Make your book a STAR - Part 3

At the risk of sounding like Sesame Street, today we will begin with the letter "A" for Accentuate the Highlights of your subject. Whether establishing the characters in fiction or defining the background in       non-fiction, avoid getting so mired in the background that the reader begins to yawn. Readers want a sparkle-fix that they get from reveling in the highlights of your ideas.

Totally new, never before written topics are rare. What makes your work different from the others are the highlights that you bring to the subject or story. Think about what you have to say that makes listeners look alert or turn toward you to hear more. Those are highlights. When the idea or dialogue drives you to distraction and demands to be written? Those are highlights.  Your unique sense of humor, irony or curiosity are also highlights in the way you present a story.

To borrow the line from Miss Congeniality  . . . "Be the highlights. YOU are the highlights" in your work.

STAR System 

S = Start with your best idea

T = Tailor it with an outline

A = Accentuate the highlights

R = Research, Research, Research