Better Writing

In July, I moved into a farmhouse in Montana on 20 acres of land.  It’s a dream I never seriously thought I’d realize – a home in the country. And in almost every way, the dream has met its promise.

I said almost: The dream didn’t provide much guidance on Internet access.

Turns out that there’s no cable or DSL at my new dream home. So I relied on my wireless hotspot and for about two weeks, life was good.

But the introduction of 4G confused my blinky little friend, and I began losing my connection.

I switched to a company that promised the latest radio technology. And when it was good, it was very good. And when it wasn’t good, I spent hours watching the death spiral on my computer screen.

I need the Internet to make a living. Without it, my dreams turned Dickensian, and I pictured bankruptcy, foreclosure and debtor’s prison. Out of desperation, I used my iPhone as a personal hotspot.

At least it worked.

Which brings me to my point: …

I’m not a self-schedule-oriented person. It’s far easier to stick to someone else’s schedule than your own. Self-discipline can be HARD.

So when James told me that I need a daily writing schedule, I balked.

I don’t want a schedule! I can’t guarantee where I’ll be at any single time. What if something else comes up? What if my child is home sick from school one day and I can’t write at my scheduled time? What if I’m not inspired at that time but get inspired later on?

Every excuse imaginable went through my head. I set a schedule anyways, just to be dutiful – I kept it for two days and then I quit.

James can’t be right all the time. What works for her may not work for me. Everyone does things differently, right? I need to find my own writing path…

Three months later, how much had I written? Well, let’s not talk specifics, but it wasn’t nearly as much as I’d wanted to achieve.

In fact, I was really embarrassed — even though no one knew about this but me.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve started down the path of “ghostwriting“.

To be honest, I did not like the idea. I despised the whole concept of allowing someone to put their name next to my work. I loathed plagiarizers in school. I was baffled at how they could use someone’s work like that and still sleep well at night.

How could I give my writing to someone else so they could slap their name on it?

In the past, whenever I was offered a writing job, I inquired whether my work would be credited with my name. If I ever heard “no”, I would promptly decline the job and explain my unwavering belief system.

Until recently, anyway.

I can’t pinpoint exactly why I changed my mind, but I’ve begun to ghostwrite for a small website and it doesn’t feel nearly as awful as I thought.

What made me change my views when they were so inflexible before?…

You should hear me when I write an email. I mumble, I whisper, I grin and give a little snort… I’m a noisy, noisy writer.

And that’s how it should be.

Being able to write like you talk – literally – and create a piece that carries all your emphasis, your tone and your feelings so the reader feels you’re right there in the room is an extremely valuable skill.

Here’s why: It prevents bullet-hard emails that make you feel like someone just reached out of your computer screen and slapped you in the face while you read.

You know what I mean. Here’s an example:…

You know that writing great content is crucial to success in today’s online world.

Search engines need it to find your site and present it to people searching for what you sell. Potential clients and customers need it to get excited about doing business with you. Your followers and fans need it to become so loyal they recommend you to everyone they know.

It’s safe to say that without good content, you won’t go far in business.

In fact, it’s likely you’ll fail.

Everything I’ve just said isn’t news – all the pros tell you this:

Write compelling website copy to pull in new customers. Write engaging blog posts that resonate with your readers. Write newsletters to promote your products and services, write ebooks to convey your expertise, and write persuasive sales pages to convert more buyers and boost your income.

Write, write, write, write, write.

No one tells you how… until now.

How do you write blog posts that engage readers and encourage them to leave comments or share your articles on social media?

How do you write a catchy headline that gets your work read, or a great call to action that hooks customers in?

How do you make website copy more compelling and effective for your business?…

Some years ago, a few friends, my wife, and I took a one-day rafting trip down the Payette River in western Idaho. I made the arrangements, and without consulting the rest of the party (nice guy that I am) I opted for the most difficult route that the outfitter offered, a journey that included several Class 4 rapids.

The guides were dead serious when it came to instructing us about safety. And as they handed out paddles and strapped us into life vests and helmets, one friend turned to me and pointed. “I’m going to kill you,” she said. She wasn’t entirely kidding. (Then again, she might’ve refused to get into the raft, but she didn’t.)

Hours later, when we’d emerged from the river without a scratch, every one of us was smiling. Ear to ear, in fact. We’d faced our fear and conquered it, but only, everyone conceded, because we’d had good guides steering us around the big rocks.

Suspense in storytelling is like a trip through those rapids. It starts with anticipation and uncertainty, and it ends in calm water with the glow of an adrenaline rush. In between, if the rapids are big enough and the guide knows what he’s doing, you fly high on manufactured momentum.…

Words (to SEO experts like me) are just tools – tools used to acquire links.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate great writing, a clever turn of phrase or an insightful comment.  But blogs, guest posts and articles are a means to an end – getting higher page rankings for our clients.

At least, that’s the way it has been for most of my SEO career.

Writers treat links in much the same way they regard footnotes and bibliographies – drudgery required to get their amusing stories and searing commentaries published.

At least, that’s the way it has been for writers through much of the new millennium.

Then Google Panda and Penguin came along. They forced writers and SEO experts to live in the same Internet zoo.

It’s a good thing.  We need each other.  But that doesn’t mean we get along.…

Since its inception, Damn Fine Words has changed the way people do business – through words alone. Each time a new session of this writing course opens to new students, it fills up quickly, because it’s a big deal to business owners:

It teaches you how to improve your writing skills with effective content-creation techniques. You’ll boost your writing speed, produce direct impact with your readers and create tangible bottom-line results… with every word you write.

So if you’re a freelancer, a small business owner or a solopreneur, you don’t want to miss out on the course. It’s coming your way this February, so get on the list now to be first to know when registration opens.

Each time I prepare for a new session, I also open up a special writing contest. You see, many people tell me they wish they could register for Damn Fine Words, because they know that if they could just get in the course……

…they could set their business firmly on the path of success, because they’d finally have the skills to write engaging website copy that pulls in much-needed clients.
…they could improve their current skills and make more money, instead of having to guess at what to write and struggling to make the meagre income they’re slaving to earn right now.

If you want to improve your productivity, creativity or energy, one of the biggest faults is forgetting to change up your personal life. Being too wrapped up in work often causes chaotic schedules, poor diets and missed sleep.

Remember: To be great at what you do, you need a strong foundation.

That foundation is YOU.

You have to take care of yourself to produce excellent work. And if you feel like your professional creativity is lacking lately, try making these changes in your personal life. I guarantee you’ll be amazed at how much your writing improves.…

November is National Novel Writing Month (otherwise known as NaNoWriMo), and a large number of people worked hard throughout the month to write a novel – or 50,000 words – in 30 days or less.

You read that right: An entire novel in less than 30 days.

Everyone has their own opinion of NaNoWriMo, be it good or bad. But opinions aside, every year thousands of people join in and a good number of them reach that goal.

But what happens when it’s all over? What do you do come December?

You keep writing. You take the momentum you’ve built through November and maintain it. You continue your progress. You don’t stop – it isn’t over. In fact, this is just the beginning.…