Vector Gnosis Blog

Every writer can benefit from a study of the effectiveness of their individual writing process. You can write more and you can write better by making some adjustments in your writing strategy.

Recently one of my writer friends complained about their declining word output.

“I spend more time at the computer than I ever did before and I’m just not producing like I used to,” she griped.

After spending a day in writing conferences coaching my struggling novice writers, my response came without conscious thought on my part: “Tell me about your writing process.”

“My what?” She asked.

Ah-ha!

I regularly coach my beginning writers about how to develop their own personal writing strategy or process and as a teacher of writing I think about mine quite often, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that experienced, professional writers rarely spend time talking about this critical element.

What a mistake!

It is easy to understand why. Many of us are simply too busy writing to think too much about the actual process. We have deadlines to meet, assignments to pursue, and pitches to create. When we do spend time with other writers our interactions typically fall into three categories–seeking admiration for our success, input for our end product, or escape from writing.

Many writers also take their writing process for granted and simply follow the old adage–if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But what happens when it does break down as it did with my friend? If you don’t understand your own writing process then you can’t fix it. And just like many of the machines in your life, regular maintenance checks just might prevent a major breakdown in the future.

My friend’s problem was easily identified and solved once we actually studied her writing process and writing life. Yes she was spending more time in front of the computer but she had lost a big chunk of her prewriting time due to changes in her home life. Once she understood that problem she was able to make adjustments to her schedule and she is seeing her daily word count rising back to her old levels.

So how is your writing process?

Many writers shy away from the term as it brings back fearful memories of a rigid structure forced on them in school. That is not what I want to talk about at all. Frankly, I always teach my students that there is no such as thing as the writing process.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe we each have our own individual writing process, I just don’t believe in the one-size-fits-all type strategy that many writers were force-fed. Just think about it. How could there be just one writing process–every writer I know is an individual with various strengths and weaknesses and personality traits. Every writer is wired differently from every other writer. That is one of the things that makes reading such a pleasure. It follows very logically then that every writing process should differ just as every writer differs.

Having said that I should point out that although the actual shape and form of each writing process is individual to the unique writer there are certain constants:

~ Generating ideas and choosing a focus
~ Organizing those ideas
~ Writing
~ Revising
~ Editing

The amount of time you spend on each stage of the writing process varies according to the writer and the task and this is especially true for me. Many writing tasks are so familiar to me that I spend very little time choosing a focus or organizing my ideas so I can leap write into writing. On the other hand I often generate four or more pages of fiction in about an hour at the computer because I spend a lot of time generating and organizing my ideas before I sit down.

I have spent years honing my personal writing process and know that the step I actually spend the least amount of time is writing. I have learned to let my creative juices flow and not to worry about such petty concerns as grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. I rarely waste a moment on organization or paragraphing. I just let the words flow through my fingerstips until I have emptied my budget. Then I hit save and print, tidy up my papers and set them aside.

Revision is usually the lion’s share of my writing process. It may take me two or three drafts to reorganize and shape a piece until I am willing to share it with others. Depending on how difficult and/or complex the subject then I may need to loop back through brainstorming, organizing and writing to improve my project. I may make a few minor adjustments to grammar or spelling or sentence structure, but primarily I concentrate on the larger issues of focus and development and organization.

When I am finally satisfied my article, chapter, or essay is working as a whole then I begin the actual editing process of cleaning up word choice and sentence structure and any other stray problems that have been overlooked. I usually spend only one draft on this actual process.

If you are serious about improving your writing quality and productivity then you need to spend time analyzing your personal writing process. You might be surprised by what you learn–and I know you can put the knowledge to good use.

Deanna Mascle is the publisher of the writing newsletter Word Craft Online. You can submit your writing to her Article Directory. She is also happy to share tips and advice for Writing On the Internet.

Why write an eBook? (Where do you want to be?)

You want ongoing, lifelong multiple streams of income. You want to raise your credibility and trust
ratings with clients or customers. You want to get your message out so the world can be a better
place.

Yet, You want to spend only a little time on it. (Would you be willing to spend 4 hours a week?) You
want to get it out fast (Would 4-6 weeks be OK?) You want to market Online at a low-cost
investment. And, for some of you, you are ready to be innovative and even take a small risk to get
your eBook read by millions, rather than hundreds!

Where are you now?

You have the idea for your eBook; you have a lot of ideas! Take a moment and decide which one you
are most passionate about now and will be for the next year. Focus on one great idea, then add others
you know will work.

You have your eBook well on its way, but aren’t finished. You need advice on how to get it done,
what’s needed to publish (not much!), and how to distribute it.

Who Should Write an eBook?
- If you are ready to invest a little to reap a great deal.
- If you are a business person who want to serve a wider community.
- If you have a unique message you want to share with the world
-If are willing to write, publish yourself, and sell 2 years ahead of traditional publishing
- If you want to create active, lifelong streams of income
-If you want to promote yourself, service or products

How to get there.(Build and Sell your eBook at the same time)

Every part of your book can be a sales tool. When you include the essential “Seven Hot-Selling
Points” before you write chapter one, you’ll sell more books than you ever dreamed of!

1. Write for your one preferred audience. Not everyone wants your book. Find out what audience
wants/needs your book? What problems does your book solve for them? Create an audience profile
and keep your audience’s picture in front of you as you write. Ask yourself, is my topic narrow
enough? The Chicken Soup For The Teenager, For The Prisoner, and other specific groups sold far
more copies than the original Chicken Soup.

2. Write a sizzling book title including benefits. You have 8 seconds to hook your potential buyer.
While an eBook cover doesn’t need fancy graphics you will want to create one that can be printed
both in color and black and white. It must be easy to see and read. Your title and cover should
compel your audience to buy.

3. Write a thirty-second “tell and sell.” You only have a few seconds to impress your potential buyer.
Include your title, a few benefits, and the audience. Use sound bites to grab attention. _Write, Finish,
and Publish your eBook Fast to Pull Online Sales_ shows professionals how to shortcut each step of
writing, publishing, and promoting a salable short eBook.

Include a sound bite that grabs attention such as “It will do more for you than instant cappuccino.” You
may also want to compare your book to a successful one such as “How to Write an eBook Fast!” is
the “Fast Lane” companion to Dan Poynter’s “Self- Publishing Manual..”

4. Write your sales letter before you write your book. This important sales tool gives the benefits your
potential buyers want. Include compelling ad copy, benefits, testimonials, and a small blurb about you,
the author. If your potential buyer likes it, they will buy on the spot.

5. Write your eBook’s introduction. Include the problem your audience has, why you wrote the book,
and its purpose. In a few paragraphs include more specific benefits, and how you will present it
(format). Keep it under a page. Your introduction will help you write your sales letter.

6. Create a table of contents. Each chapter should have a title, preferably a catchy one. If your reader
can’t understand the chapter title, then annotate it. Add some benefits or a sub title. In my first chapter
called “Why Write an eBook?” I added this partial list of benefits: Ongoing lifelong multiple streams of
income, credibility as the expert, products sell easily online, buyers are more targeted and hence you
create more profit.

7. Reach out to opinion molders. After an initial contact of asking for feedback, resend them the same
chapter and the table of contents of your book. Ask for a testimonial then. These influential contacts’
testimonials will help promote your eBook Online.

Design every part of your eBook to be a sales tool and a beacon that brings out your best:
writing–compelling, understandable, organized, and enjoyable. Your book can sell to thousands, even
hundreds of thousands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judy Cullins: author, publisher, book coach
Helps professionals manifest their book dreams
eBook:_Write Your eBook or Other Short Book-Fast!_
http://www.bookcoaching.com/specialoffers.shtml
Send an email to mailto:Subscribe@bookcoaching.com
The Book Coach Says… includes 2 free eReports
mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com
Ph:619/466/0622

A good writer knows to restrict narrative and emphasise
action. We all think in images, so it is unsurprising
that we respond best when the image is clear.

‘Jane slammed the door so hard that dust billowed out
of the frame.’ is far more powerful (and interesting)
than ‘Jane slammed the door.’

Painting mental images in the mind’s of the audience is
not just the preserve of fiction writers. It is a
powerful tool in the hands of a good salesperson, and a
vital technique in any form of public speaking.

For example, a sales rep for a cookie company wouldn’t
go into a store and describe the cookies. He would hand
the buyer a sample and while it was being eaten, wax
lyrical about the unique properties and popularity.

In a presentation, how much stronger it is to say
something like: ‘Every day we sell to more people than
visit Disneyland’ rather than ‘Sales reached 120,000
per day.’

People remember colorful facts long after all the rest
of your words have been forgotten.

I will always remember a presentation from the London
society magazine ‘Harper’s and Queen.’ The presenter
(who I have completely forgotten) said that the
magazine counted more heads of state and members of
royal families amongst its subscribers than any other
magazine in the world. That statement may have been a
complete fabrication, but it painted a clear picture of
the magazine that I have never forgotten.

Paint pictures in your writing – web sites, sales
letters, presentations, sales stories – and your
message will be equally unforgettable.

About the Author

Martin Avis publishes a free weekly newsletter:
BizE-Zine – your unfair advantage in Internet
marketing, business and personal success.
To subscribe, and get 6 great free gifts, please visit
http://www.BizE-zine.com

Things have to get worse before they can get better. This is necessary in short stories.

Characters have to struggle to reach their goals. Stories where everything goes right for our characters are dull ones. You can devise several ways to make things difficult for your character. Let’s look at each one…

1) By Having The Character Make Things Worse For Himself

The mind is a powerful thing. If you tell yourself you can do something and put in the effort, you can. If you are pessimistic in your thinking, the obstacles will seem overwhelming.

A character can make things worse for himself by his way of thinking.

I’ll give you an example…

Your character’s goal is to become a kindergarten teacher. The conflict is whether he can do it. He fears that he will fail the exams that could get him into university.

How will he make things worse for himself?

By worrying too much, whether he can or can’t do it, that he fails himself in his exams.

2) By Having Another Force Make Things Worse For Him

The force can be anything like nature, weather, province, circumstances, etc.

Example…

Your character is stuck on a deserted island.

Conflict – how is he going to get off the island?

How will things get worse for him?

He builds a boat and the storm shreds it to pieces (weather.)

3) By Another Character Making Things Worse For Him

Example…

Your character’s goal is to marry the girl he loves.

Conflict – Will her family accept him? She is rich. He is poor.

How will things get worse for him?

Her mother sets her up with another man who is of equal social status to them.

There are many ways to make things difficult for your character. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with.

About the author:

———————————————————————————-
Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com

by Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.thewriterslife.com/bb/mwd6/

I have to tell you, I was very skeptical in the beginning. Nervous even. I had one finger on the “buy now” button, and one finger poised, ready to request a refund. I guess, when I bought Michael Masterson’s course, I was anxious that this would be one of those screaming, ranting, raving sales letter courses that tells you that you HAVE to write all copy the same way with a tone that sounds like a used car salesman on steroids. I just wasn’t going to do that.

Let me explain. I’m not a newbie. I’ve been in copywriting (for various mediums) for over 20 years. I even published my own copywriting course (http://www.copywritingcourse.com) that deals primarily with website and search engine copywriting. The one thing I’ve never gotten involved with, however, was writing sales letters.

I guess I always had too much else going on to learn how. I did know enough to understand that writing sales letters is a specialized art that required a lot of training. I also knew there was a TON of research conducted over the past few decades to determine what really worked and what didn’t. Lastly, I knew successful sales letter writing – the kind that pulled in million-dollar responses – was not something you could just jump into.

I finally decided this was something I wanted to do. I wanted to learn to write sales letters, and I wanted to do it the right way. And what the heck, it was $39 a month, and I could cancel at any time. Plus, if it was really bad, I could ask for a refund anytime within the first 30 days.

I did it! I clicked the “buy now” button and started the process.

What I Didn’t Like About This Sales Letter Course

Let me clarify something before I tell you what I didn’t like. This is a correspondence course. The lessons are mailed to you (along with a nice binder to keep them in). You complete the lessons and return them via mail or email. It is a self-paced course, but it is also instructor led to a certain extent.

Really, there was only one thing I didn’t like about this sales letter writing course, and it is a sheer matter of personal choice. My only concern was that you get little feedback about your assignments throughout the course.

What happens is this. You complete the first section of the course and the initial assignment. Your assignment is thoroughly reviewed and mailed back to you. I was really impressed with the amount of time my instructor spent reviewing my assignment and the comments he gave. The instructors move quickly, so you get feedback within a couple weeks.

Then you complete the rest of the course on your own. You don’t mail in any of your other assignments to have them reviewed until the end of the course. In the process of completing the other assignments, you’re actually writing your sales letter in different sections. Then, when you’re finished, you mail (or email) the final assignment in to be reviewed.

Now, I do need to clarify that there is a student services department and a forum where you can ask general questions and what not. But they do not give feedback on your sales letter writing assignments.

What I Did Like About the Course

What I did like FAR outweighs what I didn’t like. I’ve always said the best way to learn is through a combination of examples and practice. The course is professionally written and gives you lots of both… examples and practice elements.

It was easy to follow and laid out in an organized manner. The sections weren’t very long and could be completed in a fairly short amount of time. (Important to me because I have a copywriting agency to run!)

The course is set up for newbies, but – even though I’ve been writing copy for two decades – it was still interesting to me. While I may have known a lot of the information in the course, I needed to study how that information applied specifically to sales letter writing.

I was truly impressed at the quality of information (including many insider secrets you usually only get from having years of experience in the business). Every lesson had something that made me think, and all the lessons flowed logically as I went through the entire course.

Michael Masterson’s course is published by AWAI (the American Writers & Artists Institute). In addition to the course, they offer a wide range of “job placement” opportunities in the way of forums, databases and conferences. So, in addition to learning to write sales letters, you also get help finding assignments once you’ve graduated. That’s a BIG plus for those just starting out or those who are new to direct mail.

Lastly, as I mentioned before, when you do get feedback from your instructor, it is helpful, thorough, detailed and insightful. Your assignments are not just skimmed and topped with a short “great job!” and returned to you. The ideas and suggestions the instructors make truly are helpful.

Do I recommend it? Oh yes… definitely! But only if you’re serious about becoming a copywriter or enhancing your skills as a copywriter. This is not recommended for people who aren’t dedicated to becoming the best. It will take some work to complete.

I’ve enjoyed taking the course and learning how to apply different skills and talents to writing sales letters. Most of all, though, it’s been profitable because it will lead to a whole new world of copywriting projects!

About the Author

Karon Thackston is a graduate of Michael Masterson’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting and is also a seasoned website and search engine copywriting pro. To get complete details about Michael’s sales letter writing course, visit http://www.thewriterslife.com/bb/mwd6/

Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you hit upon the right nerve (is a funny bone a nerve?) at the right time then, usually, you don’t even have to be original or even marginally funny to win laughs. The audience laughs just at the reference (i.e. “How about Michael Jackson?”) and may fall into hysterics at a gifted comic’s pause.

Of course the other element in comedy is distance. The funniest jokes might fall flat if the audience remains in grief or on edge (it might be too soon for “Now that John Ritter’s dead, can we agree that three’s a crowd?”). We may be past the days of “tarring and feathering”, but if somebody decides to throw something at you, chances are it won’t be a cake or a pie (which used to, at least, be good for laughs). So, it’s important to be able to recognize this.

I started writing my play, “The Rules of Embedment or Why Are We Back In Iraq?”, in June, a few days after a costume-wearing George Dubya Bush flew on to a carrier with a banner reading “Mission Accomplished.” I knew Iraq War II was far from over – no matter what the Media was babbling – but I thought my take on the situation warranted the risk. Instead of carrying a sign on the street, I wanted to deliver my message within an entertaining context (much safer, these days, the way cops treat protestors now).

My play combines drama and satire, sometimes simultaneously. During the readings with different audiences my play’s had, I’ve discovered that what some people find funny, other people gasp at. In my play, a young Mexican-American Marine [Santana] discusses his wish to be naturalized by the government. In response, a Gulf War veteran Sergeant [Drudge] mutters, “If you die, maybe they’ll make you [a citizen] one.” One audience became silent, the other roared. When I wrote that line I was aiming for tragic but I’ll gladly accept the guffaws.

It’s one thing to write about history after it’s mostly been done and said. But my play had to be shaped to withstand any future developments. I believe (fingers crossed with duct tape) I achieved this by sharply defining the timeframe of the play. It’s not about what happened or even what really happened. It’s about what we knew when it happened then. I based my play on the opinions and beliefs that were in vogue in order to show how it all came to pass. Instead of focussing my sights on the Administration, I targetted the Media and how they sold the American public a preventive invasion (one way was by referring to it as preemptive).

Every day I hear new news I still sometimes worry that all my hard work will have gone to waste (though if tomorrow Bush/Cheney gets impeached, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc. go to jail, and our troops come home I won’t mind). But so far my plan has worked. Saddam’s capture caused me to pause, but that still didn’t change “what happened then” (plus I still don’t trust anything they say, for all we really know Saddam may have died in 1999 like it was rumoured) and never will.

Are there enough people out there aching to see a work like mine at this juncture? We’ll see (or, hopefully, you’ll see).

Ron Brynaert’s play, “The Rules of Embedment or Why Are We Back In Iraq?” explores the Media’s role in Iraq War II. Sample Scenes & More!

ronbrynaert@yahoo.com

There is absolutely no doubt that the future belongs to online writers. The rapidly growing number of sites and blogs being set up every day will increasingly require writers.

So how does a writer use this information to make money now and in the future? The answer is to look for affiliate schemes for writers, or writer’s sites with good affiliate programs and join them fast and right now shortly before the rising demand for good online writers hits the roof – as it surely will.

Apart from making money from the affiliate program at the site you choose to join, you will also be in a good position to advertise your online writing services or to get work directly from the hundreds or thousands of potential clients who visit the site regularly looking for good content.

Sadly there are hardly any affiliate programs for writers yet or writer’s sites with good affiliate schemes. Actually they are very few. My advice is that if you can find even one that you can rely on, then it is a good idea to join immediately and set up a system to maximize your earnings from that single site. Then as other similar sites emerge and prove their reliability, you can transfer your skills and contacts to earning money from those other sites as well. That is exactly what I have done myself.

In this article I will reveal the name of that site I have joined and I’ll also give you a few tips on how to maximize on your earnings from that site, both from the affiliate scheme and from your writing.

This site has got a number of advantages over other sites for writers;

- The site sells your writing directly to clients seeking content. The writer gets the largest percentage and the balance is shared out with the host site, the writer’s up line (person who introduced them to the site) and the site that introduced the client who ended up purchasing the content at the writer’s site.

Writers have never been good marketers of their work and besides even when they are, marketing and selling your writing work can be very time-consuming. This site enables the writer to concentrate on writing and somebody else (in this case the website) does all your marketing and selling for you.

- There are two ways that your content can be purchased from the site. You can sell exclusive rights or license rights. Exclusive rights means that you cannot sell the same content again to somebody else, but under license terms, it means that you can still sell the same content to many other sites. I find this unique feature of the license terms, exciting because an article you wrote once can earn you income (royalties) several times and for many years to come.

- You will earn 5 per cent of all the earnings of other writers that you introduce to the site. 5 per cent may not be much but remember most of the cash has to go to the writer. And again, if you introduce many active writers, the income can be interesting. For example, imagine a situation where you introduce 200 active writers to the site and they are each earning an average of just $100 every month. Your 5 per cent will be $1,000 every month. Not bad money for doing nothing.

Introducing 200 active writers will not be that difficult, especially if you are a regular reader of my writing blog.

- Clients seeking content that arrive at the site via your affiliate link will earn you 20 per cent from whatever purchases they make. For this you will need to register separately for the affiliate program where they will analyze the main site you intend to use to refer clients to the constant content site.

- It is free to register at this writer’s site, which in my opinion is a sign of wonderful things to come for the online writer.

How do folks make serious money? Most do so by recognizing a trend and investing in it before it has taken off properly. This growing huge demand for online writers is a trend that is clear to most people. Now you must take urgent steps to invest in it.

Please use the link in my resource box below to get to the site I am referring to in this article. Tips on how best to make money from your own writing at the site are available at my writer’s blog.
About the Author

Christopher Kyalo makes a good living from online writing. Use the following link to register at the site he has talked about in this article; http://www.constant-content.com/?aref=1363
Visit his blog for more hot tips on online writing at http://100grandonlinewriters.blogspot.com. Join his free online writers course by sending a blank email to writertips@freeautobot.com.

This article may be freely published in your print or online newsletter or on your website provided
1. You include the byline and the resource box;
2. You print the article in its entirety, unchanged; and
3. You notify the author when and where it’s printed with a courtesy copy or a link.
Subject: Business, Marketing
Number of Words: 430
Website: http://www.write2thepointcom.com

Features and Benefits: Which is Which, and Why Do I Need
to Know the Difference?
– (c)2002 By Linda Elizabeth Alexander

How do you guarantee that your ads, sales letters, web
copy and other marketing materials as hard-hitting as
possible?

You’ve heard that when writing promotional copy, you
should promote benefits rather than features. Benefits
show the genuine value of your products to your
customers. They go beyond the specs of your product to
tell customers about all they will lose if they don’t
buy from you now. How do you distinguish between
features and benefits? And once you do, how do you
communicate those benefits?

1. Write down features and benefits before you start.

People don’t buy products — they buy what products do
for them. Before you begin, make two columns for a list:
One for features (your point of view) and another for
benefits (from your customers’ points of view). Are
they buying telephone service, or connection with their
loved ones? Are they buying a portable heater, or in-
home comfort and protection from the elements? Are they
buying college courses, or the lucrative career that
will ensure their financial security?

2. Write the way you speak.

Use your company’s voice and personality in your copy.
Make it sound like a written conversation between your
company’s personality and your customer. Every company
will have its own style and tone, depending on what the
you sell.

2. Write in second person point of view.

Remember to write that conversation as if it were you
and one customer speaking. Be sure to use “you” and “me”
a lot – companies don’t sell products, people do. Here
are a few examples to keep you on track:

“You will feel … “
“You’ll learn hat …”
“…brings you … “
“As you know,… “

4. Provide a call to action.

No, you’re not ordering customers around when you tell
them what to do — but without spelling out specific
actions to take, you’ll risk losing their response.

Tell them exactly what you want them to do, and be
specific. If you don’t ask for the sale, you may not get
it. For example:

“Please fill out the form and mail it to …”
“Enter by December 13 for your chance to win …”
“Call toll-free today 1-800-…”
“Click the blue box to read more …”

Follow these tips when communicating features and
benefits and be sure your customers are hearing the
message you want them to hear. That way, they will also
respond to your call to action the way you want them to,
and you make the sale!

About the Author

Linda Elizabeth Alexander writes marketing copy for nonprofits and other businesses. Contact her today to get your free consultation!
http://www.write2thepointcom.com
mailto:lalexander@write2thepointcom.com

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Secret #2: Creating your Marketing Timeline for Success!

Aho!

You can increase your sales and free time by creating
your own marketing timeline. Marketing timelines are
essential for all Internet businesses. They provide
not only organization but a truly well defined goal
sheet as well.

To understand your timeline is to understand your
business. Can you really know where you are going
if you don’t have a goal? I think not! Can you
really tell how well you are doing if you are not
logging your results? I think not again! Can
you really tell what your profit margin is at
this moment and will be next month at this time
without tracking your sales, goals and future plans?

Well I think you know my answer by now.

There is tons of internet marketing “How To”
infiramtion online. However have you noticed very
few people teach you how to organize your information?
Well, now you will know.

My marketing timelines include: goals present and
future, Action plans for today and tomorrow as well
as next month, and last but definitely not least
you have a sales tracker as well.

Ok. Now take out a sheet of paper, and for computer
lovers, open up your word processing program.

Let’s begin with our goal sheet.

On top of the page in BIG letters type:
Goal Sheet – Short Term

Now grab another piece of paper, or another page,
and on the top of that one in BIG letters type:
Goals – Long Term

Next page write in BIG letters:
Action Steps – Short term
And another page in BIG letters:
Action Steps – Long term

One last page in BIG letters write: SALES

Now you have the foundation you need to begin really
understanding your ebusiness as it grows and matures.

Grab a file folder, or on the computer, make a file
folder that says: “Marketing Timeline.” This folder
will hold all your files.

Page one: Short term Goals: Make 3 columns.
Column 1: Date
Column 2: Goal
Column 3: Date completed Goal

Page two: Goals – Long Term: Make 3 columns.
Column 1: Date
Column 2: Goal
Column 3: Date Completed Goal.

Page 3: Action Plans short term: Make 3 columns.
Column 1: Date.
Column 2: Action Steps.
Column 3: Date Completed Action Steps.

Page 4: Action Plans – Long term: Make 3 columns.
Column 1: Date.
Column 2: Action Steps.
Column 3: Date Completed Action Step.

Page 5: Sales tracking – Make 3 columns:
Column 1: date
Column 2: Sales
Column 3: Continuing Total.

I can hear a lot of you out there groaning,
“there must be a way to automate this!” and yes
there is! However, I want you to do it manually
when you first start your ebusiness. I have found that
this will not only show you how you are doing and where
you are and what has to be done to get to where you
want to go. It also helps to seat all the information
in your unconscious brain. Walla! Automating the Brain!

Really, I am serious. By doing this manually you will
learn a lot more in the beginning and not have to learn
it as you go along. For those of you that can’t wait
to automate, I have included links to a lot of
automated services and software in my eBook:
“eBook Marketing Secrets Revealed.”

Have a great week!

Blessings
Bluedolphin Crow

Copyright 2004 Bluedolphin Crow – All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bluedolphin Crow Ph.D. is a Native American with 6 years
internet Marketing Experience and 20 years Sales and
Marketing experience. The above article is an excerpt
from her upcoming eBook: eBook-Marketing-Secrets-Revealed!
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Do writers need Web sites. In my opinion, if you’re searching for work on
the Internet then yes. But why, I hear you ask?

When I decided to get serious about my freelance career, I spent
considerable time researching Internet resources while planning my marketing
strategy. Would there be enough work on the Internet to sustain my
existence? Or would I have to resort to a print marketing campaign to get
the word out? Given that e-mail is cheaper than paper and postage, the
Internet seemed a good option. So, I built a Web site, which, I expect to
work for me on three levels.

First of all, it ‘looks’ good to have a Web address. And they’re as
commonplace as telephone and fax numbers in Author Interviews these days.
Therefore, in terms of projecting a savvy image, a Web site is invaluable
for providing another way for a potential client to reach you.

Secondly, a Web site can be a showcase. If you have clips then uploading
them to your site is a quick way for clients to see what you’re capable of.
If you’re just beginning, it’s a chance to present some material. Yes
clients look for published work, but they also appreciate good writing.

Depending on your HTML skills, a Web page can let you show off photography
you may have taken. Being able to take a photo if needed is a great skill
for the intrepid reporter. I have a few photos in my clip file I’m
particularly proud of – one being a rather fetching close-up of a Highland
cow, featuring front page of a Sunday supplement. Said cow now features in
the Clips section on my Web site.

Another aspect to ’showmanship’ is employers often request clips as text
only. No attachments, nothing fancy. It’s rather sad to see your official
newspaper clips reduced to bare text, with no formatting. I’m often tempted,
as are others, to attach a little jpeg or pdf file to show how my work
‘really looked’. Nevertheless, you have to respect the potential employers’
wishes. So, with the text, I paste the URL of the better-presented piece,
knowing that the employer may also want to see a better layout. It’s easier
for the client to click a hotlink to a Web page than to open another program
to see my work (Big hint: Make it easy for the client).

Finally, once established, a Web site can provide secondary income to your
actual writing. You might decide to publish a weekly column and set up an
e-mail list of subscribers. With enough subscribers on your list,
advertisers WILL want to pay you to reach your audience. Or you get a book
accepted by a publisher . well of course you’ll want to sell a few copies
from your site.

Of course, not everyone has Web design skills, or planned a Web presence in
their budget (which, in my case was about $0.00). But do not be deterred.
You don’t need to register a domain name though it does help. A domain name
looks better than a long URL and you have an e-mail address that stays the
same.

You can also choose to use space on another domain name — often a far
cheaper option than getting your own domain and paying server-hosting fees.

If you really, really can’t put an HTML page together (and with the software
packaged with the major browsers, it’s easy to make simple pages), consider
trading services with a budding designer. Only the other night on an e-mail
list I subscribe to, a Web designer requested help with writing a press
release. She couldn’t afford to pay anyone to write it, and would happily
have traded HTML services for a well-written release.

About the Author

C.S. Paquin is a nationally published writer in both the business and humor
markets. Cheryl has a Master Of Arts in Journalism and has been writing
freelance for over five years. She contributes regularly to regional
publications in Minnesota. She is the owner and editor of
www.WritersLounge.com, a site for creative nonfiction and essay writers.