The Bottomless Notebook
March 28, 2007
Reading through a writer’s notebook or journal is like discovering pearls, rubies and diamonds amidst a pile of rubble.
That little notebook is a powerhouse of ideas for every writer: The more you write down bits and pieces of your thoughts and observations, the more you are adding into the well of ideas for future works.
Here are a few things you can record in your notebook or journal, so that in case you run out of ideas to write about, you can refer to it:
Your Shoeboxed Life: Write what you know, feel and experience. Jot down snippets of events in your life. Write a sentence or a paragraph about a funny, embarrassing, happy or infuriating experience.
The Interesting People. Scribble descriptions of people you meet every day. How do they react in certain situations? How do their names fit their image?
A Word a Day. Whenever an interesting word catches your attention, write it down. It may have a different meaning for you a month or a year from now. If you keep a list of words in your notebook, these words can serve as story starters for you.
An Article
March 28, 2007
People love to hear stories. They’ll identify with what you have to say much more easily if you tell them an anecdote that relates to your subject matter.
The danger in using this method is that you can lose your way. Interminable, zig-zagging stories are just as boring in print as they are in real life! Keep your story under control, and it will speak to your reader.
THE RECIPE
1. Choose your subject
2. Tell your story
3. Identify the problem
4. Offer a solution
5. Draw a conclusion or call to action
6. Give your article a catchy title
7. Decide on the length. (Most ezines like articles of around 500 - 800 words.)
THE FINISHED ARTICLE
Title: From Chaos To Contentment: The Pocket Organizer
Like most people, I’m fighting a constant battle to stay organized. I have a range of clients both online and offline and projects due at different times. I’m surrounded by to-do lists, stacks of print-outs, address books, phone lists and folders. Finding something quickly is more of a challenge every day.
3 Quick and Easy Ways to Generate Story Ideas
March 27, 2007
There are many ways you can generate ideas you can use for your stories, articles and other creative pieces. Start with the three ways given below:
1. Put Your 5 Senses to Work
A simple but effective way to generate fresh ideas from a single concept, idea or object is to describe or illustrate it using the 5 senses — sight, smell, touch, taste, sound.
For you to do: Generate 5 specific images or concrete examples (one example for each sense) for the following:
- vindication (what’s the smell of vindication? how does it taste? how does it sound? what does it look like? how does it feel?)
- hesitation
- celebration
2. Take Advantage of Your Conflicts
Conflict is a part of life. It’s also a source of creativity. You only need to look at yourself and examine your experiences to come up with ideas based on conflicts.
For you to do: What’s stopping you from doing something? Who is in the way of you getting what you want? What’s stopping you from taking a career leap? Brainstorm for conflicts in your life and come up with at least 15 in your list.
Success With Newsletters
March 27, 2007
Newsletters really DO work! With just a small amount of effort on your part they will work for you, even if your marketing budget a small.
Customer orientated newsletters are a wonderful way to market your business when on a budget. You can choose to write them yourself or even hire a ghost writer to do the job for you.
One of the most important elements of a newsletter is the title. Not only the main title itself but also the title of each separate news piece. You want something catchy that will peak your customer’s interest? grab their attention.
Stick to the basics. Provide important, relevant and concise information. While it is acceptable to include such content as humor pieces, trivia or even recipes at times, remember the MAIN purpose of this type of newsletter is to SELL your product or service and to INCREASE your customer base.
Newsletters do not have to be long and involved. They do not have to contain a specific number of pages. In fact, many readers prefer a newsletter that can be digested in a matter of a few minutes as opposed to one that is several pages in length. What is important is to provide a regular and informative piece.
Spend a Little Time, Get Free Books Online
March 27, 2007
There’s just something so gratifying about owning your own books and creating an in-home library. Not only does book ownership provide you with hours, and hours of escape and enrichment, a well-stocked library is a great heirloom for future generations.
What’s not gratifying about the pursuit, however, is the ever-rising cost of books both paperback and hardcover. With prices for some novels topping $30 USD, it’s hard for an avid reader to keep up a respectable collection.
Did you know you can build your own library without breaking the bank?
There are lots of places where you can turn a little bit of time into viable merchandise. You can get all kinds of freebies on the Internet by completing offers, answering questions and even playing games. The rewards are many and even include ways for you to get free books online!
Rewards programs know how to help you expand that library without emptying your wallet. All it takes is a little investment of your time and you could begin receiving product freebies, including free books online today.
The Makings of a Personal Essay, Really
March 26, 2007
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing the potential of my own life experiences as essays for magazines. I, of course, fully believe that everything in my life is newsworthy, but sometimes have trouble figuring out which experiences will hit home with other people.
I recently learned the secret, and it can be summarized in one word: Really?
My friends know that I can talk. I mean, I can talk! Get me on the phone and Im likely to tell you all about my day, from my breakfast to my editors latest comments to my insomnia. I dont inflict my tendency toward verbosity on everyone, but at least a few trusted souls get to bear the brunt of my solitary lifestyle and my need to dish.
Their reactions tell me whether or not I have the material for a marketable personal essay.
My all-time best-selling essay is a simple story about a boy who won a stuffed animal for his little sister in a crane machine. When I saw it happen, I was so touched I almost cried. When I retold it to my mom, the tears welled up again. I got to the climactic momentAnd then he bent down and gave the stuffed animal to his little sister and kissed her on the foreheadand my mom asked, Really? Thats so sweet!
How To Write Effective And Unique Articles That Are Optimized for the Search Engines
March 26, 2007
It is a well known fact that writing, distributing and posting articles to various location on the web is an extremely effective way to generate targeted traffic and establish yourself as an experienced marketer in your field. Unique articles that help solve the reader’s problems, assists the reader in advancing their marketing acumen, or otherwise generally inform tend to stay posted on many web sites throughout the Internet and usually generate targeted traffic for the writer.
In order to further maximize the benefits of writing and posting unique articles, it makes good business sense to optimize the articles so the search engines list the URL’s associated with those articles on search engine results pages (SERP’s). Ideally, you’d like to see your article URL on the 1st page of the SERP’s so you can capitalize on the free and targeted traffic from these listings.
So, what type of strategy can be utilized to optimize your articles for the search engines?
There’s quite a few different ways but here are some tactics that you may want to use:
Writing as a Gift
March 26, 2007
What am I supposed to give Anthony as a wedding gift? I asked Kristin, my bridesmaid and person-who-was-married. I mean, what kinds of things do brides give their grooms? I was thinking of hiring someone to clean the house before we left for the honeymoon so wed come back to a spotless house. Is that a good wedding gift?
Um, no, she said gently, so as not to make me feel like an idiot. It should be something personal. Like, you could paint him a picture, or make a scrapbook, or write him a poem…
A poem? Why, I had at least a dozen poems Id written about him that hed never seen. And if I wrote a few more, Id have a whole chapbook!
Thats exactly what I did. Over the next couple of months, I wrote more poems. I wrote the final one the day before our wedding, capturing my feelings on the eve of our marriage. Then I printed them out, three-hole-punched them, made a cardstock cover, and tied the pages together with ribbon.
On our wedding day, I took him aside after our ceremony and read him the last poem. It was a perfect gift.
OK People - Lets Get Real!
March 25, 2007
It’s all about numbers - or so some ezine publishers would have you believe.
10,000 subscribers and counting!
20,000 subscribers and counting!
30,000 subscribers and counting!
You get the picture…or do you?
Now let me ask you - how many of those are actually READING your newsletter? Do you even know? Have you checked?
You might really be surprised!
I’ve got bad news - especially for those publishers who use free ads to entice their readers to subscribe.
If your publication is business-oriented, you’re lucky if 10% ever lay eyes on that wonderful work you labored so long over. And if it’s filled with dozens and dozens of ads from all the free and low-cost ad placement programs now available, I have three words for you -
- can you say, “scan and delete?”
Because that’s exactly what the majority of your subscribers are doing. I promise.
That is, those who are even GETTING your newsletter.
Now I know that most of you, especially the ones who are currently still running those free ads, know that what I am saying is true.
10 Tips for Writing Web Copy
March 25, 2007
One of the most important aspects of a website today is the webcopy - sometimes called the sales letter.
In days gone bye, banners and graphics were all important but now it’s the words that do the selling.
This short article will give you some pointers about writing good webcopy.
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Latest Stories
- Mozilla Firefox 3.0 Is Here
- Top Six Lies About Book Marketing: (And the Truths to Set Your Book Free!)
- Talking Pictures Are the Go!
- Sales Headline Copywriting ? Two Quick Steps to Success
- 5 Plus One Internet Marketing Strategies to Improve Article Quality to Increase WebTraffic
- How Can You Find Out The Salary Of A Freelance Proofreader?
- How to Write a Resume That Stands Out From The Crowd
- Depression Can Turn into Joy
- The Best and Fastest Way to Get Unlimited Free Back Links Guaranteed!
- 7 Keys to Writing a Children’s Book that Sells Like Hotcakes
