Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson, who won four Olympic gold medals and eight Word Championship gold medals, had an absolute sense of how we would work together on his book Gold Rush. We were going to take what has now become a standard hybrid approach to helping writers.
“I’m going to write raw rough draft,” he said.
I call that sloppy copy.
“You’ll rewrite that,” he continued.
“Some sections I don’t want to write—you’ll write those.”
By then, I’d already written plenty of my own material and ghostwritten or collaborated on a number of books.
I’d worked as an editor on a national magazine and had revised several books.
Check.
By 2011, when I started working with the man who, according to Wikipedia, “is generally considered one of the greatest and most consistent sprinters in the history of track and field,” I’d already embarked on the writing coach arm of my career, so I’d be able to help on that front as well.
And so, my hybrid approach to helping writers with their books was born.
“Don’t expect a lot of praise,” Michael added, explaining that his coach never praised him. “Like my coach, I expect people to give their best.”
Got it.
It turns out that a lack of strokes coupled with high expectations along the way doesn’t mean a lack of appreciation.
I loved reading the following words in Michael’s acknowledgments:
“I would like to thank … Linden Gross, my writing coach, who kept me on task and whose energy and excitement about the project were crucial in getting me to the finish line.”
Do you need help getting to your book’s finish line?
Reach out and let’s talk about how we can best make that happen.
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