Why I Killed My Muse … And You Should Too
Posted on Apr 7, 2009 12:40:35 PM
Last night in the dark following midnight I killed my muse (suffocating her quietly with a pillow) and buried her in my back garden. Today I will plant a roses to hide the grave. No one will ever know and I will be free at last of her insidious hold and I will be able to write what I want.
Why did I resort to this deed? After all my muse was lovely and gave me many gifts over the years. She saw me through dark times and helped mark the joyous ones. Many times she inspired me to reach for more and push myself beyond what I thought I could achieve. Knowing all this why would I kill the very source of my inspiration?
Oh, I had my reasons…
It started out quietly. As I would sit at my keyboard or curl up with a notebook, she would perch on my shoulder as was her wont to do. “I don’t think you meant to write that sentence,” she would whisper in my ear. “That doesn’t sound like the best description,” she would snipe. “Is that the best you can do?” she would sneer.
I took to sneaking my writing in when I knew she was occupied elsewhere. She never could resist critiquing the writing in the morning paper if it was left spread on the kitchen table. That way I could sometimes write several pages before she began her commentary. “Surely you can find a better way to approach this topic,” her mocking voice would interrupt. “That has been so done.”
Soon I was spending more time arguing with her, defending my words, than I was writing. Then my production slowed to a crawl as I would overanalyze each word choice and sentence formation before committing it to screen or paper. All that did was give her more time to find fault with the few words I did write.
Despite urgent deadlines and simmering ideas, I started avoiding the computer and all writing materials. I cleaned my house. I read for hours on end. I made plans for a new garden. The need the write built within me but always my muse was watching me with those eyes — so judgemental, so critical. I would turn away from my office with a sigh and find some other project.
When I could no longer suppress the urge to write I locked her in a closet and had a wonderfully productive morning. I was so happy with my work that I let her out as I went out the door to run some errands. That just made her mean.
She was waiting for me at the door when I came home. Her glasses had slid nearly to the tip of her nose and somehow she’d found a red pencil (I certainly never brought any such thing into the house). I shuddered at the sight of my happy morning’s labor marred by vicious slashes of red. The red blurred before my eyes into a crimson haze and then…
Perhaps it is better that you don’t know the details. Suffice it to say that I have selected several old-fashioned roses with luscious aroma and delicate coloring. I am sure they will provide both inspiration and comfort.
Despite my late hours and the physical toil involved, this morning I awoke early and have already logged in several hours at the keyboard. My fingers flew across the keys and after completing several long-stagnant projects I outlined notes for some new. Writing is joyful and rewarding again.
I think I might dedicate this next book to the memory of my muse. Perhaps it will serve as a warning to those other muses out there who are on the verge of going over the edge. Perhaps it will inspire those other writers out there who have let their muse stifle their creativity and shove them right into writer’s block. Maybe my warning will mean those other muses and their writers will find a way to work things out.
Why You Should Take Part In A Writing Workshop
Posted on Apr 5, 2009 03:49:34 PM
Before you should decide whether or not taking part in a writing workshop is right for you and your writing you should first understand just what a writing workshop is.
A workshop is an educational format where an expert shares information on a focused topic over a short period of time. Some workshops are intended to be simply informative while others involve more hands-on activities. Today there are many options for enjoying a workshop: you can attend workshops in person, view them on television or tape, or participate in an online workshop.
So now that you know what a workshop is you can see how this format can readily be adapted for writers. Writing workshops can cover the basics of writing, writing challenges, topics related to publication and careers in writing, or specific research subjects. Some of these programs are featured as part of larger events, such as conferences, while some groups or individuals offer them as one-time events. Some organizations, institutes and educational programs offer workshops to their students or members while others open those workshops to the community at large.
Why would a writer want to attend a workshop? What benefit could it be?
Join the writing community. One of the strongest benefits you can receive from attending such a gathering is getting to know other writers. Writing is a solitary profession and can be very lonely. Enjoying the company of other writers and talking about writing with people who really understand your joys and worries can be wonderfully energizing to you personally as well as your writing. You can also make contacts that may lead to support and growth of your writing or perhaps even professional advancement. You never know when the friend you make today might be in a position to recommend you to an editor or publisher down the road.
Learn something new. No matter what level your writing career there are always lessons to be learned from other writers. Sometimes there are research strategies and shortcuts or perhaps it is a method for dealing with writer’s block. You can learn market news and contacts as well as important information about reviewing contracts. Workshops are generally geared toward a specific genre or market niche and offer a wealth of specialized information depending on whether you write about crime or food.
Improve your craft. Generating new work or revising existing pieces is often a large part of attending a workshop. Sometimes you must bring something with you, create a project as part of the workshop or are inspired by the gathering itself. Sometimes talking with others or listening to the presenters causes you to suddenly rethink a stalled project or inspires a new one. Whatever the impetus there is definitely an increase in production after attending a workshop and that is the surest way to improve your word craft.
If you have not taken part in a writing workshop in the past then perhaps you might consider doing so in the near future so you can join the writing community, learn something new, and improve your craft.
How To Make Your Readers Continue To Swallow The Bait Page After Page!
Posted on Mar 23, 2009 10:56:48 PM
We all know that the way you say things is often just as important as what things you say. Expert authors know that they must be careful with the words that they choose. Everything that you put before your readers must not just be engaging, but it has to keep their eyes glued to the page and their hearts pounding with every idea. You are giving them the secrets to make their dreams come true! Who could stop reading that?? Who would WANT to stop reading that??
The format for gluing your readers to your book starts with the title of the book. It should be like the headline of an ad that is pulling in millions of dollars every day.
Next, you need to build great chapter titles. If you see the book title as a headline, consider the chapter titles as the sub-heads. To put it a different way, the headline is the bait that gets the fish to snap, the sub-head is what makes the fish keep chomping so the hook sinks deeper and deeper!
It is imperative that you are able to write titles that pull. A more technical way of looking at it is that your book title and your chapter titles are a series of descriptors that clearly describe your Unique Selling Proposition (Your USP). Your USP is essentially that which separates you from your competition in the market place. It is what provides you your competitive advantage.
Let me assure you that the way you word something can mean the difference between success and failure or in our case, between being read and being ignored!
Here is an interesting study:
One marketer discovered the value of words by trying 4 different headlines, marketing a diet product, over a 3-month period. The sales material remained identical.
Only the headline was different in each case (In other words, only the words changed. Look at the huge difference in results.)
The headlines were as follows:
1. Breakthrough New Diet Product!
2. A New Diet Revolution!
3. How A Texas Housewife Lost 23.5 Pounds In 32 Days!
4. Dieting Secrets Of A Desperate Housewife!
The Big Question!!!!
Which one do you predict would outsell all the others and by a wide margin?
I pick # ____ and Why did you pick that one?
The Study Results
Every individual response was carefully tracked and recorded. The actual
documented results may surprise you. Total sales were 165 units over this testing period.
Let me repeat myself.
The ONLY thing that changed in this whole sales process was the headline. Everything else stayed exactly the same!
Here’s a breakdown of the results each specific headline produced:
1. Breakthrough New Diet Product! 13 Sales (8% of total sales)
2. A New Diet Revolution! 8 Sales (5% of total sales)
3. How A Texas Housewife Lost 23.5 Pounds In 32 Days! 98 Sales (59% of total sales)
4. Dieting Secrets Of A Desperate Housewife! 46 Sales (28% of total sales)
Why do you think that number three out-pulled every other headline by a lot? I’ll tell you. Number three alluded to a REAL STORY. A REAL person who lost REAL WEIGHT in a REAL AMOUNT OF TIME. It combined in a sense the UPP with the USP. The target market that this ad was aimed at could identify with that, and thus they bought the product.
What if the advertiser just crafted headline #1 and wouldn’t change it? He would have lost 92% of his sales!!
What a lesson! You need to make sure that you craft a book title and chapter titles that will continually sell your readers on why they need to keep reading AND why they need to buy what you are selling!
How Can You Write For Fun And Profit?
Posted on Feb 27, 2009 07:17:56 AM
Every writer dreams of the day when they can profit from their writing. While income opportunities abound for writers each method has drawbacks.
Newspaper and magazine reporters can make a good living but their subject matter is often closely regulated and directed. Corporate writing can be even more lucrative but even more tightly controlled. Freelance writing offers more freedom but is also more uncertain. Publishing books is even more uncertain. So what is a writer to do?
Forget all those old-school writing methods and focus on the internet. Don’t write for anyone but yourself. You really can profit from writing only about what interests you. Don’t worry about the market or the editors. Write for yourself. Not only will it be more fun and rewarding for your soul but for your checking account as well.
I am going to share an easy (and cheap) 5-step formula that can help you start your own writing business today, but first I want to share one important fact.
This is not a get-rich quick scheme. It will take some time to earn, perhaps as long as three months to begin turning a profit, but if you keep working at it you should see your income grow exponentially each month and you should be able to count on that income and know what you have to do to increase it. You will have total control over your income and that is very powerful.
1. Create a blog account at one of the free blogging sites available online (we used to use Blogger.com but there are many other good options). This will serve as your internet base. It really is the cheapest and easiest way to get online today. Yes, you could create a free web site at one of the many available but blogs are more attractive to the search engines. Plus they offer you the ability to personalize it but most of your energy will be spent on content which is the king of the internet and the real reason you want an internet presence.
2. Now sign up for a free ClickBank affiliate acccount which will give you immediate access to something to sell.
3. Sign up for a contextual or pay-per-click advertiser such as Google, Yahoo, Revenue Pilot, or SearchFeed and you’ll start earning from visitors as well as customers.
4. Develop your blog. Make 10 your immediate goal then work your way up to 25, 50 and 100 and so on. Your entries can be your opinions, thoughts, or ramblings; poems or short stories; or articles.
5. Promote your blog through article marketing, link development and submitting your blog feed. I would suggest your primarily focus on article marketing as if offers the ability to not only develop links but also delivers traffic plus as a writer it is easy for you to create articles or use a selection of the material you’ve already created for your blog.
Yes, it really is that simple and while you can later grow by buying your own domain name (or names) and publishing your blog on your own site you do not need (and likely should avoid) investing money in expensive tools
Getting started on the web can be free (as you see above) or inexpensive if you concentrate on what you really need. The simple truth is that you don’t need a lot of fancy, expensive tools and programs. In the long run a domain name is a good investment. A domain name will cost you between $5 and $10 a year depending on whether you go .com or .info (or one of the many other options available). You don’t need to find a web host or create a site. Simply point the domain at your blog for now and continue with the development and promotion of your blog. The advantage of owning your own domain name is simply that later when you have the money, time, and knowledge to develop your web site that domain name will already exist and have filtered through the search engines. It also offers some marketing advantages that a free blog cannot.
At some point you may decide you want more flexibility and control than a free blog can offer and that is when you will want to run your own site. You can find a good web host for as little as $5 a month and shouldn’t pay more than $20 a month for a reputable host that offers all the tools and utilities you might need for your current site–including blog software. Maybe down the line you’ll need to upgrade but by then you’ll know your income and your needs.
Really the only other regular expense that you might consider to make your internet business complete would be a mailing list tool. You can do this for just $20 a month and it will be worth every penny for sales, customer service, and promotion. But this is not necessary to start out and you may decide that it isn’t important to your efforts so you can skip it entirely.
Once you have your blog set up and monetized (by offering ClickBank products, advertising, and/or selling text links) then you are in a position to begin profiting from your writing. The way to profit it to increase your traffic so you need to get serious about your article marketing efforts because each article you distribute will generate immediate traffic and create back links for search engine optimization. Also you need to continue to grow your blog by adding fresh content regularly. This will create repeat visitors as well as bring the search engines back again and again. Simply publishing new articles and new blog entries each week will increase your traffic. The more articles and entries you create — the more traffic you will generate.
Once you have found your rhythm with your existing blog you may well decide to branch out and create a second blog on a different or related topic. Now you should be able to work even faster because you are more experienced but likely more motivated as well because you can see just how rewarding it can be to write for fun and profit.
Self Publishing: Is This The Way To Publish Your Book?
Posted on Jan 28, 2009 07:41:40 PM
Self publishing might be the best way to publish your book. There are several advantages to self publishing that you might not have considered.
First, and most important, self publishing places you firmly in control of your book. When someone else is paying you to publish your book then they make many decisions regarding the editing of the manuscript, the cover, the title and the marketing that can impact not only how well your book will sell but also how it will be received by the reading public. For example, my second book ended up with the title “Kentucky Kisses” simply because my publisher’s marketing department reported that books with the word “kisses” in the title sold well. I felt the title was rather frivolous for the content but my wishes were ignored.
Self publishing is also faster than traditional publishing. With my novel, Kentucky Kisses, it took me over a year to find a publisher interested in buying and several months before we went to contract. Then after the contract was signed it was another 18 months before my book was released to the public. That is a long time to wait.
Self publishing also allows you to retain all the profits from your endeavor. While you may have to put some money up front (depending on the method you use to self publish your book) you will not have to wait for months or years to see income as a result. Most publishers only pay royalties once or twice a year and then those royalties are only a small percentage of the book price. When you self publish your book then once you have covered any publications costs everything you earn is pure profit.
Finally, it cannot be overlooked that self publishing offers you an opportunity to break into print that might not be otherwise available. The simple fact is that traditional publishing is highly competitive and many worthwhile manuscripts (and authors) cannot find a publishing home although there may well be an eager and receptive audience for that book.
It should be noted that self publishing may not be for everyone. If you are still struggling with your writing and voice, or your manuscript still needs polishing, then you should continue to work on your book and perhaps bring in the assistance of a critique group or professional editor. Self publishing a book that is not yet ready for publication could be a costly mistake. If your manuscript has been polished and well received by several critical readers then you should at least consider self publishing your book.
Not only does self publishing offer you the advantages of complete control, faster publication, and higher profits, it is easier and less expensive than it has ever been before thanks to modern technology. Self publishing could be your big break as a writer.
Why Write A Non-Fiction Book
Posted on Jan 13, 2009 10:16:57 PM
The two central pillars in effective personal marketing are the establishment of credibility and the quest for exposure. You could have a large business or you could be an independent professional. You could be selling a product or a service. Regardless why you’re marketing yourself, writing a non-fiction book is one of the best ways to achieve those two pillars.
Writing a non-fiction book is a daunting exercise. But most people don’t understand the extent to which it will change your life forever. Writing your first book happens only once in your life, if ever. And those who have done so will tell you their lives break down into before the book and after the book. Everything changes once you have written your first book.
The title of this article singles out non-fiction books and there’s a reason for that. Authors of fiction works get tremendous benefits from the effort as well but the finished product validates their writing ability and their creativity, nothing else. For the authors of non-fiction books, the finished product validates their writing ability and their personal knowledgebase. In other words, it positions them as an expert in their field. That feeds directly into effective personal marketing, which is the objective behind this discussion.
Once you have written and published your first book, you will forever more be referred to as an author. No longer will you be a regular human being like everybody else. No. From then on, you will be part of an exclusive club. You will be an author. That label will be used in written references to your name. It will be used when introductions are made. And it will be used when people talk about you behind your back.
Being an author comes with an automatic baseline of respect from most of your peers, whether they know you or not. But it comes with more than that. It comes with immediate credibility within the topic. And if you’re in a professional field, the days of justifying your expertise will come to an end. In fact, the days of looking for new clients may come to an end as well.
Books are a tremendous tool to leverage your time. The finished product presents your knowledge in a structured and optimized format. But at the time it is received by the reader, it requires no effort by you. The reader can read your book while you’re on vacation or sleeping. Indeed, you invest the time and energy once but then you reap the rewards over and over again. That allows countless perfect strangers to experience your highest intellect, all at the same time.
Writing a book also opens the door to a variety of other opportunities that might be quite different than your underlying profession. Not only can the book be sold, leaving you with a profit, but it can position you for speaking engagements in your area of expertise. These opportunities can be very profitable and position you as an industry guru rather than an actual practitioner.
Admittedly, some people would prefer not to be such a guru and that’s fine. But writing a book gives you that option. You can choose either path. You can publish the book and remain in the trenches, doing the same work as before except with tremendous new-found credibility, or you can accept the opportunities and redefine your identity around your new position.
Writing a book is a big job to say the least but it will change your life forever. Tactical Execution provides a lot of guidance aspiring authors can use to complete the job and promote the finished product. Please visit the website to take advantage of the resources available there.
Why The Information Age Is Dead!
Posted on Dec 30, 2008 10:56:09 PM
The Information Age is dead. We stand at the cusp of a new era. We used to live in the Information Age, but you know how it goes when everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Too much of a good thing became a bad thing. I know you feel it. We both know that everyone is glutted with more information than we know what to do with. You surf the web and there is page after page of information, right? But how do you sort and sift through it all and solve your problems? How do you get what you need&ndashquickly?
We used to want information, but now we want something better. That is why we are at the dawn of a new age. The Recommendation Age. People don’t want information. They want solutions to their problems, and that means they need information filtered through the expertise of someone who has gone before them. And that’s going to be YOU! You will write your book and become a noted expert in your field.
In his book, The Long Tail, Chris Anderson wrote about the dawning of this new age. He said that what people want is not more information, but a trusted guide who can give context to the content.
Your Life Experiences and Passion position you with the natural readiness to make recommendations to others. It’s human nature. You do it all the time in small ways. Think about it. Haven’t you ever told a friend&ndashor even a stranger&ndashto steer clear of a product that doesn’t live up to expectations? Haven’t you ever suggested a tasty dish at a restaurant, or told a friend why she would absolutely love a movie you just saw?
I know you have. We all do this. That’s the power of Recommendation Marketing. It’s time to cash in on a natural human tendency. Since four out of five people want to write a book, chances are excellent that you have always dreamed of telling your own story and leaving your own legacy.
It’s time for YOU to write your book and become an expert millionaire.
Where do people go when they have a problem? The Internet. This is where you should start. Get your book online.
We are drowning in information. The Internet’s greatest advantage is that it level the playing field. Now everybody with a computer and an internet connection has access to the same information. But the greatest asset has also become the greatest annoyance. Today we are drowning in information. We are over-communicated to.
What will you recommend? How will YOU solve other people’s problems. The type of writing that sells the best on the internet is non-fiction. People want help solving their problems.
What problems will YOU solve for people? Look to your own life. What do you do naturally that other people struggle with? What challenges have you overcome?
The information age is dead. We’re drowning in information. What people want now is for an expert to recommend a solution. The Recommendation Age is here. Take your place as an expert and cash in on the Recommendation Age by writing YOUR book&ndashstarting now!
How To Write Well
Posted on Nov 7, 2008 07:46:15 PM
Raising your level of writing needs you to focus on bigger things, like having your work published for example. This is a surefire way to encourage yourself to go beyond your current limitations and weaknesses as a writer. Taking the step from writing as a hobby towards writing professionally and having an article or a piece published is indeed a big leap for anyone. It needs a long-term commitment, discipline and an almost endless source of inspiration to be able to write constantly and creatively. Not only does it entail having to do intensive research, but it also pushes the writer to find a certain niche from which he can excel.
Moreover, you have to be able to gauge your own work and consciously maintain a higher level of quality as compared to when you were just writing on a journal or your own blog. This leaves the question of how one learns how to write well. How can you raise your level so that it is up to par with what is asked and required of you as a professional writer?
There are different ways to find your way towards fulfilling your worth as a writer. Some of these are the following:
1. Find your niche. You have to be able to know what you are capable of writing about. You have to know where to focus your attention to, what topics to write about, and what genre of writing you are going to start with. Some may find poetry as your strongest area, while you may feel that writing feature articles are where you are at your best. The important thing is that you are able to decide where to concentrate. For a writer who is just starting, you have to be the master of your specialized craft before branching out to other areas and other genres.
2. Educate yourself. You were not born with all the information already lodged in your brain. Read and refresh your mind by going through printed materials about the topics close to your heart and the areas where your interest is more attuned. Learn from the best in the business; study their style and their delivery. From those lessons, you can create your own unique style.
3. Write from the heart. The next important step is to start writing. Pour out your soul and write from an intelligent yet emotional perspective. Show your strengths as a writer and highlight these in all the lines that you write.
4. Edit and correct your article. Check if the facts add up, review your references, and see to it that you don’t contradict yourself. Give others a chance to critic your work, and be open to suggestions without sacrificing the content of your work.
The above-mentioned ways are just rudiments of how to write a good article. These will help you get started towards your goal of being a good writer and being able to write well. Mastering all these things however does not necessarily mean producing a best seller or getting all the accolades you dream of. Perhaps the true measure of how good a writer you are is the patience and dedication you give towards writing a well written article or book, for even the great ones did not receive praise immediately. So hone your craft and be patient in doing so, as even the longest journeys start on a single step.