How to Write your book
16-Lesson Class with Dr. James W. Goll, David Sluka, and GraceAnn Visser
What’s burning in your heart? Is there a story or message others need to hear that you can’t help but put on a page? 

Whatever truth God has entrusted to you, it may be time to release it! 

Authoring a book is a powerful way to communicate the Lord’s heart to others, all while fulfilling your God-given purpose to reflect His creativity and share His love with the world through your unique voice.

Writing a book doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. 
If He’s given you a message, the Lord will also equip you with the tools you need to bring it to life… but planning, writing, editing, and marketing your book does require some strategy.

In James Goll’s 16-lesson class, you’ll learn about the book-writing process from start to finish — from the seed of inspiration to holding your hard-won book in your hands and sharing it with the world. 

You’ll gain practical tools for choosing a subject, identifying your audience, finding your voice, and pinpointing strategies that will help you bring your book to fruition. Whether you’re working on a nonfiction book, memoir, or devotional, you’ll receive inside-tips from industry experts for effectively titling, marketing, and publishing your book.
visionary
Most importantly, along the way, you’ll be encouraged in your identity as a writer and empowered in your book-writing journey with the discipline, wisdom, and creativity that bring Heaven to earth.

As you partner with God throughout the process in this class, you’ll finalize your manuscript, grow your platform, and magnify the power of your message. 

Are you ready to share your story with the world?
This class will help you no matter what kind of author you are…
  • Discover-Your-Message Author: If you have a strong desire to write but don’t know where to get started, this course will help you discover your message, start a plan, and stay encouraged every step of the way.
  • How-Do-I-Get-Started Author: If God has put a message that is burning on your heart, our proven roadmap will teach you how to get started, partner with God in the process, and see your book evolve from paper to published. 
  • Creatively-Stuck Author: If you are halfway through the writing process, but are now stuck and lacking inspiration, this course will give you fresh insights, practical tools, and biblical encouragement to not only write that last chapter, but also finish stronger than you thought possible. 
  • First-Draft Author: If you are almost finished with your first draft, this course will give you crucial editing and publishing advice so you can think creatively from the perspective of your reader, pick a title, and start your editing process. 
  • Enhance-My-Skills Author: If you have been writing for a while, or have even published a book or two, this will help you grow and develop as an author, multiply your impact, and take your message to the world. 

SAMPLE TEACHING with Cheryl Townsley
Welcome to HOPE!

Class Sections
Overview of How to Write Your Book—16 lesson Class

Click the play button above for the class description
by Dr. James W. Goll and David Sluka

Lesson 1: Introduction
In this first lesson, James W. Goll explains why it may be time for you to say “yes” to God’s dreams for your life, how your expression of His beauty can change the world, and why it’s so vital to stay connected to Jesus throughout the process. You’ll be introduced to publishing expert David Sluka and marketing pro GraceAnn Visser, two other teachers on your book-writing journey.
Preview: Lesson 1
Lesson 2: Why Do You Want to Write a Book? 
In this lesson, you’ll be encouraged in your vision to unleash your story to the world by exploring the reason for it all. You’ll learn how your unique voice can display the Lord’s heart, and how He can speak to you and deepen your vision in the writing journey.
Preview: Lesson 2
Lesson 3: Four Questions to Ask Before You Start
This lesson will teach you how to pinpoint the precise message God wants to speak through you, how to align that message with the people who need it most, and most importantly, how to identify that now is the time for you to share your story with the world.
Preview: Lesson 3
Lesson 4: Discovering Your Voice
In this lesson, you’ll learn from James and GraceAnn about how your voice can impact your reader, and just as importantly, how to identify the way God designed you to communicate. Explore how to release your voice for His purposes, and how to better understand the way others communicate and receive your message.
Preview: Lesson 4
Lesson 5: Three Essentials to Writing
This lesson will help you discover why practical habits have a spiritual impact, how your organization can impact your process, and why it’s so important to be faithful with the dreams and words God’s entrusted to you. You’ll also learn about the role your environment plays in your writing process, how to honor God with your productivity, and how to overcome creative blocks.
Lesson 6: Titling Your Book
The title of your book is the first step to its success in the marketplace. In this lesson, you’ll learn from a writer and publisher’s perspective about the three categories of book titles and the role each one plays in helping your audience discover your message.
unique book
Lesson 7: Creating a Subtitle
In this lesson, you’ll learn why subtitles are such an important component of marketing your book, and why it’s so important to identify exactly what the reader is going to get out of your book before choosing one. As you learn to cultivate your Spirit-led creativity and strategy, you’ll have all the tools you need to come up with the perfect subtitle!
Lesson 8: Forming the Structure
This lesson will teach you why you need to create an outline before writing your book and how to go about doing it. You will learn everything you need to know about details like word count, book length, and how to choose a nonfiction genre that most effectively expresses your God-given message.
Lesson 1: What Disturbs Your Health?
This lesson will help you discover obvious and often over-looked sources of toxicity that are draining your body of health and reserves.

Lesson 2: Eat More of What God Created and Less of What Man Messed Up!
Learn how to take baby steps in improving your health by moving toward more of what God created in produce, meats, fish, dairy, and more. This simplifies the eating process.

Lesson 3: What Does Scripture Say About Food?
Daniel is a great example of following God’s prescription for diet and being found ten times greater than the best in the kingdom. Understanding Biblical perspective of food without legalism sets the stage for being at your best.

Lesson 4: Blood Type Considerations
Each of the four blood types has strengths and weaknesses. This lesson will help you identify your blood type and understand how it affects you.

Lesson 5: Inflammation: What Is It?
Inflammation is at the root of all disease. Inflammation automatically happens during threat and stress. Learning how to recognize it and how to begin reversing it gives you the opportunity to be healthier and slow down the aging process.

Lesson 6: Digestion Basics
When you don’t digest your food, you can’t obtain the energy found in the food. Learn the symptoms that reflect poor digestion and what you can do to address them.

Lesson 7: Address Cravings
Cravings are the body saying it needs something. Learning how to interpret your cravings and give your body what it is looking for is so much easier than trying to use will power alone, which simply doesn’t work.

Lesson 8: Recommended Supplements
Supplements should simply be “supplemental” to a healthy lifestyle. Learn the priorities to build your optimal supplement program and where to find them at the best-prices.

Lesson 9: Strategies to Write Your Manuscript
In this lesson, you’ll learn some of the most important strategies you’ll need for writing your book, from scheduling your writing routine to taking advantage of moments of inspiration. You’ll also discover why it’s so important to stay focused as you write, how researching and editing are just as productive as churning out new content, and why it’s so vital to enlist a team of helpers for support.
Lesson 10: Telling Your Story
One of the most important tools you can use as an author is blending research and teaching with effective storytelling as you transparently open your heart before your readers. In this lesson, you’ll be inspired by Jesus, the ultimate teacher and storyteller, and gain new tools for creating content that doesn’t just entertain, but shapes hearts.
schedule
Lesson 11: Devotional Writing
This lesson will give you the practical and spiritual resources necessary for writing a devotional that connects people to the Lord. You’ll learn why it’s so important to identify your audience’s need at the beginning of your project, how your voice can stir intimacy with Jesus, and why organizational structure is uniquely significant when you’re working on a devotional.
Lesson 12: Hearing God’s Voice in Publishing
Your most important role as a Christian author is to stay close to the Lord. In this lesson, James shares spiritual strategies for partnering with God in your publishing process and equips you to emerge from the journey looking more like Him.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Soul Health

Lesson 2: Connect to Courage
Whenever God calls you to change, He says “Do not fear, be of good courage.” Learning how to connect to good courage empowers you to make changes without the brainstem stepping into fear and shutdown.

Lesson 3: How Your Brain Works: Introduction
Without understanding your brain, you unknowingly create patterns of self-sabotage. Understanding the brain lets you optimize the scripture, Matthew 11:28–30, which says, “His way is easy!” Discover the true importance of easy.

Lesson 4: How Your Brain Works: Flow
There is a flow to how your brainstem (not your logical brain) operates. Input plus interpretation create the given output.

Lesson 5: How Your Brain Works: Input
Input relates to the sensory information coming in from your skin, joints, smell, taste, sight, sound, and touch. Some input locations may not be working effectively, thus taking in inaccurate, or incomplete input.

Lesson 6: How Your Brain Works: Interpretation
Your brainstem interprets input data based on past trauma, programs, beliefs, and experiences. Your brain doesn’t store facts, it stores those interpretations at the time of the incidents.

Lesson 7: How Your Brain Works: Stress/Threat Bucket
Stress is anything that is unfamiliar, unknown, or unpredictable. Stress accumulates if it isn’t reset. Learn how the stress bucket is operating in your life.

Lesson 8: How Your Brain Works: Output
When your brain and body are struggling, you experience chronic pain, insomnia, poor digestion, brain fog, anxiety, depression, and so much more. Learn how to interpret your output.

Lesson 9: How Your Brain Works: Fuel
Your brain needs fuel: oxygen, water, and food. Without adequate fuel, your brain will shut down or even go into a form of lock down.

Lesson 10: How Your Brain Works: Your Brain Likes Easy
Learning how to step into change that the brain thinks is safe is key for any long-lasting change. This is foundational yet goes against your logic!

Lesson 11: How Your Brain Works: Range of Motion
Range of motion becomes the best assessment process to know if your brainstem likes or doesn’t like anything. Once you learn how to assess your body, you can discover so much about what does or doesn’t work for you.

Lesson 12: How Your Brain Works: Mobility Drills
Easy mobility drills help you create flexibility in your body. The high pay-off drills in this lesson are time-tested with great results. You can use Range of Motion to determine which ones work best for you.

Lesson 13: Resets: Vagus Nerve
The Vagus Nerve is the most important nerve in the body. It is the only one that goes into the brain and into the body. It impacts cognition, tight neck and shoulders, voice, breathing, and digestion. Learn how to reset your Vagus Nerve.

Lesson 14: Resets: Breathing
Breathing is the indicator that lets the brainstem know if it is safe or unsafe. Most people are unaware of shallow breathing or holding their breath. Learn simple ways to improve quality, deep breathing which immediately supports brain health.

Lesson 15: Resets: Startle Reflex
When we go through trauma, the startle reflex is automatically turned on. This can happen at birth or any time after. Learn how to identify it and reset it. This works for children as well as adults.

Lesson 16: Resets: Pineal/Pituitary/Hypothalamus
These glands in the brain impact sleep, digestion, hunger, thirst, and much more. Learning how to easily reset them can have many benefits and often help with sleep and a sense of calmness. They take less than a minute to reset once you know how.

Lesson 17: How Emotions and Traumas Are Stored in the Body
Emotions are energy and when we swallow them, they go somewhere. They become underlying factors in health in many ways.

Lesson 18: Creating Congruency
Congruency is the measurement of whether you are single-minded or double-minded. When you are double-minded, you are unstable and can’t create the changes you desire.

Lesson 19: Creating Margin
If you have no savings in your finances and you are hit with an unexpected bill, you can’t pay it. When your body is out of energy, you don’t have the capacity to heal. Learn how you can create margin to enhance your healing.
Lesson 13: Publishing Options
In this lesson, James and David will share about the practical side of publishing a book — the various types of publishing methods you can choose, the pros and cons of each one, and how to choose a route that makes the most sense for your unique goals.
Lesson 14: Promoting Your Book
This lesson will impart several practical ways to ensure your book’s success, from creating a launch team to developing a strong social media presence. Through it all, you’ll be refreshed and inspired in the dream God gave you to reach His people with your words!
Lesson 15: Your Next Steps
In this lesson, you’ll gain new strategies for your book-writing toolbox, including why it’s so important to keep your relationship with Jesus fresh, how a proposal can help ensure your success, why planning ahead is a spiritual discipline, and why it’s so important to build your platform as you write. Most importantly, you’ll come away with concrete steps and fresh fire to finish the project you started.
social media
Lesson 16: Prayer and Commissioning
In this final lesson, James will impart a powerful blessing over your book-writing process. Whether you are in the early stages of developing an idea, in the throes of writing, or now ready to market your book, you’ll receive fresh encouragement in all the ways He wants to show Himself to the world through the final manuscript you are well-equipped to publish.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Spirit Health

Lesson 2: Soul Ties
When you give your heart and soul to a person, place, or thing, you create a soul tie. Often soul ties are limited to intimate relationships. However, a person can have a soul tie to food, health, trauma, and so much more. Learn how to pray through and disconnect from unhealthy soul ties.

Lesson 3: Offenses
Offenses can impact spiritual and physical health. The Bible talks about offenses, yet few people have connected them to their health. Discover the connection and how to pray through to disconnect from past and present offenses.

Lesson 4: Walls of Resistance
Resistance keeps you stuck where you are. Resistance reflects your brainstem feeling unsafe in moving forward and it will resist your best intentions. Discover where resistance may be sabotaging you.

Lesson 5: Complaining, Unfair, and Worry
The Israelites took forty years to complete an eleven-day journey due to complaining and murmuring. Discover how these habits could be the foxes stealing your best health from you.

Lesson 6: Blessings for Shalom Health
Knowing the power of blessing, we close this class with a shalom blessing for you.

Lesson 7: Staying Connected
This final lesson assimilates everything you have learned into an action plan to move you forward on your whole-health journey. You will learn practical steps you can take to grow in God’s wisdom and increase your strength. Discover how engaging in community can be a powerful tool in helping you prioritize your goals, plan action, and set a course to stay in alignment with the shalom health God has for you. You will end this lesson with the next steps you need to continue your journey into health, wholeness, and fulfilling your destiny in God’s shalom.
Lesson 1: Build a Solid Foundation
When building a physical house to live in, it is impossible to install critical systems such as plumbing and electrical before pouring the foundation for the building to sit on. This is not only true with construction, but also with your finances. Unless you have a foundation of strong financial principles to build upon in proper sequence, your financial house cannot function properly! In this lesson you will learn what these Biblical financial principles are, and how you can implement them to create a solid foundation to build upon.
Lesson 2: Seek Vision, Not Provision
Do you work in your chosen field because you have a vision you are pursuing, or because you’re pursuing the income that the field brings with it? In this lesson, Craig teaches the principle that is critical to understand when it comes to your finances: provision follows vision, not the other way around! 
house
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Blessings as you discover your unique voice to share with the world!
James
Dr. James W. Goll
God Encounters Ministries
About James W. Goll
James W. Goll is the author of over 40 books and is passionate about empowering others to effectively communicate their God-given stories. He is the founder of God Encounters Ministries and Goll Ideation LLC, has his doctorate from Wagner University, is a Certified Independent Life Languages™ Communications Coach, a recording artist, and a consultant to numerous leaders around the world. He is an instructor in the Christian Leadership University and Wagner University. 

James and Michal Ann were married for 32 years before her graduation to heaven in the fall of 2008. James has 4 adult children who are all married, and a growing number of grandchildren. He continues to make his home in Franklin, Tennessee.
James W. Goll
David
David Sluka
Author 
About David Sluka
David Sluka has worked for over 20 years with Christian authors to help them prepare, write, and share the messages God has given them. He is the author of two books and has ghostwritten others. He was the editorial director for BroadStreet Publishing and The Passion Translation, and is now senior acquisitions editor for Chosen Books, a division of the Baker Publishing Group. David makes his home with his wife and children in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
David Sluka
GraceAnn
GraceAnn Visser
Art Therapist 
About GraceAnn Visser
GraceAnn is a Board-Certified Art Therapist. She earned her Master of Arts in Art Therapy from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Lipscomb University for over nine years, where she serves as the Program Leader for the Undergraduate Art Therapy Program. 

GraceAnn’s diverse background includes work in higher education curriculum development, in-patient psychiatric work, and serving several organizations on their Board of Directors. In addition to her work in the Art Therapy and Education world, she also has championed several entrepreneurial endeavors including roles in project management and direct sales. GraceAnn, her husband, Andrew, and their three children live in the Nashville, Tennessee area.
GraceAnn Visser
How to write your book
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