Earlier this week I finally sent my book off to my editor. During the process of writing my book there have been times when I have felt it was literally, physically fighting me. My body was sore. I found bruises and scratches on my body I couldn’t explain and I was always so tired. Jacob wrestled with an angel. I wrestled with words.

One day while taking a walk with my husband Edward he asked, “What is your book about exactly? I’ve been trying to tell people but I can’t. I don’t have an elevator pitch.”

The problem was I didn’t either.

I realized writing this book had been so difficult because I couldn’t figure out what kind of book I wanted it to be. Would this be a manifesto about being a feminist writer and teacher? Would this be a memoir about my life as a blogger and entrepreneur? Or should this be a manual meant to teach women how to use their words to make money and make a difference?  Then I wrote my “elevator pitch” and realized I wanted my book to be all these things at once.

An elevator pitch for your personal brand would tell who you are, what you do, for whom you do it, and perhaps even why you do what you do. An elevator pitch for your non-fiction book would essentially do the same: What kind of book are you writing? Who are you writing it for? What do you hope it will accomplish?

Part memoir, part manual, part manifesto, my book shares stories of my life as a feminist writer while giving women practical advice on how they can use their own stories to make money and make a difference. The book seeks to inspire women to write and live lives worth writing about.

Once I wrote this elevator pitch I suddenly got unstuck and was able to move forward with my manuscript. The draft I sent to my editor is still really, really rough. I know I have a lot more work to do. But sending it was a big accomplishment, nonetheless, and as one of my favorite quotes says, “Finishing things creates momentum.” So now I have the motivation to make whatever changes will be necessary to turn this manuscript into the book that it should be.

What’s the elevator pitch for your work in progress?