Often when people purchase Desperate Buyers Only they want to write on topics that come from personal experiences.

But the most common complaint I hear is, “I’ve worked and raised a family. I’ve never had the time for a hobby. I probably don’t have anything desperate to write about.”

Poppycock! (That’s a word I live to say on a weekly basis.)

Nobody amongst us has a “normal” life. “Normal” meaning not being able to extract some valuable life lessons.

Everybody has a salable moment or two. It’s almost always just a matter of shining the light on the moments so that you (the writer) can understand their value.

Here are 10 questions (okay more than 10) that’ll help you extract the desperate topics from your everyday life.

1) What type of work have you done? Were you exceptionally good at a particular task? Did you reach a particularly tough milestone that most people in your position fail to do?

For example, my cousin – a customer service rep – recently got her evaluation at work. She was the only person in her department to have received a 5 (out of a possible 5 points) for the way she handles her customers.

Could that be an ebook? Angled to the right audience, most definitely.

2) Was there a piece of advice your mother, father, grandfather, or favorite aunt imparted to you that rang true your entire life? Did it help you avoid disastrous results? How?

3) Did you have an unusual experience with your children? Did you homeschool a (now) Harvard grad? Was there a crisis (drug addiction, phobias) that they overcame? Did you turn your picky eater into a prolific muncher?

I started teaching my daughter to read at the age of 3. Now at 5 she’s reading 2nd grade level books with ease. She handwrites letters to her grandparents and even pens her own stories.

Do you think other parents would be desperate to know my techniques? Of course.

4) Do you know more than one language? How did you learn it? Do you have an interesting educational approach to your linguistic skills?

5) Where have you lived? Did you ever have a negative experience with your living situation? Were you evicted? Did you buy a house after a foreclosure or a bankruptcy? Did you find a cheap apartment in an expensive city?

6) Did you get straight A’s in school? Were you able to consistently crank out A+ term papers that were written in 48 hours or less? Were your note taking skills so good that you didn’t have to study? Did you conquer a class that you’d previously failed?

7) Did you lose 100 lbs in 100 days? Have you been able to maintain your ideal weight, even though you love to eat? Have you found that eating a certain food helps you with your physical health?

8) Have you managed to keep your love life as exciting as the honeymoon? Did you divorce and re-marry the same person? What were your lessons learned the second time around? How do you keep your marriage spicy when your spouse is in the military or travels a lot? If you’re single, how do you keep your dating coffers full?

9) Did you overcome a specific health crisis? Did you beat the doctors predictions with an unusual form of treatment? Do you attribute your super tight abs to something other than exercise? Has your advice on treating the flu always been spot on?

10) Have you failed at something important? What advice can you give to others who are doing what you did? What can you tell them to avoid failure?

After you’ve honestly answered these questions I want you to begin looking at every life situation as potential desperate material. Sometimes the only way to write the ebook is to see the writing in your own life.