Proven Psychology To Help Authors and Writers

UK psychologist Richard Wiseman has cracked open the self-help industry with this book “:59 Seconds Think a little, change a lot”.

I am a self-help nutcase. I love to read and write it so I had to buy and read this. It is pop psychology, a very fast read but aims to show actual studies with evidence for and against the various self-help books out there. It is self-help for busy people , and we could all use some of that!

Here's some of the parts I found interesting for writers and authors. Each point has a psychological study (or more) to back it up but I haven't gone into the detail here. I have also added my own personal comments, so not everything is from the book.

• Keeping a personal journal, especially if you are going through difficult times is more effective than talking to someone about your problems. Expressive writing gave participants a “remarkable boost in psychological and physical well-being“. I don't think many writers would be surprised by this! I have personally found writing to be my therapy in many situations (check out this podcast on writing as therapy ) but it's great to have it proved.

• Many people have a lifetime goal of writing a book. But few ever achieve it. Some studies into the psychology of motivation show how you can achieve your goal in the best possible way. Firstly you need a plan to get to your goal (although I would have started with: Know your goal before you create a plan!), Make sub-goals that are concrete, measurable and time-based and attach rewards to the achievement of the sub-goals. Tell other people about your goal to keep you accountable. Remind yourself of the benefits of achieving this goal (NOT the negatives of not achieving). I'm stoked because this fits with my own ideas on goal-setting for authors.

• Boost your creativity by tapping into your subconscious. The evidence shows that the best way to do this is to keep your conscious mind busy with a completely different task, and NOT relaxing and being still. Think about the problem you need to solve, or the plot issue you are having. Now do some Sudoku or crosswords or engaging exercise, and then write down what you're thinking. Priming also works i.e.  kickstarting your brain by looking at art, reading, surfing the net or people watching. Surprisingly the colour green is also effective along with plants and flowers.

• Sell more books using these proven techniques. The principle of scarcity does create desire, so do a limited print run or time based promotion for your book. It is also easier to get people to buy something big if they have spent a little, so encourage readers to buy your $5 ebook before offering your print multi-package or course. The “endless stream of bargains” also apparently helps creates desire to buy, although I have my doubts about the increasing numbers of Amazon bestseller campaigns that use this technique. Overuse of the method creates exhaustion in the target market!

I really enjoyed this little book with gems of research amongst some good self-help tips. I did learn some new things – put a mirror on the fridge if you want to lose weight for example. I recommend it for people who like psychology and self-help books in particular.