Also, when I was reading along and got to WDW and you mentioned they’ll be covered out of order Wins/Who/Dares, I stopped and pondered WHY out of order? I totally trust you to tell me why this order is necesary, but my logically illogical female brain expected to read about them in the order they are presented, or maybe in reverse order.
Probably means nothing, but I was already to pay attention and make notes in the margin, and it was a bit jarring, but I’d keep reading and I’m sure you’ll explain it to me.
Back next week. (I’ve already got my copy of Cut, so I’ll watch for the next special.)
May 13th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Marcia wrote my comment.
I’m really interested in WDW, but was also surprised that you started with Wins. Again, like Marcia, I trust you to make sense of it.
As for Cut Out, I’ve got that one, too. Enjoyed it, and you surprised me in it, but I won’t spoil anything here.
Speaking of spoilers, I look forward to the discussion of Lost Girls over at the Cherry forums on May 15.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Just ordered my copy of Cut Out for my son. I have read it and loved it. He read Section 8 and wanted more Dave Riley books. Is there any chance of a future return to Dave Riley character?
It would appear Bob that we all have the same question which is why the order you have chosen for WDW? Will it be self-explanatory as we go along?
You’ve almost got all the five Ws. Who, What, Where, Why? I learned them as who, what, where, when, why and sometimes how. How might be important here or does that come later?
May 13th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
WDW looks good. Maybe I’ll buy it and become the person I was meant to be. There’s still time. I can be the best little old lady in the West.
You know, talking about blogs, I’m not sure how meaningful they are unless the person is well known. I visit author friends blogs and they’re lucky if they get one or two comments posted in a week. There are a couple of industry blogs I visit and those can be helpful to find out what’s happening in the publishing world. I usually lurk on those. I only chat here, and at Jenny’s place. Aren’t you guys lucky?
May 14th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Geez, Bob. Rules, regulations, structure, purpose. I can’t decide whether to salute you or muss up your hair. Probably it’s a good thing I never tried to join the military.
I always need to know WHY first, so yes, please explain that out-of-order thing. Then I’ll be ready to start on the Cycle of Success.
Why do I think I’m going to need a sturdy pair of hiking boots? Anyone got an extra canteen? Band-aids? I wonder whether my tetanus booster is current . . .
May 14th, 2008 at 7:13 am
Joining the chorus here. If I’m going to be crawling on my belly across rugged terain there’d better be a really good reason for it.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:17 am
I posted on Tuesday and the comment was there … I saw it. Honest. Now it’s gone and I can’t remember what I said. Something about buying WDW and being the best I can be.
Also, I think blogs are fine for well known people otherwise the comments section sits empty and looks kind of pathetic.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Love the revised and more active blog. The information on your writing progress and cues for us who are struggling are great.
BTW isn’t the name of the movie Eastern Promises?
May 14th, 2008 at 9:54 am
He has wonderfully curly hair that’s perfect for mussing up and long enough right now to get nice and poofy if he lets you get close enough… go for it!
May 14th, 2008 at 10:02 am
“If he lets you get close enough,” inkgrrl says. I think that says it all. Although it would be fun to see someone try.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Poofy?
Hang on, let me just clean off my screen.
I wouldn’t think it would be all that tough to get close to someone who never moves. Maybe we can bribe some of those advanced writers.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Methinks Bob will be making an appointment with the barber soon…or start wearing his Army flak helmet again. With CBs, that probably isn’t a bad idea.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
The new improved blog is great.
Already have “Cut Out”–exciting story & intriguing ideas–but may buy another one as a gift.
Hey if I’m going to be crawling across rough terrain, someone better bring the bandaids. But if we’re wearing camouflage, We may BE the rough terrain! Or is that kind of camouflage just for snipers? Maybe after the Cycles, I’ll be as disciplined as Neeley with her katas.
Long, curly hair that poofs–sounds way too sexy, Bob. For a SF guy–very cool too. (Adding my 2 cents.)
Have fun over the weekend!
May 16th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Mussing Bob’s hair? Talk about “who dares.”
May 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Poofy hair?
My very high forehead is getting envious…
But remember what is under all that poofy stuff…all those words that make for very interesting reading for all we readers.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I think probably Bob is more concerned that I might actually salute next time I see him. I’ll have to practice.
Louis, darlin’, if you’d send me directions to that horse ranch of yours, I’d be happy to come muss up whatever hair you have left. Then at the end of the day you and your DW and I could sit in the rockers on your porch and sip a tall glass of something cool while we take turns making stuff up and telling each other stories as we listen to the gentle whuffling of the horses in the barn and watch the roadrunners silhouetted against the glow of the desert sunset reflecting off the distant mountains.
Of course, if a couple of your handsome GAM cowboy sons just happened (ahem) to stop on by, that would be perfectly fine too. I might even let one of them muss up my hair. Just saying.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Bob, I bought another copy of “Cut Out” on your website, but … instead of using the “Buy Now” button in the Blog, I went through the Online Store. Realized this just after I clicked to close the deal. Just hell. Sorry.
Thank you for the great deal on the book!!
May 19th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Okay, it’s 00:39 on Tuesday, where’s new blog post?
May 20th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I second that. We need our weekly dose of Bob.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I understand that the government is thinking about classifying Bob as a controlled substance. Soon we’ll have to hang out behind a 7-11 to get some Bob. At least that’s what all the cool kids are saying.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
He still has until midnight. Grin.
Actually, I’d emailed him about something else and yesterday he said he’d been sick and was still exhausted.
Maybe a few poor baby’s will help make him feel strong enough to write. Or we could send virtual chicken soup.