Get a pen ready. You’ll want to write this one down.

You’re writing a masterpiece. It’s going to be the best thing written, ever, by anyone. It’ll be epic and entirely original. Every sentence will flow with wit, while being as tight and crisp as the prose of Hemingway.

If world-shattering wasn’t a cliché, that’s what this writing would be.

“Eat this, Willy Shakespeare,” you’ll say when you’ve finished.

Every publisher will want a piece of you. You won’t have to do any marketing besides sending your finished piece to the first agent listed in Writer’s Digest, who will instantly recognize your genius.

You accept that a few publishers might reject you. This is the cross any good writer must bear, and it’s only fair. The first Harry Potter book was rejected 9 times before being published  Watership Down notched up 26 rejections. Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, took 30 rejections before hitting shelves.

But your writing? That book will be an instant, worldwide hit. Bookstores will be looted because of the words you’ve written.  You’ll need to open a bank account in Switzerland to cope with your newfound wealth. And you’ll need to flee to your European mansion to escape the media frenzy and find some peace.

The only trouble is that you haven’t written a single word. You’re a blocked genius.

The masterpiece is still in your head. You’re keeping it there in pristine condition. You haven’t yet wanted to dirty it with pen and ink, or word processors and typos.

One day you will.

You wish you could do it today. But you can’t.

Want the solution? Brace yourself; it’s only two words. And grab your pen to write it down.

Here it comes…

Stop it!

I hate to break it to you, but you’re probably not a genius. And if you are, you won’t become one by writing a masterpiece.

Write an article for a magazine. Write fiction. Write publicity materials for your two jaded clown-friends and their bankrupt Russian circus.

But please, put the masterpiece to bed.

Don’t try to write a tour de force.  Write an excellent, publishable article. Write horror fiction that gives you nightmares.  Write publicity materials so good that the two clowns become a sell-out act and can afford to employ a knife thrower, a fire eater, an acrobat, a juggler and a trapeze artist.

Forget the masterpiece. There’s no need to be amazing, unique or original. Just use what works.

Remember, Dickens didn’t write masterpieces. He wrote serialized fiction to entertain the masses. Dostoevsky didn’t write to get rich.  He wrote to pay off his gambling debts. And the Bronte sisters? They wrote because they just liked telling stories.

So stop it. And just go write something you enjoy, and write it well.

Leave a Comment!

Post by David Masters

David is a digital writer, storyteller, vagabond and dreamer based in Swansea, Wales. He traveled the world hunting for a damn good story and discovered brilliant stories are everywhere. To brighten your day with more storytelling goodness you can (and should) follow David on Twitter.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
The 2-Word Solution for Every Blocked-up Genius first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Damn Fine Words is the writing course that changes businesses – and even lives. Students who’ve taken the course rave about how it’s opened up a whole new world of opportunities for them and how their perspective on writing for their business has brought them all sorts of fantastic results.

Now, that all sounds nice, but if you’ve never taken the course, you might be curious: what’s inside? What will you learn? What’s waiting for you?

Here’s your sneak peek inside Damn Fine Words.

You’ll learn the power of writing using just three sentences.

There’s a secret content-creation technique that’s extremely valuable for capturing your ideas so you can turn them into focused blog posts, full ebooks and compelling web copy – and all you need are three sentences.

Most writers don’t even know about this technique. And when they learn it, they’re suddenly churning out a year’s worth of blog posts in no time at all. Add this writing technique to your routine, and you’ll be ready to burn through all the content you need. Easy breezy!

You’ll learn to improve your writing – without writing a word.

There’s one easy way to take all those awkward sentences, unclear points and strange phrases and turn them into smooth-sounding writing that readers love – and you won’t have to lift a finger to find them, either.

Using the magic of human physiology (and a little fun science), you’ll discover how to write in a way that sounds so much like a natural conversation that you won’t believe it. Readers will think you’re talking straight to them – which you will be, of course!

You’ll learn how to get readers to take action.

A good call to action can help you get serious business results – and you can learn how to write a call to action that goes well beyond the usual ‘click here’ B.S. (I know you can do better than that.)

You’ll write calls to action that encourage readers to take the action you want, without sounding spammy or pushy. They’ll contact you, call you and buy from you more than before. (You might even want to test out your new call-to-action skills on your kids – maybe they’ll finally listen when you ask them to clean their room.)

You’ll learn how to get past the mental writing blocks.

A lack of confidence, writer’s block, getting stuck in the editing phase… these issues are common to people who need to write for their business. That’s why the course teaches several techniques that help you sweep away the obstacles in your mind.

Practice them, and you’ll never hold yourself back any more. You’ll be ready to write for results with stronger confidence and internal knowledge your words are just fine, thank you very much. No more stress and no more staring at the blank page!

You’ll learn to find your writing voice and use it loud and clear.

What the heck is writing voice? Do you have one? How do you find it? What does it sound like? Many people who need to write for their business get hung up on this one… and often get stuck in that stiff, corporate kind of tone no one likes to read.

That’s why you need to discover your writing voice and start putting it to work for your business – and with plenty of fun activities to help you learn what it is, why it works and how to make it happen, you’ll soon find the voice that sounds just right to you… and to your readers.

You’ll learn how easy it is to recycle for results.

That’s the beauty of this writing course. It doesn’t teach you just one thing you can apply in only one area of your business. It teaches you writing skills that you can recycle and reuse for any writing task, in any area of your business.

Throughout this course, your business will evolve – which is why different writing lessons become more important and relevant as your needs change. One week, you’ll appreciate lesson 5. The next, you’ll be thankful for lesson 16. And you’ll always be able to pick and choose from the lessons you need each time you sit down to write.

By the way, today is the last day you can register for Damn Fine Words and save $200 on the retail price of the writing course. This offer ends tonight at midnight. What are you waiting for? Go!

Leave a Comment!

Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Your Sneak Peek Behind the Writing Course Doors first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Entrants fought hard to get into the Damn Fine Words writing course. Some posts were straightforward. Some were thoughtful. Some touched our hearts. It wasn’t an easy choice, and we wished we could offer everyone a place in the course.

After great deliberation, several shortlists, and many discussions, the judges and I narrowed it down to two lucky winners. Congratulations to:

• Scott Lesovic of Magic Bash
• Mary Ulrich of Climbing Every Mountain

Scott and Mary, you’ve each won a free membership to the Damn Fine Words writing course, where you’ll enjoy an intense learning experience that’ll change your business – maybe even your life.

Here’s what judges had to say about the winning entries:

Mary has proven for years that she has the endurance and the commitment to be an active and valuable member of a community. She is consistently positive, helpful, and encouraging, and for that alone I’d be willing to give her a place in Damn Fine Words: she’ll be a smart and empathetic peer and work hard as a committed student. Factor in her ambition to help parents of autistic children like her own son, and it’d be an absolute crime to deny her the scholarship.

Scott is the winner for me. What stood out is how clearly he’s connected the dots between writing skills and his business bottom line. Scott is going to use his copy to expand his magic empire, booking clients and promoting his work… and that’s what I think Damn Fine Words is all about. I’m nominating him for the free scholarship, because I know he’s going to create real tangible business success with the skills he learns.

To all entrants, thank you for sharing a little window to your world. You made us laugh, smile, and wish we could take you all under our wing. Your posts showed talent, creativity, drive and determination, and you have our heartfelt applause for having put your words out there.

And now that you have, don’t stop. Keep learning, keep writing, keep believing in yourself. You can change your life, and you have everything you need to get where you want to be, right there inside you. Make it happen.

If you’re reading this post and ready to create lasting change by improving your writing skills, the Damn Fine Words writing course is now open to new students. Click here for more information … and get ready for a whole new level of business.

Leave a Comment!

Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Announcing the DFW Writing Contest Winners first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Every single business owner, no matter what their industry, needs to be able to write well to be successful.

And if your business has a website, a blog, or operates online, then writing skills are crucial.

If you’re completely confident that your writing has never, ever lost you a client, then you don’t need to worry.
But if you know you’re not sure what to write in emails to clients, if you’ve ever thought your website copy might not be very great, if you’ve ever noticed your blog doesn’t get many comments or that your newsletters never really get opened much…

You’re missing out. And you need to improve a critical business skill: your writing.

Damn Fine Words is the writing course for business owners that teaches you the skills you need, gives you a safe place to practice effective writing and get feedback on your work, and encourages you to apply everything you learn to your business.

So you start getting results from your words.

Registration for the Damn Fine Words writing course is currently open, and for a very limited time only.

Click here to learn more about the Damn Fine Words course – and how it can change your writing, your business… maybe even your life.

Leave a Comment!

Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Damn Fine Words Writing Course Open for Registration first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

You’ve got a great idea. You’re going to write an ebook – perhaps your first! It’ll grow your business, bring in money, and help establish your expertise.

And to keep yourself accountable, you tell all your readers to expect the ebook by the end of the month. Sure, that might mean a few caffeine-fuelled, late-night sessions … but your ebook will be done, dusted, and out the door.

Heck, if you really knuckle down, perhaps you can knock out a short ebook in a single week.

Maybe you can.

But that doesn’t mean you should.

Writing an Ebook isn’t a Race

It’s easy to feel pressured to knock this out fast. Maybe you wish you’d written your ebook a year ago. Perhaps everyone else in your field seems to have an ebook – or several. You might feel like you’re already behind.

But writing your ebook isn’t a race.

Yes, at some point, you need to ship it out. Taking an extra few weeks (or even just an extra few days) isn’t going to kill your business, though. In fact, it might well be the best decision you make.

Your Ebook Should be Your Best Work

Whether your ebook is a paid product or a freebie, it needs to show you at your best.

If customers need to pay for it, they’ll expect an ebook that’s complete, carefully structured, and well-written. If buyers get an ebook that’s error-ridden, badly structured, and obviously rushed, they’re never going to buy from you again.

And if your ebook is a freebie, you still need to make it as good as you can. Those readers are potential customers, but if they download your free ebook only to find that it’s full of typos, badly formatted, and confusing, they’re not even likely to buy once.

So what should you do? Here are 4 simple ways to create a well-written ebook:

1: Follow the Writing Process

Every writing project goes through the same stages:

• Idea Generation
• Research
• Planning
• Writing
• Editing
• Publishing

Sometimes the stages overlap; you might do some research while sorting through ideas or revise your plan during the writing stage. Sometimes the stages take next to no time at all, and you might come up with an idea within a couple of minutes.

But when you rush through the stages with an ebook, though, you waste time.

If you don’t have a strong idea of what readers would love, then you’ll wonder what to write.. If you don’t take enough time to plan, you’re going to get stuck partway through. If you rush the writing, you’ll spend extra time going back to fix it up later.

2: Set Aside Time on a Regular Basis

You might have great intentions for your ebook, but if you don’t get into the habit of spending time working on it regularly, you’ll end up rushing things to meet your launch deadline.

Big chunks of free time aren’t just going to magically appear. You need to carve them out of your schedule.

Put ebook-writing appointments into your calendar at regular intervals. That might mean spending the first hour of every day on your ebook (yep, before you check emails) or it could mean blocking out a couple of afternoons each week.

3: Involve Readers during the Process

The good news is that you don’t have to tackle every stage of writing your ebook alone. If you have a blog, email list, Twitter account or Facebook page, you’ve already got at least a few readers or potential customers.

Get them involved from the start.

When you’re coming up with ideas, look at the questions your existing readers typically ask. Do any topics come up again and again? Or if you’re not sure, you could run a survey to find out what readers want or need.

When you’ve finished the first or second draft of your ebook, ask if any readers would be willing to take a look and give you some feedback. (In return, you’ll give them a copy of the finished ebook in due course.)

They might not be expert writers, but they can tell you when you haven’t explained something clearly enough or when you’ve gone off on an unnecessary tangent.

4: Get Help from Professionals

If you’re short on time but have a bit of money to spare, then consider paying for help. You could hire an editor to improve your rough draft, for instance, or you could even hire a ghostwriter to do the bulk of the work for you. And when you get to the publishing stage, you might want to involve a paid ebook designer.

Not only will you save time but you’ll also end up with a higher-quality finished product – which helps make the time you invest more worthwhile.

An ebook can be a huge asset to your business. If it’s a freebie, it can bring in lots of new customers; if it’s a paid-for product, it can become a very nice income stream. But you can’t just sit down and rattle off ten thousand words in a spare afternoon or two.

You need to put time and effort into your ebook if you want it to be a success.

Don’t let that put you off, though. Right now, take out your schedule and look ahead a week or two. Find some time that you can block out to work on your new ebook.

And let us know in the comment section what you have planned – so we can help support you!

Leave a Comment!

Post by Ali Luke

Ali Luke is currently on a virtual book tour for her novel Lycopolis, a fast-paced supernatural thriller centered on a group of online roleplayers who summon a demon into their game ... and into the world. Described by readers as "a fast and furious, addictive piece of escapism" and "absolutely gripping", Lycopolis is available in print and e-book form. Find out more at www.lycopolis.co.uk.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
4 Simple Ways to Create a Well-Written Ebook first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

A lot of people have been telling me they wished they could register for the Damn Fine Words writing course. It’s launching May 7 for its 3rd edition, and people who write me say that if they could just get in on this course…

• …they could finally start that online business, because they’d have the skills to write their web copy and blog for business.
• …they could improve their writing skills and pull in more clients and money, instead of making the meagre income they’re slaving to earn right now.
• …they could feel confident in their written communication for the first time in their lives, instead of agonizing over every piece they write.

These people know that Damn Fine Words is one of the best writing courses out there, and it could change their business game. They know it’s a life changer – and it could even be a life-changer for them.

I’d like to help make that change happen.

Welcome to the Damn Fine Words Writing Contest.

This contest is a friendly competition where your sincerity, desire to learn, and motivation to succeed counts. It’s a writing contest that isn’t about the quality of your writing so much as the quality of your thoughts on writing… and what you plan to do if you improve your writing skills.

Here’s what you can win:

Two people will win a place as a student in the May edition of the Damn Fine Words writing course. (Retail value $1,599.)

Winners will join the course as full-access students when class begins on May 17. They’ll benefit from the lessons, the hands-on exercises, the interactive forum and my personal feedback and support throughout the entire course.

Pretty awesome, right?

Here’s what you need to do:

Write a blog post about why writing is important to you and your business. Why becoming a better writer could literally change your life. How not feeling confident in your writing has affected you, and what it would mean to you to have that obstacle swept away.

I want to know why it’s important for you to be in the Damn Fine Words writing course.

Keep in mind that Damn Fine Words is a writing course for business owners, so if you have an idea for a business you’d love to start, an existing business that isn’t doing so well or an established business that could be doing much better, let me know.

The DFW Online Writing Course Contest Rules

1. Write one blog post article of at least 450 words on why writing is important to you and how better writing skills would change your business or your life.
2. Link to www.damnfinewords.com once in your post.
3. Post your article to your blog.
4. Come leave a comment here in the comment section and link to your post.
5. Pat yourself on the back.

That’s all.

There are no points given for correct grammar or spelling. There are no points given for the fanciness of the words you choose or the quality of your sales writing. In fact, there are no points given for the quality of the writing at all.

What I’m looking for are two people who really wants to be in this writing course and who know this course can help them succeed.

I’m looking for two people who will show up every day and do their very best because improving their writing skills matters to them. I’m looking for two people who understand the value of writing and its worth to their business.

You don’t need fancy language or correct grammar or finely-honed writing to convey the sincerity of your passion. Trust me – I’ll see it.

Two judges will help me select the winners:

1. Taylor Lindstrom is a professional writer who has worked closely with me for several years.
2. Peter Shallard is the Shrink for Entrepreneurs and a business success consultant I work with on all my ventures.

The contest closes on May 1 at 7am Eastern. Have your submissions in before then, and we’ll select a winning post and contact the author directly. (Be sure to have a Contact page on your site, or leave us an email address here in the comments!)

Ready? Get writing!

Leave a Comment!

Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
The Best Online Writing Course Contest Ever first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Do you ever wonder why so many ads, web pages and emails sound the same? And why is it that some copywriters get their content to sound so much better?

Is there a secret copywriting conspiracy going on? Do they know something we don’t know?

Yes.

Yes, they do.

And I’ll tell you what it is… right after I tell you a little story.

Once upon a time, I wasn’t on the inside.

I began my copywriting career in PR. I wrote press releases for the music industry, which was pretty cool. But, I was never initiated into the uber-secret-mad-men-esque clique known as “agency copywriters”.

I didn’t get the secret memos. Or the decoder ring.

Sure, I could tell the difference between average copy and stellar copy, but I didn’t really see what that difference was.

And as I began writing more and more website copy, I became frustrated and fascinated by this one missing piece of the puzzle. What was the secret I wasn’t seeing?

I needed a clue – fast.

It wasn’t that my copywriting was poor or anything. I had clients, I received recommendations, and my business grew.

I was doing something right.

Then I met a copywriter who had worked in agencies for his entire career. One sunny afternoon over coffee, we talked about the biz and I said something about how when my clients wrote their own copy, it was all self-focused and myopic.

He replied that, in his experience, clients write self-focused copy because it’s very difficult for most people to write from another person’s point of view.

And that’s when the secret was revealed to me.

Perspective.

Most website copy seems like same-old advertising because do-it-yourself businesses are trying to write website copy that sounds like advertising.

And of course, most businesses are also comfortable simply writing about what they know best: themselves.

What separates the average from the great is copywriting perspective, because great copy focuses only on the prospect’s problems, and then it shows those prospects how the product or service solves that problem.

Delving deeper into perspective

My instincts were right, I just didn’t know why.

I could see that most businesses write about themselves: “We do this; we make these; our products solve these issues,” but now I knew the secret ingredient.

Brands that stand out and knock their competition to the ground are the ones who write about their customers: their challenges, their needs.

Have you seen website copy like this before?

Business123 offers our customers the top solution to distribution problems. By combining our knowledge and expertise in supply chain management, we have created a platform solution that gets results.

Yep. You’ve read something like it before because that’s the default website copy for most businesses.

Now here’s the same company speaking to their customers’ perspective:

When your margins keep continuously eroding while you search for new suppliers and spend time managing a growing global distribution network, you need a solution. Fast.

Can you see the difference perspective makes? Rather than telling the prospect all about themselves (which is boring at dinner parties, so why do it in advertising?), the business shows the prospect that they understand what’s happening.

This then infers that they have the solution.

Try copywriting perspective for yourself.

The next time you find yourself writing copy that isn’t quite clicking, take a look at its perspective.

Is it self-referential? Could it speak to a prospect or customer about their problems instead?

Ask questions. Get their attention. Show them you know what’s going on inside their company, that you know where the pain is.

Then show them how you can take the pain away.

Leave a Comment!

Post by Derryck Strachan

Derryck is Managing Director of UK copywriting agency Big Star Copywriting. He provides web copywriting, articles writing, blogging, press releases and content consultancy services to several leading UK search agencies, brands and SMEs across a range of sectors.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
The Biggest Secret of Stellar Copywriting first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

A free ebook is a great way to showcase your expertise and provide value to potential customers. But for most small business owners, finding the time to put together an ebook is hard.

Sure, you know all the benefits an ebook could bring you … you just can’t find the time to write it and get it done. After all, writing ebooks are typically known as huge, long projects, right?

What if I told you that you could write that free ebook in just one week, spending no more than two hours per day on it?

Well, you can. (Even if that means you need to let go of your rigid blogging schedule.) Here’s your 7-day plan to writing an ebook for your business:

Day 1: Think Up a Great Ebook Topic

You may already have awesome ideas for an ebook, ones that you’re itching to write.

Put those aside for now.

Your ebook needs to be short, specific, and incredibly useful to your audience. That means you’re looking for a topic that:

• You can cover in 3,000 – 4,500 words (around six blog posts in length).
• You can make clear, concise and compelling. “Ten Great Gardening Tips” isn’t as focused as “Ten Ways to Grow Better Broccoli”.
• Your readers are clamouring for. Think about questions that come up constantly in the comment section of your blog or problems that all your clients seem to have.

If you’re stuck for an idea, head to Facebook or Twitter and ask your audience, “What’s your biggest struggle with [topic]?” Look for any common factors in the answers.

Day 2: Build an Outline for Your Ebook

You’ve got your topic; now it’s time to plan. Getting a clear plan down on paper means the actual writing will be much easier – you’ll just be filling in the blanks  – and the ebook will be a coherent, structured, whole that readers will find easy to take in.

Hopefully, you already know a lot about your topic, and you just need to get your ideas down onto paper. A great way to do that is with a mindmap:

1. Get a blank sheet of paper and write your ebook’s topic in the center (“Ten Ways to Grow Better Broccolli”, for instance.)
2. Jot down all your related ideas around the edge.
3. Draw lines to connect related points.

Often, writing your ideas helps you come up with new ones. Once you feel you’ve jotted down as many ideas as you need, you can start sorting them in a sensible order.

If your ebook has a numbered structure (e.g. “Ten Ways…”) then you’ll want to aim for eleven or twelve points so you can cut or combine any weak ones. If you’re writing a how-to, then make sure you’ve covered each logical step along the path.

Write a list of chapter headings and two to four bullet points for each chapter.

At this stage, you may realize that you need to research some particular areas. Look up any key facts that you need, but don’t get bogged down in research. Tomorrow, you need to start writing.

(Tip: If you find that a particular point needs lots of research, it might be best as a blog post or even a separate ebook.)

Day 3, 4 and 5: Write Your Ebook

You have three days to write your ebook. That might not seem like enough time, but with a great topic and a clear plan in place, the writing phase shouldn’t be too difficult to manage.

A good length for a free ebook is around 3,000 to 4,500 words. That means you should aim to write 1,000 to 1,500 words per day.

You can probably manage that within a couple of hours. Don’t worry about perfect spelling and grammar; you’ll have the chance to edit your ebook on Day 6.

Here are a few writing tips:

• If you get stuck while writing, imagine yourself writing an email to a client or customer who had this particular question or problem. Write in a simple, direct, and straightforward manner.
• If you struggle to stay focused when you’re writing, turn off your internet connection!
• If you’re missing a vital statistic or fact, just jot down [note to self] in the text and highlight it in yellow so that you can come back to it later while editing. .

Split your ebook into short chapters and use a similar structure for each chapter. This makes the writing phase easy and helps give readers a consistent experience, as they’ll know what’s coming next.

One simple structure you can use is this:

• Explain the concept or idea
• Give an example or mini case-study
• Have an exercise for the reader to try

Day 6: Edit Your Ebook

You’ve finished the draft of your ebook – but you’ve still got two days left. The next step is to edit your material.

Editing doesn’t just mean correcting spelling mistakes. It also means making sure that your advice and instructions are clear, and you can watch for any missing pieces or unnecessary tangents.

If you had a good outline for your ebook, you probably won’t need to make any big changes.

Here’s your action-plan for quick editing:

• Print your ebook and read it through in one sitting. Look for areas where you repeat yourself, information you might need to add in, or sections that don’t really fit. Make these changes before going further.
• Rewrite the introduction to make it stronger. That might mean cutting it down – you don’t need two pages of waffling around at the start of a short ebook.
• Read through slowly and change any awkward or unclear sentences. Look up any missing facts and double-check information you’re not sure about. Fix any typos or spelling mistakes.

Day 7: Design and Publish Your Ebook

You’re writing a free ebook, so readers won’t expect the world’s flashiest design. They will expect your ebook to be easy to read.

Try these 5 easy ways to enhance your ebook quickly:

• Use a larger font size. When I write regular documents, I use 11 or 12 pt fonts; for ebooks, 13 or 14 pt works better.
• Avoid a sea of plain text. Use bullet points and bold text, just like you would in a blog post. You might also put a box around your exercises, for instance, to help them stand out.
• Add page numbers. This takes seconds, but it’s very helpful for readers who might print your ebook.
• Start each chapter on a new page. Use a page break (rather than hitting Enter multiple times) to do this efficiently.
• Add a cover. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy: you could take an image from Flickr (make sure you attribute credit to the artist) and add a text box with the title of the ebook and your name.

To publish your ebook, simply convert your document to a .pdf. If you’re using Open Office or Word 2010, the ability to save as .pdf is built in. If you’re using Word 2007, you can download an add-in from Microsoft to save your file as a .pdf.

And that’s it! You’re now the proud author of a great ebook, and you’ve got a very nice piece of marketing material for your blog, website, or email list.

By the way, there’s never going to be a “perfect” time to write your ebook. So why not get started today? If it helps, add some accountability by leaving a comment below about your start date plans.

Leave a Comment!

Post by Ali Luke

Ali Luke has written a bunch of her own ebooks (several are available free) and has worked to help other writers with many more. If you find it tough to get inspired to write, check out her post Twenty-Five Ways to Come Up With Great Ideas for Your Writing.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How to Write a Free Ebook in Just 7 Days first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

There comes a point in every freelance writer’s career where he simply can’t take it any more.

Unless he’s leaving the house to conduct first-hand research, he’s seeing the same things all day, every day. The place where he works during the day is 20 feet from the place where he lounges at night.

It’s the same kitchen, the same bathroom, the same everything, every day.

It’s enough to make anyone go a little nuts.

All freelancers, at some point or another, deal with cabin fever. We just need to get out of the house, no matter where the destination. The seasoned vets among us might plan for these bouts in advance, scheduling days where they can get away and not fall behind on work.

Those with less experience — which, make no mistake, is a large portion of us — probably need to keep working in order to pay the bills.

The solution, then, is to pack up our work and haul it elsewhere. And so we stuff our trusty laptops into bags and take our work to another environment. That’s productive. It means we’re taking a proactive approach to an unavoidable problem.

Yet not all writing environments are created equal. In my years of freelancing I’ve tried many of them and have found the ups and downs with each.

Here are the official recommendations.

Where Not to Write

If you plan to have a full, productive day out of your home office, you’d do best to avoid these places.

Coffee Shops

What, exactly, about a coffee shop screams productive environment? People are moving in and out constantly. There are usually many others occupying seats and tables. During busy times, you might not even be able to find a seat.

People yap on their phones. People talk amongst themselves. Music you don’t control plays on the PA.

There is nothing productive about working from a coffee shop.

If you want to simply get out of the house and take a break, coffee shops can provide an excellent outlet. You can actually interact with baristas and perhaps even other patrons. You can get a hot, stimulating beverage, or maybe even a pastry if you’re into indulging yourself. You can even focus on something unrelated to your work — I used to bring a journal and empty my brain at a local Starbucks.

But working? I think not.

In an environment that promotes distraction, you’ll likely get nothing done. If you do get anything done, it’s not done as well as it could be. That means you’re at the same place as when you started, only with fewer hours to get everything completed.

(If you can’t tell, I’m pretty passionate about not working in coffee shops.)

Friends’ Houses

Your friends might say they understand that you work from home. No, they say, they know that you have to get work done.

Then in the next breath, they’re asking for a ride somewhere or for you to do them a favor. You know, because you don’t go to work.

It takes considerable willpower and strong consideration of the consequences to avoid strangling them for this offense.

Unless your friends also work from home, they do not understand. Your girlfriend or boyfriend do not understand. So unless they’re absent while you work in their apartment just to change the scenery, avoid this situation.

Working solo might get lonely; in fact, it will certainly get lonely, perhaps painfully so. But sidling up to friends and significant others during working hours helps zero.

Just to be clear, your parents’ house is an equally bad choice.

The Park

I wouldn’t even mention this had it not come to my attention that people actually try to work in the park.

The thought process is understandable. It’s nice outside! I have wireless internet! Let’s go to the park and write! Truthfully, the thought has occurred to me also at times.

It’s typically followed by a facepalm.

If you thought coffee shops were distracting, parks are doubly, maybe triply so. You know how people in offices lament their daytime imprisonment when it’s nice outside? That’s probably healthy. They’re at work for a reason, after all.

If you’re escaping your office for the glory of outdoor writing, you’re probably going to find yourself so distracted by the pretty surroundings that no work gets done.

Also, have you ever tried to use a computer in any kind of sunlight? Unless you have superhuman typing accuracy, it just doesn’t work. Case in point.

Where to Write

“Geez, Joe, you’re such a downer.” Yeah, I get that a lot. But I’m not done yet. Now that I’ve shared my opinion on the worst places to write, I’d like to share some of the more serene environments I’ve enjoyed for top results.

The Library

Who doesn’t love the library? No friend of mine, I can assure you. Libraries are wonderful repositories of books and other information. Anyone with a curious streak can spend hours searching for, well, anything that fancies her.

Libraries also make wonderful work environments. Why the library? Glad you asked. Here’s a quick lists of a library’s virtues for a writer.

• It’s quiet. Not only that, but you can actually tell people to shut up if they’re being too loud. It’s your right. The library is supposed to be quiet.
• You can face the wall. I’ve never been to a library that didn’t have work stations. Set yourself in one of them, and you’re looking right at the wall. There is no better way to eliminate distractions than by turning your back to them.
• They’re free. There’s no need to buy anything, as there is in a coffee shop. You just walk in and set up, even if you don’t have a library card. (But you should get one. Just saying.)
• They’re full of information. Need some secondary research? It just so happens that you’re surrounded by material. Use as much of it as you need or want.

If you need to get out of the house to work, by all means, choose the library.

Hotels

Truman Capote used to do his best writing in motels rooms, or at least that’s what Stephen King tells us in On Writing.

There is certainly some merit to escaping traditional writing environments completely. A hotel room brings something old, yet something new. There’s a writing desk, but it’s not yours. The same goes for the bed, the bathroom, the TV, and everything else. It might appear familiar in superficial ways, but it’s really not.

The downside, of course, is the cost. Sure, you can find cheap hotels on travel sites, but that still costs a chunk of change. The only way it makes sense is if two conditions are true:

1. You have a time-sensitive project.
2. You are on the verge of breakdown.

Unless you’re independently wealthy — and how many copywriters do you know who can say that? — a hotel is a considerable cost. Most times it’s not justifiable. But that doesn’t make it any worse a writing environment. The familiar but different environment might be just what you need to beat cabin fever.

And if you’re not getting any work done at home, then you’re not making any money there either. Getting out might just unblock your productivity and bring in cash.

Like this idea? Try making nice with the owner of a nearby hotel or motel. Maybe if you write him some marketing copy, he’ll let you use a vacant room from time to time.

Unfortunately, this pretty much covers the list of places I’ve productively written. There just aren’t many places you can go where 1) there won’t be any distractions, and 2) you won’t have to pay a considerable fee.

That makes public libraries the hands-down best place to get work done outside your home. If you need the break, by all means take it at the library.

As for coffee shops, friends’ houses, and public parks, there’s just too great a risk involved. Yes, working there means you’re not working at home, and for many people that’s the most important part.

But it’s also important to get our work done. In a public, distracting setting, that’s just not possible. It sounds ideal, but in reality, it’s anything but.

Of course, these are just my experiences. Surely other writers have other places where they’ve realized success. What are your favorite places to write? Which places do you recommend people avoid?

Leave a Comment!

Post by Joe Pawlikowski

Joe Pawlikowski is a writer and editor working on many blogs across the internet. His latest project, A New Level, covers the art of working from home.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
The Best – and Worst – Places to Write first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

These are the writing idea killers. Cater to them, and you’ll run out of words, live in doubt and constantly fight with your writing confidence.

Destroy them, and you’ve freed yourself from the psychological traps of writer’s block forever. Your writing becomes effortless, ideas flow from a fountain of creativity and words come easily, on demand.

But how? How do you smash through these obstacles? How do you cure writer’s block? How do you skyrocket your writing confidence? How do you send your writing productivity through the roof so that you’re slamming out words faster than they can come to you?

How do you write without fear?

That’s the big question. The minds of writers are rife with fear. Writers suffer mountains of self-doubt and cripple themselves with a lack of writing confidence. I hear about writer’s block all the time – in my online writing course, on my blog, even through private emails that only hint and whisper at the monster lurking under the bed.

It doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, you can turn yourself into a lean, mean writing machine that churns out effortless, effective writing that produces business results… completely stress free.

Imagine what having that writing ability in the palm of your hand would feel like: You’d whip out well-written guest posts quickly and easily. You’d breeze through engaging newsletters your readers can’t wait to open. You’d finally write that ebook, smash out compelling web copy and completely revolutionize your business results.

Can’t do any of that when you’re stuck thinking, “I can’t write.”

You need to produce. You have a business that needs all sorts of content: blog posts, articles, web copy, sales pages… You need to write, with effortless ease and all the writing confidence in the world.

You need to just put fingers to the keyboard and GO.

And I know someone who can teach you how.

Peter Shallard is the infamous Shrink for Entrepreneurs, a brilliant business consultant who works with wealthy people around the globe as they strive to change their psychology and create near-effortless success.

He even warns clients when they begin working with him: Life’s going to change. Get ready.

Peter’s also a fantastic writer and knows the ins and outs of writing psychology. (He never gets writer’s block, and he’ll tell you exactly why it doesn’t even exist.) That’s why I couldn’t think of a better candidate for this important, exclusive interview event:

I’m going to pick Peter’s genius brains about writing psychology. We’ll cover topics such as how to develop your writer confidence, create an abundance of writing ideas, smash through endless editing cycles so you leave them behind forever, and build fonts of writing creativity that overflow with awesomesauce.

Get ready. Life’s going to change.

Join Peter Shallard and me on March 21 at 12.30pm EST and listen in as we have a casual conversation about writing psychology, fear, and how to smash through writer’s block.

You won’t want to miss this call – Peter charges nearly $400 for his time, but he’s agreed to share a full hour of his writing psychology brilliance, completely free of charge. You’ll walk away with more writing techniques than you can handle.

Listen to what Peter Shallard and I have to say as we discuss:

• The truth about writer’s block, and how to eliminate it forever – once and for all
• The secret answer no one tells you to, “Is my writing good enough?”
• The 3 most valuable elements that skyrocket confidence in your writing
• How to build a font of creativity so you always know what to write
• The biggest mistake you’ll ever make as a writer, and how to avoid it
• Tricks to improve your writing immediately for instant impact and praise
• Why writers suffer from blank-page syndrome, and what to do about it
• Valuable insider secrets you can use to write great content… like magic!
• How to instantly turn a sluggish muse around and write the right way.

This interview is going to be spectacular: Peter Shallard is a writing psychology genius with a leading reputation for changing how you think. And after Peter and I go head to head on effective writing, healthy psychology and insider tricks, you’ll be eager to hit the keyboard and get your writing back on track… fast.

Dial in on March 21 at 12.30pm EST. It’s a life-changing event you won’t want to miss.

How to Get Call-in Details

To get the details on how to join us for this exclusive candid conversation, sign up for the Damn Fine Words newsletter below. You’ll receive call-in details in just a few days.

You’ll also be signed up to receive extra bonus content, more hot interviews with leading writers and powerful writing tips from Damn Fine Words. It’s the best online writing course for business owners that helps you succeed… through words alone.

Leave a Comment!

Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How to Smash Writer’s Block Forever first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.