Showing posts with label how to write for success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to write for success. Show all posts

Thursday, 16 April 2026

WHY I WROTE ‘HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS – VOLUME I, II, and III

 




My writing journey began after I retired from the corporate

 world, and my first memoir, I am Cancer Free, was published

 in June 2013. 

I was a successful banker, and after I retired from banking, I

 moved on to insurance, where I excelled. I qualified for the

 prestigious Million Dollar Round Table six times in a row and

 gained Life Membership. As I was an MDRT member, I had

 the privilege to attend the MDRT Conferences abroad. 

Those opportunities helped me to expand my knowledge in

 new areas. After my near-death experience with cancer, I

 wrote, I am Cancer Free. I also wrote four other memoirs, My Life as a Banker, and one about my life after banking, Retirement is Fun.  I travelled extensively on vacations and conferences for many years of my life during my Banking and Insurance careers, and I wrote Travel Memoirs

I compiled and published my father’s memoirs, Memoirs of Dr.

 A. M. Khan. He was an Educator.

When I wrote my first book in 2013, I was just writing for

 pleasure. In fact, it was not for pleasure because the book

 was about my bout with cancer. I wanted to relate my experience with that dreaded disease so that others in similar circumstances could learn from it. I made no effort to do any marketing of the book. I did not realise that although I had written one book, I was a writer, a business manager, marketer, and entrepreneur.

The book sold on its own because of the name, but if I had

 marketed it properly, I could have obtained a greater amount

 of sales. I kept on writing. I wrote a few more books, but I was

 not doing anything to put them into the hands of readers or

 obtain reviews. I did not even have social media accounts.

One day, I heard my niece talking about Facebook, and I

 decided to open a Facebook page. I joined several Facebook

 discussion groups for authors. From the discussions, I

 realized I needed to advertise my books if I wanted reviews.

I decided to take the easy way out and give up writing. I

 thought that I was a failure at it. However, I remembered the

 words of Anthony Robbins in his international bestseller,

 “Unlimited Power.”

‘There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.

 Failure is something that is not perceived by people who

 achieve greatness. They do not dwell on it.’ 

 Another small voice within me reminded me that my motto all

 my life was, “Never give up.” 

I reflected on my life. When things were rough, I never gave up

 on banking, and I climbed the ladder to success.

In 2014, I wrote Heart-Warming Tales and Stories People

 Love. Both books are short story collections.  They each

 received five-star reviews from readers, but I still felt that I

 needed to write some more exciting stories.

In 2016, an idea for a science fiction series came to me, and in

 February 2016, I published Zeeka and the

 ZombiesRevenge of Zeeka Book 1. Within a few months, I

 released Zeeka’s Child Book 2 and Zeeka Returns Book 3.

I had compiled the first three books into a trilogy

 called Revenge of Zeeka: Horror Trilogy. In September

 2016, I submitted the trilogy to Reader’s Favorite for a free

 review. The book received a five-star review and a five-star

 seal.

In 2017, I added two more books to the series - Zeeka’s

 Ghost Book 4 and Resurrection Book 5. I compiled the five

 books into one book called Zeeka Chronicles

I sent Zeeka Chronicles to Reader’s Favorite International,

 and it received a five-star review and five-star seal. In

 September 2017, the book won an award in the Best Science

 Fiction category of the SIBA Awards.   

Because of the many successes that I achieved in 2017, I

 decided to write How to Write for Success as a guide for

 new authors.

In that book, which I published on my birthday, 1st December

 2017, I explained the steps I took to become a better writer.

I had a burning desire to share my knowledge with new

 writers. 

I believe that mistakes are stepping-stones to success.

The book covers how to plan a story, draft the plot, write

 narrative and dialogue, build characters, build a story world,

 and do the nitty-gritty stuff before and after you publish your

 book. I also delved into how to market the book, get sales,

 and reviews, and gave a practical example of how to publish a

 book. When these salient matters are clear in your mind, you

 can feel comfortable starting your writing journey. The book

 received a five-star review from Reader’s Favorite

 International.

In 2018, I was elated to receive the gold award for Zeeka

Chronicles in the Science Fiction category of the Emagazine

 Reader’s Choice Awards. The book also placed in the top ten

 finalists for the Author Academy Global Awards.

In 2018, I received the best news. Zeeka Chronicles won an

 award in the Reader’s Favorite International Book Awards

 2018, in the category of young adult, and I am Cancer Free

 won an award in the category of Health and Fitness at the

 same award function. It was a double celebration.

I travelled to Miami to receive those awards.

In 2018, Memoirs of Dr. A.M. Khan: Journey of an Educator

 received four five-star reviews from Reader’s Favorite

 International.

I continued to receive awards for Stories People Love, How to

 Write for Success, and Zeeka Chronicles.

I also wrote Volume II of How to Write for Success, which

 focuses not only on publishing and marketing, but on writing

 characters, writing for kids, memoirs, and fiction.  Self-

Publishing Tips is the third in the How to Write for Success

 three-book series, and a simple guide for new and aspiring

 authors who want to be independent and learn the art of self-

publishing.

To date, I have published 68 books, 68 audiobooks spanning

 various genres, including science fiction, memoir, horror,

 mystery, romance, self-help, poetry, children's books,

 anthologies, magazines, and three screenplays for my sci-fi,

 horror, and romance novels.

My horror screenplay for Zeeka and the Zombies II was

 selected as a finalist in the 13Horror-com Film & Screenplay

 Contest in September 2025.

My romance/mystery screenplay, The Gift of Love, was

 selected in the Quarterfinals Stage 32 + DramaBox

 Screenwriting Competition in April 2026.

NEVER GIVE UP!

FOLLOW ME ON MY WEBSITE


Friday, 24 May 2024

STRUGGLING TO FIND A PUBLISHER FOR YOUR DEBUT BOOK

 



STRUGGLING TO FIND A PUBLISHER FOR YOUR DEBUT BOOK?

No longer HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS remains a question that is unanswered for many.
The book written by BRENDA MOHAMMED, inspired the author to establish a Literary forum with three sub-forums and growing membership.
This bestselling book received a five-star review from Readers Favorite one month after it was published in December 2017.
In August 2019 it topped all the books in the Non-Fiction category of Connections Emagazine Readers' Choice awards and won the gold medal in the category of non-fiction.
It also placed second in all categories and won the silver medal. The irony of this was that Brenda's romance novel, 'Stories People Love,' placed first in all categories and won the gold medal.
The merits of the book HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS were featured in a review in the Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition on February 16th, 2020.
EXTRACT OF READERS’ FAVORITE REVIEW
“If you are now getting into writing read this book before you begin. The ideas generated will be of great help to you as Brenda uses her own experiences as she said, from her trials and errors in her writing journey. You will learn a lot from the Questions and Answers Segment of the book. I did.
The courage and creativity of writing a book are only surpassed by the eager willingness of those more experienced than we to take the time to offer their wisdom.
I say to all who have something to say, if you aspire to say it, then say it well, but take the time to learn from others who have not only experienced success but are willing to teach.
This book offers such valuable information for all of us experienced or not!
Thank you, Brenda!”

Brenda also wrote How to Write for Success II and Self Publishing Tips.



Wednesday, 24 April 2024

FULFILL YOUR DREAM TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK

 


FULFILL YOUR DREAM TO PUBLISH
Writing and Publishing a book is the dream of every new and aspiring author. Author Brenda Mohammed, who self-published 60 books, has created this series for just that purpose.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS – VOLUME ONE, received a five-star review from Readers Favorite one month after it was published in December 2017.
In August 2019, it topped all the books in the Non-Fiction category of Connections Emagazine Readers' Choice awards and won the gold medal in the non-fiction category. It also placed second in all categories and won the silver medal.{ First place went to another of her books - STORIES PEOPLE LOVE ] The merits of the book HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS were featured in a review in the Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition on February 16th, 2020.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS - VOLUME TWO written by Author Brenda Mohammed is meant to help new and aspiring authors fulfill their dream of writing a book.
While Volume One focused on general aspects of writing for success, Volume Two is not only on publishing, and marketing, but also on writing characters, writing for kids, memoirs, and fiction.
SELF PUBLISHING TIPS is a simple writing and publishing guide for new and aspiring authors who want to be independent and learn the art of self-publishing.
The book is useful for new, as well as seasoned writers.
All three books should be in a writer’s library.
GET THEM ON AMAZON


Monday, 26 February 2024

FULFILL YOUR DREAM TO PUBLISH





FULFILL YOUR DREAM TO PUBLISH 

Writing and Publishing a book is the dream of every new and aspiring author. Author Brenda Mohammed, who self-published 58 books, has created this series for just that purpose.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS – VOLUME ONE, received a five-star review from Readers Favorite one month after it was published in December 2017.
In August 2019, it topped all the books in the Non-Fiction category of Connections Emagazine Readers' Choice awards and won the gold medal in the non-fiction category. It also placed second in all categories and won the silver medal. { First place went to another of my books - STORIES PEOPLE LOVE ]

The merits of the book HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS were featured in a review in the Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition on February 16th, 2020.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS - VOLUME TWO written by Author Brenda Mohammed is meant to help new and aspiring authors fulfill their dream of writing a book.
While Volume One focused on general aspects of writing for success, Volume Two is not only on publishing, and marketing, but also on writing characters, writing for kids, memoirs, and fiction.
SELF PUBLISHING TIPS is a simple writing and publishing guide for new and aspiring authors who want to be independent and learn the art of self-publishing.
The book is useful for new, as well as seasoned writers.
All three books should be in a writer’s library.
 

Saturday, 3 February 2024

How to Write for Success Literary Magazine: 6th Anniversary Issue







How to Write for Success Literary Magazine: 6th Anniversary Issue


The How to Write for Success Literary Forum celebrated its 6th Anniversary with its Literary Ambassadors, longstanding members, top contributors, and Founders of many Forums on 6th February 2024.
The articles and poems submitted by well-wishers to this magazine were compiled and published by the Founder of the Forum, Trinidadian Brenda Mohammed, in both EBook and Paperback.
The Magazine was edited by the Chief Literary Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago, Florabelle Lutchman.
Fiona Gobin, Literary Ambassador assisted the Founder with the Cover design.
Certificates were awarded to all participants.
Both members and the Administration have lived up to the name, ‘How to Write for Success.’
At How to Write for Success Literary Forum, founded by Brenda Mohammed, the motto is, Sharing Literary Talent Worldwide.”
The EBook was FREE between Tuesday, February 6th, 2024, 12:00 AM PST and Saturday, February 10th, 2024, 11:59 PM PST, but has now reverted to US $1.99.

Tuesday, 20 June 2023

A WRITER'S JOURNEY


 Trinidadian Author Brenda Mohammed was a successful bank manager at Republic Bank Limited [ formerly Barclays Bank D.C.O.] in Trinidad, where she was employed for 38 years.

Brenda started working at the bank in Trinidad after graduating from St. Augustine Girls’ High school, at the age of sixteen years. She pursued a Diploma in Banking at the Institute of Bankers in London with subjects in English Language, Law Relating to Banking, Bookkeeping, Elements of Banking, Economics, and Monetary Theory and Practice.

Because of Brenda’s love for service to customers and her dedication to her job, she moved up the ranks rapidly, and worked in several departments of the bank at several branches throughout the island.

She gained several promotions to Supervisory and Senior Supervisory level, but her first real step up the ladder, was when she was promoted to the Manager’s Assistant to grant loans and overdrafts to individuals and businesses.

She handled this position successfully, as a result of which she was appointed by the Board of Directors of the Bank, as Branch Manager of one of the bank’s branches.

She was further promoted to Area Credit Manager, and then to Commercial Credit Manager, to handle financial proposals from corporate businesses and individuals. Her judgement in assessing these proposals were very accurate and her work was evident in the villages in which she worked, as they changed into towns in a short time, and aided in the development of the economy of Trinidad and Tobago.

She retired from the bank at the age of 55 and moved into Insurance where she excelled as well.

Besides passing the State Licenses examination for both Life and General Insurance, Brenda studied and obtained a Diploma in Life Underwriting from the American College, USA. [LUTCF].

Because of her consistent volume of high sales, she qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table, the Premier Association for Financial Professionals, [MDRT] six times in a row, and attended MDRT Conferences in various parts of America, with thousands of financial professionals from all countries of the world.

Her writing journey began after her bout with cancer which almost killed her. Miraculously, she survived after obtaining treatment and surgery at the Sylvester Cancer Centre in the University of Miami hospital.

She wrote a book I AM CANCER FREE eight years after her near-death experience, and it became a best seller. The book won an award in Reader’s Favorite International in 2018 in the category Health and Fitness.

She also wrote a memoir, My Life as a Banker, about her experiences at the bank, and the expansion and changes the bank had undergone, from manual to mechanization, and then to computerization.

Thereafter, she continued writing and has published 56 books in multi-genres to date. Among her publications are eleven anthologies and four magazines co-authored by members of the How to Write for Success Literary Network that she founded.

Her genres include memoirs, science fiction, romance, self-help, mystery, children’s books, psychological thrillers, Christian books, poetry, magazines, and poetry anthologies.

Her superb writing skills won her several literary awards in the USA, Peru, Kazakhstan, Seychelles, Nigeria, India, Romania, Argentina, Ukraine, Morocco, Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Barcelona, France, Switzerland, Italy, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Germany, Austria, Syria, Portugal, Czech Republic, China, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Pakistan, Syria, Chile, and the UK.

She was inducted into the Indie Author's Wall of Fame in the USA. in January 2020.

Brenda made headlines in several newspapers in Trinidad and around the world, even in Ethiopia, and Canada.

Many of her books received five-star reviews from Reader’s Favorite International, and many attained the No 1 bestseller ranking on release.

In November 2018, she won two awards from Reader’s Favorite International for her science fiction book, ‘Zeeka Chronicles’ in the category Young Adult Thriller, and her Memoir, ‘I am Cancer Free’ in the category Health and Fitness. She flew from Trinidad to Miami to receive these awards in a gala ceremony at the Regency Hotel.

In that same year, her book Zeeka Chronicles made it to the Top Ten List in the Author Academy Global Awards, USA.

Three of her books won gold awards in Connection EMagazine Readers’ Choice Awards - Zeeka Chronicles, [2019] Stories People love, [2020] and How to Write for Success [2020].

In Sept 2021 Brenda’s mystery book, Barry Holmes Mysteries, won her BEST WRITER - FANTASY Award in the Culture, Literature, and Research Awards in India and in 2023 it won an award from The International Chamber of Writers and Artists [CIESART].

An article about her self-help book, How to Write for Success, appeared in the Sunday Ethiopian Herald on 16th February 2020. The article was written by Alem Hailu, Deputy Editor in Chief and was titled, ‘How to melt the world into words.’

Here are his opening words in the lengthy article:

Aside from relating how the author-poet Brenda Mohammed in an exemplary manner consummated her life journey full of hairpin turns and precipices, and with success navigating the twists and turns of the arduous track of life, engaging in different walks of life like insurance and banking, her book entitled HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS renders a handy comprehensive toolkit for writers, critics, and editors.

As a novelist, book reviewer, and editor myself, I wish I had this book by my bedside for reference in my previous literary pursuits, for unlike other books, I made recourse to, in a bid to fathom the literary devices, authors, as well as book reviewers, are expected to well digest, HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS profits a wide array of writers if they, in good time, upload it in their backpacks.

In demonstrating the devices, presumably at the tip of her fingers, in a vivid and lucid as well as friendly manner, no instructor comes close to Brenda Mohammed, who was in the chalk and talk business earlier in her life, before she branched off into literature.”

Brenda loves to share her knowledge and is a voluntary instructor in Self-Publishing for the Facebook group – School of Arts and Poetry. She has successfully encouraged many new and aspiring writers to publish books.

She founded the Facebook group, How to Write for Success Literary Network with a sub-forum for Book Reviews.

Brenda is an advocate for Peace and an advocate against Domestic Violence and Suicide. Together with several international bestselling co-authors from her Facebook groups, she has published seven No 1 best-selling anthologies for these causes: A Spark of Hope I, II and III, Break the Silence I and II, and two groundbreaking anthologies – Peace Begins with us, and Creating a better World.

President and Founder of Unión Hispanomundial De Escritores, Peru, Carlos Hugo Garrido Chalen, appointed her as President of UHE Trinidad and Tobago in 2019.

In May 2022, she was appointed President of International Chamber of Writers and Artists Intercontinental [CIESART], for the Trinidad and Tobago office, and is working on several humanitarian projects.

Brenda and her family have travelled extensively throughout the world.

She has conducted book signings and hosted Book Fairs in Trinidad and Tobago.

Her YouTube Channel for her Video Book Trailers, songs, and travel memories, https://youtube.com/c/BrendaMohammed, received numerous views.

FOLLOW BRENDA MOHAMMED ON AMAZON 

Sunday, 9 April 2023

HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS THREE BOOK SERIES BY BRENDA MOHAMMED

 



HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS THREE BOOK SERIES  BY BRENDA MOHAMMED

Writing and Publishing a book is the dream of every new and aspiring author. Author Brenda Mohammed, who self-published 55 books, has created this series for just that purpose.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS – VOLUME ONE, received a five-star review from Readers Favorite one month after it was published in December 2017.
In August 2019, it topped all the books in the Non-Fiction category of Connections Emagazine Readers' Choice awards and won the gold medal in the category of non-fiction. It also placed second in all categories and won the silver medal. The merits of the book HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS were featured in a review in the Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition on February 16th, 2020.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS - VOLUME TWO written by Author Brenda Mohammed is meant to help new and aspiring authors fulfill their dream of writing a book.
While Volume One focused on general aspects of writing for success, Volume Two is not only on publishing, and marketing, but on writing characters, writing for kids, memoirs, and fiction.
SELF PUBLISHING TIPS is a simple writing and publishing guide for new and aspiring authors who want to be independent and learn the art of self-publishing.
The book is useful for new, as well as seasoned writers.
All three books should be in a writer’s library.

GET THE THREE KINDLE VERSIONS ON AMAZON 

THEY ONLY COST $6.97

Thursday, 2 February 2023

HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS

 



HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS

WRITING AND PUBLISHING A BOOK IS THE DREAM OF EVERY NEW AND ASPIRING WRITER.
HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS: VOLUME 1 received a five-star review from Readers Favorite one month after it was published in December 2017.
In August 2019, it topped all the books in the Non-Fiction category of Connections Emagazine Readers' Choice awards and won the gold medal in the category of non-fiction. It also placed second in all categories and won the silver medal. The irony of this was that Brenda's romance novel, 'Stories People Love,' placed first in all categories and won the gold medal.
The merits of the book HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS were featured in a review in the Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition on February 16th, 2020.

HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS - VOLUME TWO written by Author Brenda Mohammed is meant to help new and aspiring authors fulfill that dream.
While Volume One focused on general aspects of writing for success, Volume Two focuses on not only publishing, and marketing, but on writing characters, writing for kids, memoirs, and fiction.

SELF PUBLISHING TIPS is a simple writing and publishing guide for new and aspiring authors who want to be independent and learn the art of self-publishing.
The author, Brenda Mohammed has successfully self-published 53 books to date.
Many of her books attained bestselling rankings on release, and she won several international literary awards.
The book is useful for new, as well as seasoned writers.

Saturday, 26 February 2022

MAKE YOUR DREAMS TO BE A WRITER COME TRUE


A  multi-award-winning and best-selling author herself, Brenda Mohammed shows how you can achieve recognition in an author's world and become successful.

She shows you how to become a best-selling author and an award-winning author.
The books teach skills to achieve your dreams and goals.
Get both Volumes on Amazon.
Banner: Courtesy Sania Zakir