How to Get Started on Writing Killer Articles
April 27, 2007
I once wrote an article in which I offered the following tip on how to speak eloquently in public: Talk about something that you’re passionate about.
When we speak about matters that are dear to our hearts, we often find wellsprings of eloquence from which we can draw.
I offer similar advice to anyone who wants to learn how to write with flair and style.
Start by writing about something that you feel deeply and passionately about.
The same hearty emotions that lend eloquence to an orator can also provide a jumpstart to an aspiring writer.
What’s more, we are likely to be well-informed about matters that we hold dear, and we are likely to have spent many hours pondering their significance in our minds.
Of course, this is no magic bullet.
An aspiring writer still needs to master the mechanics of proper composition, as well as develop his own style.
Still, these skills can only come about through practice-and if you’re going to practice, it helps to start with topics that we can launch into with great passion and aplomb.
About The Author
Learning to Question Your Elephant Child: Who, What, Where, When and Why
April 27, 2007
Having problems writing? I don’t know why. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll writes up to five columns a week. After all, if he can write five columns, you should be able to write a five-lined poem-but that does not seem to be the case.
How does he do it? Carroll claimed to recite lines from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Elephant Child”:
“I have six humble serving men
They taught me all I knew
Their names are what
And where and when
And why and how and who.”
I’m more than sure that two incentives for Jon Carroll are 1.) Creating deadlines and 2.) His salary! Yes, we writers DO get paid every now and then!
Basing my philosophies on those few lines of Kipling’s “The Elephant Child”, my advice is to “Simply Ask Questions”. Rummage through some old work (whether it be poetry, nonfiction, or fiction) that you’ve written and use the following techniques to enhance your skills. And, then, ask yourself the follow questions.
WHAT is the underlying theme?
Tips on Using Constant Contact to Create Your Company Newsletter
April 26, 2007
If you run your own business like I do, you don’t have much time to spend fudging around with new programs. Here are some tricks I picked up while using Constant Contact’s email marketing software to create my company newsletter.
First things first: gather up some subscribers!
Before you do anything, place the subscriber sign-up box on your website, and anywhere else that your portfolio is displayed online. You can’t send out a newsletter if you have no subscribers! By the time you’re finished learning the Constant Contact ropes, you’ll have at the very least a handful of interested readers-but hopefully, more!
Make your visitor sign-up form as simple as possible.
You’ve already lucked out once because someone took time out of their busy day to pay attention to you. The worst thing you can possibly do now is make them work to become a subscriber. To simplify the process, go to Constant Contact’s More Features section where you can “Customize Your Visitor Sign-Up Form.” Other than their Name, Company Name and State, uncheck all the contact information boxes. You can always take down their information later, if they decide to become an actual client.
Writing Effective Sales Copy
April 26, 2007
Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always true: products do not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy? Words.
Marketing gurus learned long ago that it’s the words salespeople speak and ads present which are critical to the decision to buy or not to buy. So how can you be sure that they copy on your site, in your sales material, and in your promotions is effective?
You have two choices:
1) Hire a professional copywriter
2) Do It Yourself
In order to keep expenses low, most home-based businesses prefer the second option. If you do as well, you should follow these simple guidelines:
1) AIDA
AIDA is an acronym which stands for Attention, Internet, Desire, and Action. This is essentially an outline for how to effectively write your sales copy. First, you must grab your audience’s attention by using exciting headlines, shocking statistics, or surprising facts, such as in the examples below:
“Learn the Secrets of Becoming a Millionaire”
“In less than 5 seconds, your audience has developed its first impression of you.”
“Seventy-five percent of people would quit their jobs and work from home if the right opportunity arose.”
Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor? Part 1
April 26, 2007
If you either want to write a book to help others create a better life and boost business or you already have your book nearly finished, you may need book coaching to answer all of your questions “What step to take next?” Many writers think that all they need is a good editor and their book will be ready for publishing and promoting.
Maybe you think you don’t have enough time to write it yourself. You may want a ghost writer to finish the research and get it out.
But you need to start by consulting with a book coach who knows your book category, who your market is, and where to find them. Your book coach also knows what makes up a saleable title and can help guide you to write a great seller by knowing your thesis, your audience, your “tell and sell,” and the correct introduction. When you incorporate these essential “hot-selling” points before you write many chapters, you will then write a compelling, organized, easy-to read page turner.
Don’t hire a ghost writer before you know exactly what you need to write, publish, and promote a great-selling book.
Book Marketing 101 for the Self-Published Author — Getting Started
April 25, 2007
No matter what any publisher or marketing company tells you (even the traditional publishing houses), you, the author, are almost 100% the reason your book will sell.
It is your belief, excitement, enthusiasm, and energy that will get a reader excited about buying your book.
Publishers are certainly a vehicle by which you can communicate your passion to the rest of the world, but, for ANYTHING to happen you’ll need to know a few things about yourself and your book — and be able to communicate them very clearly.
1 — What is your definition of success for your book?
Some authors write and self publish for themselves and their families only -? they don’t dream of their books as bestsellers in the marketplace. Some authors write for a very specific personal need to tell their story. Some have unique insight into very specific topics. Many have dreams of seeing their book in the front of Borders or Barnes & Noble. Each author is different, but you MUST decide what your real definition of success happens to be. Don’t try to pursue a goal that may not be what you actually feel is important.
The Unwritten World Of The Reality Of Letterwriting
April 25, 2007
You may wonder why I have chosen this title of this post. Well from my experience is that it is really hard to put the feeling into words about what letter writing means to me. Letter writing is becoming a lost art on many levels. It is fading into the background of society. It is still practised by many people. It is those people that I am looking to connect with. I have been told by many people whom have read my posts that they feel the same way about letter writing as I do. I want to hear from those people what they feel; I want to hear their words.
I think that it is so important that we embrace the things that we are passionate about. In this case, I want people from all walks of life, all over the world. Put a pen to paper that is letter writing; pen pals, snail mail whatever it is you call it and tell your story about what writing and receiving actual physical mail in the mail box means to you.
Article Marketing 101 ? Article Writing Establishes You as an Expert
April 25, 2007
If you market online, whether it be your own information products or services or someone else’s products (as an affiliate marketer), you need people both to see and buy your offers.
But most people won’t buy your product or service until they trust you. Trust comes only after you have built credibility with people. One way credibility comes is by establishing yourself in your market as an expert. You can become an expert in several ways:
- by publishing original and unique content on your website
- by creating and distributing an ecourse or ebook
- by publishing your own ezine or newsletter
- by publishing your articles in someone else’s ezine
Here is the secret to establishing credibility: Publishing articles and content in other people’s ezines or on their websites.
Search engines like good links anchored to solid content and searchers like to find solid content when they search for information. When you supply informative articles that meet the needs of both groups, search engines begin to rank your linked pages higher in their ratings, and searchers are happy because their questions were answered without a sales pitch.
How To Stay Fit While Writing
April 24, 2007
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing that novel or story, and over time, this can become a potential problem. Their metabolism may slow down and the pounds can inch up. Statistics show all kinds of health problems associated with obesity.
If you’re an author, you are aware how your image plays a role in promoting your books. You are asked to speak or lecture at a gathering, or promote your books doing book tours and signings. Or even better yet, you’re asked to go on a TV show, like Oprah! That is not the time to think about losing weight! You have to start now, before that book goes out on the shelves, so when you go on that stage or in front of the television, you’re looking and feeling good.
How can you tell if you’re obese? Here are a few ways to tell ?
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/statobes.htm#table
Top 10 Tips to Complete a Creative Writing Project Without Losing Your Creativity
April 24, 2007
Have you ever started a creative writing project with great excitement, only to have your interest dwindle as the process, itself, interfere with your creativity? How do you keep the momentum going and continue to enjoy the creative process? Follow these tips for high creativity, fun and success!
1. Create a writing environment that inspires you.
Create a place in your home or outdoors that calls you to write. Consider light, color, sound, scent, taste, writing materials.
2. Follow The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.
I highly recommend this book. It keeps you focused, observant, playful, and creative - and it keeps you believing in yourself as a writer!
3. Choose your writing project in a joyful way.
When choosing a writing project, come from your heart - not your head. Be playful. Be creative about how you choose your project.
4. Make a creative representation of the project’s ideal end.
Draw, paint - use a creative medium other than writing to represent the completed project. Consider, especially, how you will feel when it’s done. Put your model in a prominent place. Use this to trigger the desired feeling, before the completion - every day!
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