Do personal examples have a place in your non-fiction book? You bet they do. Personal examples add authenticity and energy to any manuscript. Ill pull a few examples from my own books and show you how and why.

I have a book which I have talked about before called How to Sell and Re-Sell Everything You Write.

Chapter threes title was: How to Fit Your Experience to a Magazines Needs. To make this point I went back into my experience when I was teaching writing. Here is how the chapter started.

            Over the years I have discovered that most writers at least most beginning writers like to start with the idea and then try to find the market for this idea or finished article. Frequently beginning writers will rush up to me at one of my writing seminars and say; "Ive got this great article idea where can I sell it?

            One man I remember quite well had written a complete article on his canoe trip to Minnesota. What he wanted me to tell him was what magazine would buy this article without changes.

            A lady in the same group had taken a raft trip down the Colorado River and then wrote an article about how the raft dragged her down-river mostly underwater. She also wanted to know what editor would buy it just as it was.

            Both seem terribly disappointed when I told them I didnt think either article would sell unless they slanted it for a particular magazine. I have always believed that starting with the idea first then trying to find a magazine to buy it is backwards like making a whole suit and then trying to find someone it will fit.

            What all of us as writers need to understand is that any individual article idea we come up with is not all that important. There are literally thousands of good ideas out there everywhere. Everyone one of us has an experience bank with thousands of pieces of information that could easily become articles.

            So telling stories and weaving your point in and around what you are trying to put across becomes clearer. Its almost like drawing pictures with words. Look back at you own experience to and see what you can come up with to explain the point you are trying to make.