Steps to Writing a Good Fiction Story

Writing fiction is not as difficult as it might seem, as long as you follow these few simple rules.

1. Think Outside the Box

It is fiction after all. Take yourself through a time machine to the past in your elementary school and imagine a kid came to class with an iPhone. Imagine how awestruck the whole class would be even if the phone had no signal? Now imagine yourself as the teacher of that class writing about an iPhone. Point is, you need to have an imaginative mind and think out what others would not ordinarily think of. If you can, be futuristic! Write about flying cars or Nigeria having constant electricity!!! It might sound impossible now, but so was an iPhone years ago.

2. Give your Characters motivations.

If you’re having trouble fleshing out your characters, continually ask yourself in each scene, “What does this character want?” Say this out loud enough, and soon someone nearby will ask why you keep repeating that. Do not reply, but simply keep questioning aloud, “What does this character want?” Eventually, you’ll be committed to an asylum. Asylums are great places to think without the distractions of the modern world. I’m sure you’ll figure out that pesky protagonist in no time.

3. Write what you know

Are you an expert in the Norse weather-and-fertility gods? Or in Math? You would probably write about an adulterous lawyer if you knew a lot about law. There is no point writing about the popular ancient tribe of Hausa if you know absolutely nothing about their culture and traditions because you might end up misrepresenting them and your story might lose credibility. This is where research comes in. If you have the passion to write a fiction on theology, then you should have the passion to do an extensive research on the topic.

4. No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader.

If you’re not moved by your story, don’t expect your reader to be. Therefore, sob uncontrollably as you compose. Slice onions to abet the process. Point is, make sure you immerse yourself in your story, see yourself as the protagonist and imagine how much pain you can take. Just make your story makes you forget it’s fiction for a while. If your story moves you, chances are, it will move the reader as well.

7 Steps to Attracting Customers Away From Your Competitors

One of the most lucrative ways to improve your business is to attract your competitor’s customers to your business. Consumers will switch brands and businesses if they can see real value, so you need to give them a pretty good reason to choose your business over your competitors.  

Thorough competitor analysis is the strategic way of developing a clearer picture of what’s happening in the market and giving you a basis to develop your own action plan. Follow the steps below to make your business irresistible to your competitor’s customers.

 

How to Attract More Customers (While Pulling Them Away from Your Competitors)

1. Lower your prices

Simply being the cheapest supplier can be an effective way to attract new customers, but what your business sells will have a major impact on how effective this technique will be. If your business sells commodity items such as books, CDs, DVDs etc., which are identical no matter which retailer sells them, consumers will look for the cheapest price. 

Value, however, is often related to price. An item that has a very low price can frequently be perceived as inferior. Look closely at the pricing structure of your competitors before slashing your own prices, as this could damage the brand value of your company.  

And value for money doesn’t simply mean more for your money, as the equation consumers use to decide what price they want to pay for any goods is complex. Attracting customers away from competitors may have a price component, but this isn’t the only factor consumers will use for goods that are not seen as commodities.

2. Create brand loyalty

Inviting customers to become part of your brand can be a powerful attractor. Companies such as Apple illustrate how successful strong brand

 values can be. Consumers want to be part of a group or tribe that not only delivers great goods or services but, also shows the people in their network they support the values of the brand they associate themselves with.

Trust and interest in a business’ customers and what they do are strong ways your business’ brand can become highly attractive to your competitor’s customers. The emotional ties your business can make via social media for instance can be highly effective. In addition, it has been shown that consumers who are emotionally connected to a brand are less price sensitive, which is why Apple can charge so much more for its products.

3. Raise your profile

As consumers are constantly bombarded with marketing messages, making your business stand out from the crowd is vital. Marketing of course has always been critical to all businesses. 

However, today, social media has enabled direct and highly personal connections to be made with groups and individuals. This granular marketing is a highly effective way to raise your business’ profile in the minds of your competitor’s customers.

Remember though that overt marketing and selling techniques can have a negative impact across social media networks. Discounts and competitions are proven to be highly popular with consumers. Offering these across your social networks could enable you to steal some of your competitor’s customers.

Consumers are also looking for help, support, value and something to share with their networks. Creating content for these groups delivers these shareable materials, which could mean your brand and business becomes more desirable to buy from than your competitors.

4. Encourage brand advocates 

One of the most powerful ways to attract customers from your competitors is via word-of-mouth. A personal recommendation – often on social media – can have a profound impact on consumers looking for goods and services. Indeed, Nielsen discovered that word-of-mouth recommendations are the most credible. No amount of advertising can beat a personal recommendation from a trusted friend, colleague or family member. Look closely at your business’ key influencers. These are groups and individuals that have shown a keen interest in your brand and its goods or services. Your business should support these groups or individuals, as they can often be the start of a recommendation that is then widely disseminated across what could be vast networks. Brands can encourage brand advocacy through referral marketing strategies and techniques. As a small business owner, this can be an effective low-cost acquisition channel if done well.

5. Find the gaps

Think about the market sectors your business is trading within. You should be constantly looking to innovate and fill the gaps with new goods and services. One of the most effective ways to attract customers away from competitors is to not only offer something unique, but something that you know is missing from the market. 

Use social media to constantly assess your market. Ask your customers what goods or services they would love to see become available. Your competitors may come along with something similar later, but your business was first to market, which can gain new loyal customers.

6. Support your customers

According to Oracle, 89% of consumers would move to a competitor if they had a poor customer service experience. Today thanks to social media, customer service has become an almost real-time exercise. Twitter is now one of the most used channels for consumers to contact the businesses they buy from.

Moreover, consumers are using their experience of a business’ customer service support as a means to differentiate businesses in any given market, which they use to decide where to spend their money. Making a personal connection to them is critical. SpotOn revealed that 41% of consumers buy from businesses that send personalized emails.

It’s a simple equation: the better your customer service the more customers your business will attract – and more importantly – retain over the long-term with high levels of loyalty. 

7. Invest in m-commerce

How consumers now connect and buy from businesses has changed. The internet has of course become a massive channel for commerce, but mobile commerce looks set to eclipse even the huge success seen with e-commerce. Businesses that can embrace the mobile space will be highly attractive to customers – especially those in the lucrative millennial group.

Businesses that can use the mobile channel with dedicated websites and apps will be able to gain the customers looking to do even more with their phones and tablets. As figures from eMarketer suggest that nearly 50% of m-commerce sales are completed with smartphones, businesses need to ensure they are fully supporting this burgeoning channel across their businesses.

And the app economy shows no sign of slowing. According to the Business of Apps global revenue from in-app purchases could reach USD $189 billion by 2020. What is clear for all businesses, is if they can expand into m-commerce this could be a massive attractor for competitor customers.

Getting the particulars right can be a big deal. In that case, you need to reach out to a specialist agency like TRW Consult to assist you.

 

Culled from Fleximize

#competition

#competitive analysis

#Marketing

20 Helpful Tips For Writing a Dissertation

Writing a dissertation has always been a difficult task and most agree with that. You need to approach it very thoughtfully, as a dissertation helps to define not only your academic but also your future success. By saying this, we mean that it’s not enough to just concentrate on the task to succeed, but also you need to know the dissertation structure, its basics, and the main things to pay attention to or to avoid. This is a type of paper that requires high skill and deep knowledge of the subject matter.

Here we will walk you through our short guide in order to help you write a dissertation. We will give you some dissertation writing tips that will be handy for those who look for help writing a dissertation.

So fasten your seatbelts, we’re taking off!

20 Tips For Dissertation Writing

Don’t wait too long to start: People are used to thinking that this is the simplest part of the work, especially when the real work is done. But don’t overestimate writing, students usually struggle when it comes to analyzing all the data after the main research phase. Keep in mind that it’s never too early to start.

Take notes: You will be recording the results of your research in order to save time while searching for the needed information. And you will avoid plagiarism by citing all sources of information. If you have any doubts about the originality of your work, you could use a free plagiarism checker so as not to worry about it while defending your dissertation.

Keep in contact with your advisor: Most people are afraid of showing their papers until they believe the work is done which could be a big mistake. It’s important to stay in touch with your advisor during the process of writing the dissertation. This will help you see the common mistakes and to see the text from another perspective.

Dedicate enough time to the task: Make it part of your daily routine. Think that a single hour per day is a good habit just like going to the gym. 

Don’t be alone: You can form or join a dissertation writing group; your university even may have a special group dedicated to students who are in the process of writing a dissertation. This will be a good point for you as you will be able to show your paper to the others, share your opinion about some work, improve your speaking skills, or overcome some fears (if you have some). This is a good way to find inspiration and share your experiences.

Don’t ask your friends about how much they’ve already done because this will only interrupt your progress as you will only think about their papers, comparing the results.

Use humor and jokes but only if it is appropriate.

Don’t be afraid of moving to another section if you get stuck: If you feel that you are currently stuck but there’s another section where you can be more effective at the moment – move to it. Don’t turn this into a habit, we should always be ready to work on the hard part.

Don’t think that your first draft is your final draft: Write in order to rewrite different parts of the text. We all aim for perfection, this is ok.

Don’t forget about resting: Eat well, feed your brain, and try to avoid sleepless nights. You have to stay productive, which is impossible if you don’t get enough rest.

Avoid getting stuck on introductions. It’s usually easier to create the main body of the chapters and then return to the introduction. This is a basic rule in writing a dissertation as many people are used to getting stuck on the introduction and wasting time while they aren’t sure what to write about.

Focus on the task. Your results also depend on discipline, but the most important thing is to help your brain concentrate on the task and avoid multi-tasking.

You may also think about changing your laptop/pc keyboard to hardcopy paper.

Go for a walk: Let your brain breathe more – walking helps you to promote creativity. Give it a shot and you will be surprised with the result.

Capture your thoughts: You will want to capture your thoughts during walks. You can use a small notepad or voice memo on your phone.

Talk to the others: Tell your friend about your ideas, listen to their opinions or discuss your ideas with the teacher. This way you will be able to learn something new or ensure that you are on the right track with your paper.

Set a deadline: Try to set them a bit earlier than the official deadline date. This will help you be more productive.

Take breaks: it’s always good to take a little break as during the work our brain can get tired and that is why you are recommended to take short breaks from time to time in order to rest.

Read your paper: You will likely find some hidden mistakes (logical or grammatical).

Don’t be afraid to change your dissertation supervisor if he or she is not right. Do pay attention to your reasons, as they have to be valid (such as the supervisor isn’t able to give you appropriate advice, he or she is always busy, etc.). Usually, the department will grant your request.

Culled from Papers Owl

7 Tips for Writing Effective Short Copy

Long copy versus short copy… which converts better?

The answer is often debated, but there’s only one truth when it comes to copy length.

It depends.

Depending on your product, target market, advertising medium, goals of your copy, and a million other factors, the length that’s most effective will vary.

Here are some examples:

Price: A higher priced product requires more copy because you need more proof and copy to overcome objections.

Medium: Some promotional strategies—like Google Adwords, Twitter, and author bios—can only accommodate short copy. In that case, knowing how to capture attention quickly with just a few words is enormously valuable.

Goal: If the goal of your copy is to get someone’s email address your copy can be much shorter than if your goal were to sell something.

So, if you’re trying to determine which length of copy to use, just remember the old adage: Your copy should be as long as it needs to be and no longer.

This means, if you’re writing to sell a membership program and you wind up with a 10-page sales letter explaining all the benefits, showing proof, describing your guarantee, and more, 10 pages may be appropriate. (However, be sure to cut any “fluff.” The smoother and more compelling your sales letter is, the better it will convert—even if you cut a few pages.)

On the other hand, here are three instances where you may want to use shorter copy:

If your product requires a smaller investment or less of a commitment, you may be able to write just a few paragraphs and still have a great conversion rate. Here’s an example of (very) short copy: Since entering your URL isn’t much of a commitment—if at all—this pop-up can be very effective and still be short. In fact, using more copy might be distracting and confusing.

Writing a perfect 10-page sales letter is a big, long undertaking and it would delay your product launch by weeks (or more). In this case, it’s better to get something live—even if it’s shorter—and add more proof, testimonials, and details later.

You don’t have an option. If you’re advertising on Twitter, you’re limited to a certain amount of characters. Same thing for Google AdWords. In other instances, maybe you need all your copy “above the fold.” Or you’re creating a postcard and there’s just not room for long copy. Any of these instances could require the use of short copy.

So when you must use short copy, how can you ensure it’s as effective as possible? Here are 7 surefire ways for writing effective short copy that converts:

1. Know (and understand) your target audience.

Before starting on your short copy project, keep in mind that most of the real work to create effective short copy happens before you start writing!

First, make sure you know what’s important to your intended reader. Research the demographic you are targeting well. Get to know them intimately before you write any copy. Here are some example questions:

What makes my target audience really happy?

What makes them mad?

What is their biggest problem?

What keeps them up at night?

I’ve found that short copy works best when your audience is specific, limited, and targeted. This is likely because it’s easier to talk to one specific person—and convince them—than it is to address everyone with one message…

For instance, if you want to target men from 18-65, that’s a big audience. The 19-year-old man doesn’t have the same concerns as the 30-year old man or the 60-year-old man. Trying to talk to that large of an age range requires a lot of copy.

Instead, drill down to one optimal customer and target them. Not sure where to start? Consider who is most likely to buy your product or service and talk directly to them.

2. Remember the power of one

One of the biggest lessons I learned about effective copy is sticking to the power of one. This ensures your copy will be tight and compelling, regardless of the length.

In other words, have one main idea that weaves throughout the entire piece. This goes for both long and short copy. Don’t get off track. If you do, you’ll increase your length. But, don’t worry; you can always cut the extra copy later.

So, how do you determine your one main idea? To start, choose the biggest problem that you’re solving for your target audience and stick with it. No distractions.

And, keep stories to a minimum because you may not have enough room to develop a compelling story. For any stories you must use paraphrase and shorten them as much as possible.

If it fits and flows, keep it. If not, find another way to connect with the reader, such as a current event they’re likely familiar with or a compelling quote from someone your target market knows, likes, and trusts. Don’t forget; during editing cut anything that doesn’t directly support your claim to solve their biggest problem.

3. Be very clear on what your goal is

Before you start writing, determine the goal or action you want your reader to take. Do you want them to…

Once you have your goal, consider what it would take to convince you—or someone in your target market—to take that action. If you’re asking for an email address, your copy can likely be shorter than if you’re asking for an order.

If you’re having trouble with this, try writing your call to action first—before you write the bulk of your copy. This will give you a clear ending and a direction to travel. Then, make sure the rest of your copy supports your one idea and your goal.

Anything that sidetracks the reader should be cut.

Of course, you may need to modify your call to action once you’ve written the rest of the copy. Who knows, something much better might come to you while writing. But, knowing your call to action up front will help you write concise and effective copy.

4. Find the deeper benefit to the promise

With short copy, you likely won’t have room to address every feature and benefit of your product. In this case, it’s better to write all of the features and benefits and then select only the most compelling and most important (to your target audience).

We talked about this above in the “power of one” where I said, “Choose the biggest problem that you’re solving for your target audience and stick with it.”

Now take this one step deeper and determine the deeper benefit of your product or service. In other words, how will your product or service solve their biggest problem? And, why would they want that?

Here’s an example:

Let’s imagine that you sell a fitness product… it’s the hottest new home workout DVD program and it comes with super-sized rubber bands for resistance training…

The features might be:

A 30-minute long DVD you can watch anywhere

3 resistance rubber bands for building muscle

Try asking, “So what?” after each feature to uncover the emotions benefits:

A DVD… So what? You can watch it anywhere. So what? You won’t need to leave the house… you won’t be embarrassed at the gym. You will lose weight in the privacy of your own home. You can use it to travel…

3 resistance bands… so what? You’ll build muscle faster? So? Your workout will be shorter. You’ll see results sooner. You won’t have to work as hard…

Getting in shape quickly and easily is a benefit to nearly anyone… but the deeper benefit?

Well, that depends on your target market. A 19-year-old man might want to get in shape and have others find him desirable. A 50-year-old man might want to stay in shape to reduce the aches and pains of old age.

Paint a picture of them enjoying these deeper benefits and your copy will be much more effective. Here’s an example from Duluth Trading:

Duluth Trading is one of my husband’s favorite companies—and mine too—because their copy is so fun and effective. Just check out some of the phrases above:

“Dressier details like single-stitching look better for heading into town.”

“Easy-moving Crouch Gusset™ doesn’t infringe on a guy’s space.”

“In case you need to spring into action or cut a rug.”

See how the copy is short, but it gets across the deeper benefit: good-looking comfort, for any occasion!

5. Include a user-friendly rock-solid guarantee

To help your short copy perform better, include a rock-solid guarantee. This helps reduce any risk, makes your target customer more comfortable trying your product or service, and increases conversions. For help writing your guarantee, go here.

Here’s another example from Duluth Trading—short, simple, and a no-brainer:

6. Remove the fluff. Cut the excess

Once you’ve finished, go back through your copy and remove or replace any words that are over an 8th-grade reading level.

It’s not that your readers are dumb (or 8th graders); they just have a lot of distractions. Making your copy as smooth as possible—and easy to read—is key for short copy to convert effectively.

Also, remove any wordiness. For examples, check out this article on tight copywriting.

Then look for anything that can be cut that isn’t essential to your message. Often words like “that,” “very,” and “really” can be cut completely and the sentence will still make sense. Keep in mind that multiple revisions may be necessary to get your copy as short—and compelling—as possible.

7. Test your copy

As with everything, testing your copy is essential. Testing will allow you to see what works best for your target audience and help you create shorter copy faster next time.

Another one of the advantages of short copy is that it’s easier to edit and test. Plus, small changes—like altering your headline or changing the size of your font—can make a big difference.

The rest is up to you

I wish I could tell you whether short copy or long copy will work best for your product or service, but there’s no clear-cut answer. But, by following the tips above you can start writing effective short copy that converts better.

Culled from The Daily Egg

Your Checklist for the Components of a Nonfiction Book

There is more to a nonfiction book than a catchy cover and table of contents… much more.

Wherever you are in the process of writing your book, if the chapters adequately convey your message, everything else you write must attract, inform, clarify, or sell.

Book covers

Front cover: If the book is a hardback, it will have a book jacket; if it is a soft cover, the cover will contain the same information as a jacket. The front cover contains the title, your name, an illustration, and perhaps an endorsement or quote from a favorable review.

Back cover: The back cover is your billboard. It should include a description of the main features of the book, a category, your photo and a brief bio, the publisher, an ISBN number, a Library of Congress number, a bar code, and the price. Much of this will already exist in your book proposal and can easily be converted to the appropriate language if the book is being translated.

Front matter

Copyright page: This page is usually provided by the publisher, whether that publisher is a conventional one, a print-on-demand, or you (if you self- publish). It contains certain basic information, such as the title, the author’s name, the copyright date, a paragraph explaining copyright rules, the country in which the book is printed, the ISBN number, a Library of Congress number, the publisher and its location, and contact information.

Preface: This is written by you (the author) and explains why and how you wrote the book. It can tell your story in a very personal way, if you wish.

Foreword: This should be written by someone other than the author and is particularly powerful when an expert in the field writes it. If the writer is a person with a recognized name or title, you might want to mention “Foreword by [name]” on the cover. Sometimes, it is helpful to write a draft of the foreword yourself to demonstrate to the expert what you would like to see in their version.

Introduction: Think of the introduction as a practical guide to using the book. It should explain what the book is about, why it was written, and how it should be read, if there is more than one way. If you are expressing a point of view that will enhance the reader’s understanding, include it in the introduction. If the story behind the story is interesting, by all means include that, as well. This is your chance to editorialize and explain your rationale, so take advantage of it.

Acknowledgments: Few of us write our books without help, no matter how well versed we are on the subject matter. There are hundreds of ways in which assistance is given, from people willing to share their expertise and knowledge to editors who turn our rough prose into pearls. Friends or professionals transcribe interview tapes, proofread manuscripts, listen to us read aloud, and encourage us when we feel we have become brain dead. Those who help deserve to be acknowledged, and some of these sections are wonderful to read. That’s how you want yours to be.

The chapters

Of course, the bulk of the writing takes place between the front and back matter. By now, you should have mapped out your main headings, which will become your Table of Contents, the key points under each heading, and one-paragraph chapter summaries. The question is how do you get from a paragraph to a chapter? Each key point becomes a subhead of your chapter. A summary is the big picture; the subheads are the way you will organize the material. This is the time to fill in the meat — your research, narrative, quotes from interviewees, resource materials, and graphics. The important thing is to get all of the pertinent information under each subhead. Then, you can refine the writing and build your transitions.

Back matter

Index: When a book is filled with facts or topics a reader might want to find quickly, an index is the fastest way to find them. There are two types of indexes — subject matter and detailed. You can create your indexes in Microsoft Word or hire an indexer to do it for you. The published authors I know strongly recommend that you use an experienced indexer.

Bibliography: If you have read other books and quoted other authors, a bibliography acknowledges these sources. Of course, you should attribute quotes in the copy or with footnotes. In some cases, you will have to secure written permission to use other people’s work and may even be charged a fee. A bibliography also gives readers a list of references to read if they wish to dig more deeply into the subject.

Appendices: Sometimes, you have so much background information or detail that, if you included all of it in the main body of work, you might overwhelm your reader. That’s what appendices are for. They are a good place to put scientific data, charts, reports, and detailed explanations without ruining the flow of your text.

Glossary: This is an optional, alphabetically arranged dictionary of terms particular to the subject of the book. Try to define such words in the text.

Epilogue: If you have “one last thought,” this is the place to express it.

Building a book is like building anything else: You begin with the basics, and you add one element at a time. The most important content is in the middle — the chapters. Logically, you should write those first. What goes in the introduction, for example, depends on how the book is organized, as well as several other factors. You can’t write the index until you have finished the book. If this looks overwhelming at the beginning, remember, you don’t have to write the whole book in one sitting, nor should you.

Remember this: Nothing becomes published that hasn’t been written first!

Culled from Book Baby

Breaking the Wall between Productivity and Creativity

Productivity and creativity in writing, sometimes seem to be two opposing forces that are impossible to be reconciled. The wall between the duo is the contrast between quantity and quality. While productivity likes tidiness – that is, a streamlined process to get the tasks done before the deadline – creativity thrives on chaos. You let your mind wander as you take time to explore new topics, perhaps you would stumble upon a new idea.

And here comes the battle! How to be productive without submerging creativity! As a writer, how do you sustain your consistency in terms of quantity, yet maintain the quality of your articles? It is obvious that creativity enriches, and helps the writer to stand out in an overcrowded market. Hence, the quality of your writings is primary to all other factors.

Are you itching to demolish the wall, increasing your productivity and expanding your creativity? Let’s go for a ride.

Identify the benefits of being creative

Is creativity valuable anymore? For budding writers and authors, it is easy to conclude that the way to expand one’s presence is by the number of articles or books published. Consequently, one drags oneself into scribbling shabby ideas and publishing poorly edited content. However, the fact remains that most readers or organisations value creativity and craft in content creation and production.

Ann Handley, a regular keynote speaker on content marketing, writes, “Metrics and measurement are important. But the art in marketing is just as important as the science!” In other words, the craft of your content is as important as the figures.

The best way to attract a loyal audience is to nurture our voice and to stand out. So, we need to be creative.

Set boundaries for your creativity

Setting boundaries for creativity means finding a spot between chasing productivity and welcoming creativity, order and chaos, strict planning and freewheeling, staying safe and exploring new territory.

Imagine how frustrating it is sitting before your computer system or with your pen and paper, and you are just blank. You searched and travelled through your mind, but it seems like you have been formatted. However, creativity benefits from such limitations.

Therefore, instead of looking for a random idea, limit your idea generation to a specific topic. When the mind is focused on a topic, ideas are generated sporadically. Meanwhile, your choice of topic should be what resonates with the needs of your clients or readers now. For instance, as a life coach, ask yourself: What’s the main aim of your clients? Perhaps, they want to find more balance in their lives and feel less stressed. So, how can you help them achieve that? It is amazing how ideas that seem erased begin to crowd the head and become the answers to questions.

By setting boundaries for your creativity, you save more time and reduce the stress of planning. This then improves your productivity.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” – Steve Jobs

Go down rabbit holes

While in a hurry to get things done, it is crucial to foster your curiosity to be detailed. Work flows easily when you allow serendipity to guide. Be adventurous in doing your tasks. You get more inspiration for writing when you follow your curiosity and read widely.

Don’t wait till you finish your first draft before searching for a quote you are curious about. Be wide in your reading. Taking on reading and writing challenges on different topics opens your eyes, gives you a fresh perspective, and might even boost your productivity.

You can also foster creativity by asking “Why” more often. Why do clients struggle with a specific problem? Why do they make certain mistakes? Walter Isaacson writes that Leonardo da Vinci—possibly the most creative person ever—embraced his inner child, and kept asking “Why?”

“He never outgrew the child’s need not just to admire the beauty of a blue sky but to ask why it is that colour.” – Walter Isaacson

Learn to switch between the creative desk and the productive desk.

Austin Kleon has two different desks to switch between his productive and creative mindset: An “analog” desk for creative work, and a digital desk for productivity. As he writes in his book “Steal Like an Artist,”

I have two desks in my office—one is “analog” and one is “digital.” The analog desk has nothing but markers, pens, pencils, paper, index cards, and newspapers. (…) This is where most of my work is born (…). The digital desk has my laptop, my monitor, my scanner, and my drawing tablet. This is where I edit and publish my work.

You should learn to switch between the productive and creative modes. When you sit down to work, ask yourself: What is the main objective of the next half hour? Do I need to write as much as possible of my first draft? (that’s a productive mode). Or do I have time to explore ideas before finalizing an outline? (that’s a creative mode).

Rabbit holes are only dangerous when you don’t limit your time. Know when you should be on the “analog” and when to move to the “digital.”

Launch into the deep

Each blog post or article you write should give you a tip on your next topic. Have you identified 10 Characteristics of a leader? Go deeper by picking each feature as a topic one after another. So, you have 11 articles already. Lovely!

Don’t be generic with your writings. The magic in writing appears when you learn to listen better, dig deeper into your topic, and force yourself to learn more.

Being creative doesn’t require a lot of extra time or extra work. You just need to allow for a limited dose of chaos in your process, to foster curiosity, to formulate questions and look for answers, to admit your ignorance, to be brave enough to explore unfamiliar territories.

Writing becomes more fun, you procrastinate less and boost your productivity.

• CREATIVITY
• WRITING

8 Proofreading Tips and Techniques

Whether you are writing a magazine article, a college essay or an email to a client, getting your text free of mistakes is essential. The spelling checker helps, but it is far from foolproof. That is where proofreading comes in. Below you will find eight tips and techniques to make your proofreading sessions more effective.

1. Concentration is key.

To spot mistakes, you need to concentrate. That means getting rid of distractions and potential interruptions. Switch off the cell phone, turn off the television or radio and stay out of your email.

2. Put it on paper.

People read differently on screen and on paper, so print out a copy of your writing. If you read aloud, your ear might catch errors that your eye may have missed.

3. Watch out for homonyms.

Homonyms are words that have (roughly) the same pronunciation but mean different things. Switching accept with except or complement with compliment could be disastrous, so pay special attention to them.

4. Watch out for contractions and apostrophes.

People often mix up their and they’re, its and it’s, your and you’re and so on. Make sure you don’t leave the wrong one in place, lest the error hurt the credibility of your text. Also, remember that the apostrophe is never used to form plurals.

5. Check the punctuation.

Focusing on the words is good, but do not neglect the punctuation. Pay attention to capitalized words, missing or extra commas, periods used incorrectly and so on.

6. Read it backward.

When writing, we can become blind to our own mistakes because the brain automatically “corrects” wrong words inside sentences. In order to break this pattern, read the text backward, word by word.

7. Check the numbers.

Stating that the value of an acquisition was $10,000 instead of $100,000 is definitely not the same thing. What about the population of China—is it 1.2 million or 1.2 billion? Make sure your numbers are correct.

8. Get someone else to proofread it.

After checking all the previous points, do not forget to get a friend to proofread it for you. You will be amazed at the mistakes you’ve missed. A second person will also be in a better position to evaluate whether the sentences make sense.

Culled from Ragan

6 Secrets to Success as a Social Media Manager

Being a social media manager is a multifaceted job: You’re a data analyst one minute, a community moderator the next and an innovator and entrepreneur after that. Whether you’re a freelancer looking to score your next big client or a job seeker eager to land a new opportunity, here are tactics you can employ right now to rise up in social media management.

How to Succeed as a Social Media Manager

1. Know Your Channels

You won’t land gigs, or an interview, if you’re not experienced in programming content on the top social media channels. Being comfortable in Facebook and Twitter is a good start, but depending on your skills and client list, consider taking some time to work with other platforms like StumbleUpon, Pinterest and YouTube. Also on your to-do list: Keep up with channels that are gaining momentum like video hub Vine, shopping site Wanelo and slide hosting service SlideShare.

2. Beef Up Your Graphic Design Skills

You don’t have to be a Photoshop god, but having a keen eye for design will place you far above the competition. Social media is saturated with content, and the posts with fine-tuned images are the ones that stand out. Graphic design skills carry over into every corner of marketing, as well.

3. Make an Infographic to Show ROI

One of the biggest challenges in social media management is showing return on investment (ROI): in short, proving to clients and potential employers that your hard work generates real results. Take the data from your best campaigns and put it all in one place.

Then, use that finely tuned graphic design skill (or hire a designer) to make a stunning infographic that you can send to future employers and hand out at conferences to promote yourself. The benefit is vast: Not only will an infographic support your claims with stats, but you will demonstrate that ability to communicate visually.

4. Demonstrate Your Ability to Handle Sticky Situations

Responding quickly and tactfully to online disasters not only proves your aptitude as a social media manager, but it proves your ability to stay calm amidst chaos—a skill essential to any media job.

5. Get Some Testimonials

Can you think of a time you got some excellent feedback after a stellar social media campaign? Whether it’s from a coworker, client or former employer, a few affirmative sentences from others can go a long way. Post these on your website or solicit them on LinkedIn to lend some real-world credibility to your hard work.

6. Target Your Next Goal

The strategy you employ now will vary depending on the role you seek. If you’re striving for a social media manager job at a targeted company, you’ll want to keep honing your skills as a jack of all trades. But if your long-term hope is to secure a C-level position or start your own company, now would be a great time to build a social media consulting practice. Work on your sales know-how to grow your client base and follow the big players in your field of choice.

Post Tags:#Content Strategy#Social media#social media manager

8 Important Questions to Ask Before You Publish Your Book

Right now, I feel like I’m drowning.

I’m in the final frenzy of preparing for the launch week of my new print business book, The Pocket Small Business Owner’s Guide to Starting Your Business on a Shoestring.

I’ve learned a lot about book marketing since my previous print book, How They Started, came out, and I’m excited to apply some of the ideas.

In going through this process, I realized there are some basic questions all authors should ask themselves if they are preparing to publish a book, whether self-published ebook, print-on-demand, or physical, traditional press, fiction or nonfiction.

These questions provide a roadmap that will clue you in on whether now is a good time to put your book out, and will steer you to use what marketing time you have productively.

Ask yourself:

1. Who will care about and buy my book?

These days, book sales are all about who you know. How big is your network? Who can you promote this book to? Most importantly, who do you know who has a big audience of their own who’d be willing to review it, interview you, or otherwise help you promote your book?

If you’ve been sitting in your garret writing and are thinking your book is so amazing and irresistible that it will sell itself (as I saw one writer boast recently on LinkedIn)…prepare to be disappointed.

I meet too many writers who write their book and then decide to start blogging to promote it. That gets the order backwards. First, start building your audience and making connections with others in your planned book niche, so that you have a way to market your book.

2. Who will blurb my book?

I saw this eye-opening comment on one of LinkedIn’s author groups recently — a new nonfiction book author wanted to know how she could get the top thought leaders in her niche to give her book some raves for the cover.

She wondered if a traditional publisher could line that up for her. The answer is no. It doesn’t work like that.

The people who blurb your book tend to be people you know well and who likely you have done favors for in the past. If you don’t know him, Bill Gates is not going to blurb your business book, and J.K. Rowling isn’t going to rave about your children’s book.

Blurbing a book is actually a big pain because you have to really read the entire book to make a coherent review comment! It’s a lot of ask as a favor of someone.

I had interviewed quite a few business-book authors over the years as a business reporter and built some relationships there that helped. But if I hadn’t attended SOBCon, I would have been hard up for book-cover blurbs on my first book — about half of them came from relationships I formed there.

3. Who will review my book?

The next thing you need is people willing to read advance copies and post Amazon and GoodReads reviews on publication day, so that readers get the idea it’s a happening tome with an active reader base.

Could you get 50 or 100 people to do that? If so, that will get your book off to a good start. Once you’ve got a nice number of reviews up, other buyers will tend to chime in and add to them.

4. What forms of marketing can I do?

Lots of writers hate talking about themselves, and hate marketing in general. But selling a book involves butt-loads of marketing. Start thinking about what types of marketing you’d be willing to dive into. Could you hit trade shows and do a book tour? Bookstore-based book talks and signings? Rent a billboard? Start thinking about what’s within your comfort zone, time availability, and budget.

Consider what marketing will make the most impact for your particular book. There are only so many hours for book marketing, and you cannot do it all.

Because I’ve been blogging and writing about business for years, I’m focusing most of my energy on tapping the blogging community. I’m submitting my book to business-book review sites, guesting on business podcasts, doing guest posts, and Skype interviews.

That comes naturally to me, and I’m well-connected there. I’m doing a bit of in-person, but since I live in a small town it’s more impactful for me to concentrate on Internet marketing, where I can reach a much larger audience.

5. Can I tap my network for marketing ideas?

The best advice I can give about book marketing is to start asking around about what you should do. You’ll learn a lot.

For instance, I did one post on Facebook and Twitter asking for suggestions and immediately got three leads of business blogs I hadn’t thought to approach, even though they were names I knew.

One of them I turned out to become an instant new best friend on Skype. We turned out to have loads in common. she introduced me to a large Skype mastermind group she’s in, and asked for a video post! You will greatly increase your marketing reach when you ask for help.

I asked one personal friend for ideas and she reminded me that — duh — our town has a daily paper, a monthly lifestyle magazine, and a regional business journal, all of which might write about my book launch event here in town. In fact, as I write this, I see the business journal has posted a release about my local book launch party. That’s a great bit of great exposure I would have probably would have forgotten to pursue without the nudge.

6. How much free time have I got?

In my case, the answer is not a ton, since I need to spend a lot of time helping Freelance Writers Den members. I have dropped some freelance clients, but still have family responsibilities, too.

Unless you can drop everything to become a book-marketing machine, you’ll need to pick and choose your promotional methods. Also, start earlier if you know you’ll need to juggle your schedule with other commitments.

For instance, I gather GoodReads does only marginally well for nonfiction books, and that you should spend an hour a day on there interacting with people to get some real traction. Given that it’s not an ideal platform for my type of book, I decided to fill out my profile and do a giveaway contest (check it out in the sidebar!), but otherwise not make this a big focus.

I think the most important sanity-saver here is realizing book marketing is a bottomless pit. In the end, you need to do all you can with the time and resources you have, and then let it go.

7. Can I do something creative?

I took a book marketing training this week, and one of the things I learned that works well in book marketing is the element of surprise or something unusual. How will you make your book stand out in the sea of new releases?

For instance, the trainer had worked with a Christian book author who did some book-signings in brewpubs, because his theme was taking Christianity to blue-collar people. I’m still brainstorming about what I might do that would be off-the-wall.

8. How does this fit with my goals?

We only have so much time in our writing careers. Each book you write leads your career in the direction of that type of subject matter. Is it something you love? Will you enjoy the opportunities that come out of this particular topic and book type?

As a longtime business writer, I jumped at the chance to boil down 20 years of business interviews into a single, handy guide full of great stories of success and failure that will help other owners stay in business. Writing about business is one of my passions and my future goal is to ghost business books for CEOs, so to me this book was in line with my plan for my writing career.

Culled from Make A Living Writing