Finding reason, finding rhyme
Some book ideas from clients arrive with beautiful storytelling that wanders like a desert trail with no destination in mind. Others have meticulously planned structures but lack the magic that makes readers fall in love with a book. Both remind me of tourists asking whether the G or L train will take them to Times Square. (Pro tip: Neither.) You can't get anywhere without a reason or a rhyme.
After two decades in publishing, even before I was dubbed “Queen ofEverything” by one of my favorite book collaborators, I discovered that finding the sweet spot between structure and story requires something unexpected: the tension between these opposing creative forces.
Twelve years ago, I made what seemed like a foolish, foolish decision that changed everything. I used my inheritance to buy a jackrabbit shack on five acres of cat’s claw and possibility in the Mojave Desert. That split-second impulse has since become my secret weapon for helping clients find their reason and share their rhyme.
The Queen’s Discovery: Why Your Book Needs NYC Hustle + Desert Soul
NYC’s density creates constant convergence—ideas, cultures, and perspectives colliding in productive friction. The crush of humanity creates urgency and focus. Meanwhile, the desert offers divergence—thoughts expanding outward without constraints, where possibilities stretch as far as the horizon. This tension between compression and expansion taught me something crucial: structure doesn’t constrain creativity—it liberates it.
Most authors think they need to choose: Be strategic OR be creative. Build a framework OR trust the flow. Follow the market OR follow their heart. But the most powerful books emerge when analytical thinking meets intuitive storytelling—when reason meets with rhyme.
Royal Decree: Your Book’s Structure Is Your Creative Liberation
The Challenge: You have brilliant insights but struggle to organize them coherently. Or you’ve mapped out every detail but the writing feels lifeless and mechanical.
The Queen’s Approach: I think of your book’s structure like your own skeleton: a solid framework invisibly supports the message of your book and even liberates it.
When we work together on your book, like a NYC commuter, I help you build the framework with laser focus—organizing your expertise, clarifying your core message, creating chapter logic that serves your vision. In the desert mindset,I help you fill that framework with wonder—finding the stories that make readers lean in, the moments that transform information into transformation.
How the Queen Works
For each chapter or section, we identify your core message. Then I ask a magic question along the lines of: “When / How / What made did you realize this was your message?”
It's such a simple question, I'm almost embarrassed to ask it. But every time, it opens the box of memories. Whether you’re someone who loves meticulous planning or prefers natural discovery, this approach lets us support your expertise with its most powerful expression. Now you have my royal permission to wander into the rich territory of storytelling—we both know your prose (and readers) won’t get lost.
Royal Case Study: A recent client had years of leadership insights but felt overwhelmed by the scope and detail. We created a five-part structure around his life’s events and populated each section with the pivotal moments from his life that shaped his core philosophy. The structure held his wisdom; the stories made readers feel it.
When Your Vision Needs the Queen’s Touch
The most transformative books don’t pick sides between analytical rigor and storytelling magic—they harness the productive tension between both. Your big ideas deserve both backbone and beating heart. The structure gives your stories direction; your stories give the structure soul.
Is your brilliant idea stuck choosing between strategy and story? Ready to discover how the right framework can actually unleash your most powerful writing?
Let’s explore how your unique vision might benefit from this royal approach to creative contrast. Contact me to discuss how we can help your transformative idea find its perfect balance between strategy and soul!
Elizabeth Smith is a ghostwriter, developmental editor, and book strategist with two decades of publishing experience—and a southpaw with a mean right hook. Between her NYC boxing gym and Mojave Desert maison, she helps thinkers, creatives, and organizations articulate their ideas through books that resonate deeply. Ready to transform your vision into a book with impact? Let's connect!
