Men with Pens

Why You Should Ditch Your Blogging Schedule

James — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:00:38 +0000

For several years now, you’ve been given advice from probloggers (and not-so-probloggers) that just wasn’t very good advice at all. The advice made sense. The analogies were understandable.

But the theory was wrong.

I know, because I dished out that advice and followed it strictly for years. I was convinced it was good advice and that if I didn’t follow it, all hell would break loose. Lightning would strike me dead. All my loyal readers would string me up, tar and feather me and throw rotten food as I pleaded for mercy.

I was wrong too.

After all, the advice made sense: Have a blogging schedule, and stick to it. Be reliable. Dependable. Write blog posts and publish them according to this rigid schedule and provide readers with a steady stream of constant blog posts.

And if you did, if you busted your ass and posted on the days you promised, no matter how you felt, no matter what you’d written, no matter if your kids were sick… you’d reap the benefits.

But no one thought to really examine those benefits closely. How could we? We were all new to this blogging thing. No one had come before us and proven any best-practices principles. We really had no idea what would work.

We made up the rules as we went along – and then we realized they were pretty stupid rules.

Here’s what the rules told us to do: Blog according to a schedule, and you’d be conveying that your blog was reliable, dependable and consistent… like a grocery store with set business hours you knew by heart. You could go in and get bananas because you knew the store would be open. And you knew when it would be closed, too. (Everyone needs sleep, after all.)

Warm fuzzies for everyone. Let’s give a round of applause, shall we? You’ve stuck to your schedule and your readers nod in approval. What a nice, reliable person you are.

But that’s where the benefits stop. In fact, if you stick to your consistent blogging schedule religiously, come hell or high water, you’ll soon fine the warm fuzzies fading away. You may even damage your readership relations, wreck your ability to collect comments, destroy your open rate on hot new posts and generally make your blog a boring mecca of take-it-for-granted production.

You might even neglect your business and forget that blogging should have an ROI.

I know, because that’s what happened to my blog.

And not just my blog, either. My peers and I have been secretly discussing this problem for some time. And we’ve all come to near-unanimous agreement:

Constant, reliable, regular posting sucks the life force out of your blog.

Think about it: When you first sign up to receive new blog posts, you’re excited. You read each one that reaches your inbox, quickly. It’s awesome!

But after a week or two, maybe three… you’re not reading those new posts every day. They slip into your inbox whether you need them or not. They light up in your RSS feed like clockwork.

And those blog posts start to become clutter.

Because hey, you’re busy. You’ll skip reading today. Besides, you probably already know what the blog post will say. So many of them become redundant advice you’ve heard before. Nothing new. Nothing exciting. Same old, same old…

Then you skip another day. And another. And maybe even a full week goes by before you feel guilty and decide to read some of the posts waiting for your attention. You skim the headlines, you scan a few posts… you have no time to waste – there are a LOT of posts to read!

Ah, to hell with it. You’ve read five. It’s all the same boring stuff. So you hit the delete button and flush the rest.

And then you go back to whatever you were doing before. No worries – there’ll be more blog posts to read. They’ll just keep coming at a nice, steady, reliable, dependable pace.

I get it. I know how it goes. I’ve flushed plenty of great blog posts in my time (and probably without much regret). Inbox zero, right?

But I’m not just a reader – I’m a writer. I know exactly how much thought, time, and effort goes into every post I write. I’ve spent hours writing great material – days. And that’s just for one or two posts! There are over one thousand articles here at Men with Pens.

That, my friend, took me years to create.

And knowing that only a fraction of my readership avidly opens those articles, only a small minority actually reads my hard work – slowly, carefully, with the intention of learning something new… well.

Makes one question what the hell we’re all doing with this blogging thing, right?

Because we all know the truth: Beyond adding to the social proof of your sum total readership, blog readers don’t do much for anyone. They won’t make you rich. They aren’t buyers. They prefer (and sometimes even feel strongly entitled to) free-of-charge articles that took time and effort to create.

Provided with a smile. On a steady, regular basis. And rarely a penny (or even a thanks!) shall change hands.

And the more articles that writers produce (because hey, everyone and their gramma has a blog these days), the less readers care. There’s content everywhere. Everywhere. On any subject in the world written from at least 68 different perspectives. And that’s just in a single day, within a small, specific niche.

With all that content going around, with all those people caring less and less, readers get blasé. They read less. They comment less. They ignore massive amounts of blog posts because there’s just too much of them. It’s a little like eating cheap Chinese buffet every day for a month.

After a while, you’re sick of it. And you just want a really good steak for once, dammit.

So here’s a thought: Let’s forget the cheap Chinese buffet rule of having consistent blogging schedule and ditch it in favour of an occasional steak dinner. The kind you save up for and enjoy. The kind you really savour. The kind you look forward to because it’s rare. And because it’s that good.

I’d much rather sit down and write a great article when a profound idea strikes me or when I’m feeling particularly excited or have something significant to say. If that’s Friday or Tuesday, who cares? If it’s once a week or once a month, who cares?

Wouldn’t you rather get something from me and feel excited? Wouldn’t you prefer that awesome feeling of, “Ooooh, cool, a post from James… I wonder what it’s about this time!”

I would. And so I shall.

It’s time for this blog to become a high-end restaurant. This isn’t a grocery store. It’s not a buffet. It’s a place you come for blog posts you can savour.

So I’m ditching the blogging schedule. And that’s very good for you, my friends, because there’s nothing like reading profound, inspired, motivated posts written because they had something significant to share.

It’s way better than reading posts written out of obligation just to appear reliable, don’t you think?

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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!
Why You Should Ditch Your Blogging Schedule first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

What to Do When You Hate Your Blog

James — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:34 +0000

Years ago, I started this blog with a pretty big mission in mind: to help you succeed.

I wanted to tell you things you didn’t know. I wanted to point you in better directions. I wanted to share lessons I’d learned the hard way so that you didn’t make the same mistakes.

I wanted to give you shortcuts that helped you succeed faster, easier and with a lot less stress than I had to go through to get where I am today.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that goal. My business got big. My blog became popular. It was explosive growth. I got busy. I had clients and readers who wanted my attention, and I had responsibilities and obligations to both.

(Oh yeah. And then there was that thing.)

Life got a little crazy, and I got caught up in it, stretching myself to make ends meet.

Then things got a little worse.

Worse was that I spent a lot of time writing for my blog, sharing good solutions, smart advice or better methods… but I wasn’t seeing many readers put the advice I shared to good use. They’d whine about this or that, and when they did, I worked harder to bring them even more ideas and advice.

I poured my heart and precious time into helping them do better. Years later, many of those same readers were still whining. They were still stuck in the same place they started from. They’ll still be reading blogs full of smart advice five years from now.

I’ve since learned that there’s nothing I can do about that. Some people just don’t want to change. They don’t want a better life. They don’t even want to try. (Sorry, people. I can’t help you if you can’t help yourself.)

But until I learned that life lesson… well, blogging was discouraging. It was disheartening. It felt useless.

But wait – things got even worse.

Worse is that I started to think I’d said it all. That I had nothing left to say. That I’d run out of new material to cover. After all, this blog has well over 1,000 posts, and I’ve been blogging good, smart advice for years.

There’s only so much you can say before it starts to sound redundant.

Pair that with readers who kept whining about being stuck, and I thought this blog was done for. I’d done what I’d could, I’d tried as hard as I could, I’d given it my all… and the well of smart advice had gone dry.

But I had a problem: I couldn’t abandon my blog. So I started doing what everyone was doing: rehashing the same old, boring topics we’ve all read a million times before.

I hated it.

I stuck with my blog out of a sense of obligation, battling nasty bouts of writer’s block (that were really just my mind’s signal that something was wrong and that I should pay attention). I stared at blank pages. I hired a business shrink. I spent frustrated hours trying to cobble together something “good enough”, something that made me feel awesome again. Like I’d nailed it.

Nuttin’.

I started losing my writing voice. It sounded bland and disinterested. It wasn’t the vivacious, bold, brash tone I used to have. I looked back on older posts and wished I could write like that again – but I couldn’t. The spark was gone.

I felt like was just keeping up appearances.

This wasn’t fun anymore.

This dragged on for well over a year, and I shudder at what could’ve happened had it continued. I nearly abandoned this blog to go run off to play in the sunshine of Damn Fine Words, a project that’s always sparked my motivation like a lit blowtorch.

Until the day I realized this blog was completely, utterly, falling apart in tiny little pieces. It was done. Over. Reached its end.

Finished.

Dead.

I was THRILLED!

This blog was burnt toast, and I was absolutely relieved! Now I could finally – finally! – rebuild it to be whatever I wanted it to be. The potential of Everything I Could Do Now was so exciting I actually laughed out loud.

Ideas hit me so hard and fast that I must’ve sounded crazy as I told my friend, hands waving in the air.

“I can go back to my roots! The reason why I started this damned blog in the first place! I can do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do – write about the lessons I learned the hard way so others don’t make the same mistakes.”

This was risky thinking. Admit I blew it? Admit mistakes? In public on my blog? Me, a successful entrepreneur?!

You bet. It might be refreshing to have someone tell it to you straight and say, “Man, it’s hard being successful, and boy, did I ever screw up along the way. Here’s what NOT to do.”

You might be thinking, “Well, why didn’t you just do that years ago, James? I mean, if that’s how you felt… Just… do whatever you want.”

But it’s not that simple. You can easily get away with admitting mistakes when you’re a small blogger or start-up business, but when you reach a certain level of success, your reputation is everything. People expect you to know it all. And you hide the screw-ups. Very few people at my level will admit them.

Me? I’ve got nothing to lose.

I am who I am, and I’ve done well. I’m going to keep on being successful. Admitting mistakes is part of who I am, and I think you appreciate honesty. I think you want to hear that the big guys screw up too.

And I think you’ll appreciate learning how to avoid the pitfalls I dropped straight into.

Oh, and I think you’ll appreciate the fun. It’s good to get my voice back. It’s good to write again. I’m churning out blog posts like there’s no tomorrow.

Kind of like someone lit a blowtorch for me.

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Post by James Chartrand

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
What to Do When You Hate Your Blog first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Damn Fine Words Writing Contest: The Winners!

James — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:53:12 +0000

Today we’re announcing the winners of the Damn Fine Words writing contest… but boy, was it EVER tough to choose just two submissions.

25 people fought hard to win a chance to get into the Damn Fine Words writing course and learn effective techniques that would change their life. Some posts were straightforward. Some were thoughtful. Some touched our hearts.

It wasn’t an easy choice. But after great deliberation and many discussions, the judges and I narrowed the many submissions down to two lucky winners.

Lynn Hess and Rena Tucker, you’ve each won a free membership to the Damn Fine Words writing course. Starting tomorrow and for the next ten weeks, you’ll enjoy an intensive learning experience that will change your life – and your business game – forever.

Here’s what Peter Shallard, the Shrink for Entrepreneurs, had to say about our winners:

Lynn Hess demonstrates a profound psychological shift in her recent writing. Her commitment to developing her skill as a writer has moved from “should” and “could” (possibility) to “must”. It’s now a necessity.

In my experience, those are the psychological conditions people adopt before rapid and enormous transformation begins. I know if Lynn is a part of Damn Fine Words, she’ll absolutely rock it. I’ll look forward to seeing what she produces as a result of the course.

***

Rena Tucker is a woman on a mission. An incredible thing happens when an entrepreneur (or writer, for that matter!) connects with their purpose: The Motivation versus procrastination struggle vanishes and they pursue their objective with a resolve and tenacity that’s a whole new level.

When I read between the lines of Rena’s entry I knew I had found someone who had connected with the ethos and drive to make huge things happen. Writing is going to be a part of that journey and I want to see Rena equipped with that skill.

Congratulations, Lynn and Rena – I’ll be in touch soon via email.

To everyone who participated in this contest, thank you. You made us laugh, smile and want to take you under our wing. We read posts from heaps of talented, creative people and tons of determined, focused people, and we applaud each and every one of you for writing down those words.

Keep writing, keep bettering your skills and keep believing in yourself. You all have the courage and talent to get where you want to be.

If you’re ready to reach for greater goals and learn effective writing skills to help you get there, join the Damn Fine Words writing course today – and when I say today, I mean it. Class begins tomorrow and doors close to new students in less than 24 hours. Don’t miss your chance!

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Post by James Chartrand

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Damn Fine Words Writing Contest: The Winners! first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

How Achieving Your Goals Kills Your Motivation

Agent X — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:00:07 +0000

Heard you need constant improvement to become a master? Heard you need those 10,000 hours of practice?

It’s hogwash. A goal of ‘constant improvement’ won’t lead to success. I learned this when I signed up for Damn Fine Words, James Chartrand’s writing course.

Signing up excited me. I was excited because I was taking action towards my goal of ‘constant skill improvement’ so I could further build my business.

The first half of the course taught me a lot. This was the most valuable part – a complete writing system, an approach that could be used to take any project from start to finish.

I also liked learning with other students. Seeing how they approached lessons taught me different angles.

But then I stopped.

Halfway through the course, I stopped doing the lessons. Stopped posting to the forum. At first, it was innocent – just one lesson I’d ‘get around to on the weekend’.

But one turned into two, and two into three. Three turned into five.

Of course I felt guilty. It didn’t help that James had just asked, “Do you stick to your commitments?” (No.) But I still didn’t do the work.

Why not? Why did this happen?

I achieved more immediate goals.

I’m a practical person. So I had other goals to work on beyond ‘constant improvement’.

I’d wanted to publish a report I was working on so I could bring in more business. And I used the first lessons of Damn Fine Words to help me write my report. I got focus and structured it properly.

The report got a lot of compliments.

Then I landed a new project that paid $1,000 – a decent sum. Again I used the Damn Fine Words approach, and completing this project was easy.
But suddenly I had nothing concrete to work towards. I had gotten more than I hoped for from the course, and we were only halfway in.
Other goals seemed more important.

Constant improvement is a weak goal.

Can you picture what ‘constant improvement’ looks like? What are the benefits? What about mastery—where do you see yourself after those 10,000 hours of practice?

That’s what I thought. All I picture coming from 10,000 hours of writing is a sore hand.

But I could picture the benefits of other goals. So I achieved them and celebrated. And then stopped working to improve, because the goals I’d accomplished were damn good.

“No more instruction needed for now, thanks. I’ve got other priorities.”

Yet that’s a lie. I thought I was a decent writer a year ago. I wasn’t. And one year from now, I’ll look at this post and cringe.

So instead of ‘constant improvement’, I chose a better goal: A new project that challenged me and that kept me sticking to the course.

It let me work towards something tangible – something more than a meaningless image of 10,000 hours. And it kept me constantly improving, just as I’d originally wanted.

How about you? When you sign up for a course, do you have projects to work on? What do you do when you run out of motivation?

From the Pencil Cup

If you’d like to improve your writing skills – and in much less time than 10,000 hours of practice, then sign up now for the Damn Fine Words writing course You’ll see fast results – and reach tangible goals that keep you motivated too.

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Post by Patrick Vuleta

Patrick Vuleta’s a dashing duelist who makes lawyers memorable. If you’d like to learn how to craft memorable writing so clients think of you - and not your competitors - download his ebook, Duellist Copywriting: The science of memorable legal marketing, for free and with no opt-in, from his website.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How Achieving Your Goals Kills Your Motivation first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

How to Find Time to Write: A Casual Conversation with Laura Vanderkam

James — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:00:21 +0000

You’re invited to a very exclusive event.

How to find the time to write. That’s one of the biggest complaints I hear from busy businesspeople, freelancers and entrepreneurs. (Even writers complain they can’t find the time to write!)

There aren’t enough hours in a day. There’s so much going on. You’re barely keeping up. You’re just trying to stay afloat and get through the day. It’s overwhelming. You have too much work. Too many obligations. Too much to do.

Time to write? Forget it!

But you need to find the time to write. Writing is integral to business success. It’s crucial to content marketing. And it’s the key to entrepreneurial success.

Laura Vanderkam is the bestselling author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, and she knows exactly how to “find” time.

(Here’s a hint: It doesn’t need to be found. It isn’t lost.)

Laura’s agreed to join me on an exclusive call to talk about how to find the time to write – and you get to listen in.

Your Invitation to Find Time to Write

Join me and Laura Vanderkam on January 18 at 12:30pm EST, as we have a candid conversation and discuss:

Do people really have all the time they need to do the things they love?
The tricks Laura uses to find time to balance life and write her own books
The best (and worst!) times of the day to write and be creative
How to find time to write when your schedule is so packed, it’s spilling over
Laura’s top technique to get work you hate out of the way fast
Tricks to shave hours off your week so you can free up time to write
Whether Laura ever hates her own schedule – and what she does about it
Valuable insider secrets you can use to create the time you need… like magic!
Time challenges you’ll face while writing, and what to do about them.

This is going to be one cool conversation. I know this because Laura’s expertise significantly changed my life. She helped me find all the time I need – and boy did I ever need it.

I used to work 16+ hours a day – sometimes straight. No meals. No breaks. It was a disaster… but I had all sorts of obligations and responsibilities clamoring for my attention. I had a family to raise and a business that needed me. (I needed that business too!)

One day I nearly cracked my skull open when I fell asleep at my desk while working.

Boy, has life ever changed. Now I have all the time I need.

You do too, but don’t take it from me. Dial in on January 18 and listen in as Laura tells you straight. It’s a life-changing event you won’t want to miss.

The Next Step

To get call-in details for this exclusive event, all you need to do is sign up to the Damn Fine Words newsletter below.

You’ll receive call-in details in just a few days so you can listen in on this special call.

You’ll also be signed up to receive weekly writing and content-creation tips from Damn Fine Words – the innovative writing site designed to help you succeed in business… through words alone.

Sign up for the Damn Fine Words newsletter now.

We’ll send you call-in details shortly. Book your calendar for January 18, 12:30pm EST. Don’t miss it!

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Post by James Chartrand

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How to Find Time to Write: A Casual Conversation with Laura Vanderkam first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Do You Have Useless Website Content?

James — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:00:13 +0000

Your website content may be utterly useless.

Sure, it’s interesting. It’s often funny. It’s accurate and informative.

But it’s probably repetitive. Your website content most likely repeats several sentences throughout your site. Worse, it might even repeat sentences on the same page.

Your customer only needs to be told once that you’re a green company, or a hot copywriter, or that you specialize in lawyer-oriented websites.

Every word should contribute to convincing your client and telling him something new. Otherwise, you risk frustrating your reader. You don’t want to bore him by sounding like a broken record.

Want an example? That first sentence used to read “every single word.” Since ‘word’ is singular, saying ‘single’ was redundant. That’s what you’re looking for.

You could even remove that last sentence completely. “You don’t want to sound like a broken record,” basically means the same as, “Every word should tell your client something new.” I’ve used different words to communicate the same idea – but it’s still redundant.

When you remove the unnecessary and repetitive words, your website communicates its message more swiftly. More effectively. With stronger results.

A concise message lets your reader’s brain process your message quickly. There’s no clutter, and he’s more likely to take action because the need feels more immediate.

In every way, concise web copy is better web copy.

If you want to learn how to write better web copy, register for the Damn Fine Words writing course. It’s open right now to new students, and you’ll learn all the ins and outs of concise, effective writing that brings your business results.

You’ll thank yourself for it.

But in the meantime, here’s a tip you can use right away. You’ll have vastly better copy on your website in 20 minutes by following these two simple steps:

Go look at your web copy right now.
Take out every word that doesn’t contribute something new.

Come back here and tell us about the before-and-after. I bet you’ll have something to say!

From the Pencil Cup

The Damn Fine Words writing course teaches you effective writing skills to help you increase your business potential. From blogging to newsletter content to email pitches, learn the writing techniques that work. Click here to learn more.

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Post by James Chartrand

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Do You Have Useless Website Content? first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

How to Stop Writing Boring Blog Posts

Agent X — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:00:21 +0000

It’s been done tens of millions of time: a blog post is written. Someone has an idea to share with the world. Someone has a beef and they want to rant. Someone writes an inspiring poem.

Because of the glut of so many posts, blog posts have become boring. When I scroll through my reader, my eyes glaze over. I long for something exciting. Something different. Something that makes me reach to comment, that makes me laugh out loud.

I’m looking for those killer blog posts.

I know they exist.

Start with Better Titles

Only 20% of people ever click on your title, and competition for readers’ eyes is stiff in the blogging world. The old rules of direct advertising remain: headlines make or break your post.

Four-word headlines won’t cut it anymore. You need to expand. Try to up the curiosity factor or fascinate people. Use the ol’ Brian Clark of Copyblogger trick of combining a practical tip with a compelling element, like The Depeche Mode Guide to Gardening. Engage the strange.

Use a Wicked Picture

I have no clue why bloggers generally insist on tiny, bland photos.

With what you can pull off today and with all the endless beauties waiting on the high-end stock photo sites, there’s really no reason to skimp on visual imagery.

I want to see awesome, relevant, cool, sexy pictures popping out when I glance at blog posts. Something that screams, “LOOK AT ME!”

Scare me. Arouse me. Delight me. But please, don’t bore me.

Write Like You Fight

Stop writing like a fearful person scared of stepping up to the plate. Stop rushing through blog posts trying to get them done in 15 minutes.

If you’re churning out half-page junk each week, you’re not giving anyone reason to pay attention.

Write like you care. Write profound things. Write like it was a matter of life or death. Like it was a matter of honor. Of protecting your child. Or a friend.

End with Action

You know this already, but it bears revisiting: Think long and hard about what you want people to do when they stop reading your post.

Should they share it? Bookmark it? Copy it? Leave a comment? Those are all noble action-oriented goals, and I’m sure they’re all good, but how about making them more unique than, “If you like this, share it with a friend or leave a comment.”

Make your calls to action something sexy. Something that isn’t… well, you know. Boring.

How about you? Are you sick and tired of reading wimpy blog posts that do nothing but tell you what you already know? That look like every single other blog post out there? Are you doing anything about it? Let me know.

From the Pencil Cup

Bring your blog back from the dead – and bring your business more results than ever. Damn Fine Words is the writing course for businesspeople that teaches you everything you need to know, from headlines to calls to action – and a whole bunch more. Click here to learn more.

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Post by Demien Farnsworth

Imagine Jakob Nielson as a feisty, flamboyant copywriter - that's about as close as you'll ever get to Demien Farnsworth. He originally set out with a newly-minted Literature BA with a mind for poetry, his boots crisp and clean and his teeth set against all things business... and has come to his senses at The Copybot. Go check him out now.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How to Stop Writing Boring Blog Posts first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

How Taking an Online Course Can Transform Your Business

James — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:00:31 +0000

When I was growing up, it was a given that when you finished high school, you went to university. This was automatic. This was guaranteed.

If you went to university, you’d be fine.

If you didn’t, you’d be screwed.

But most people I know with extraordinarily successful careers say a university education can be a waste of time. They’ve seen many, many students who attend university only to finish with degrees that are completely irrelevant to their future career.

The same successful people will tell you that an online course can absolutely transform your business, your career, and your success.

Here’s why:

Online Courses Correlate to Your Business

In university, most of your classes won’t translate to your career.

You’ll learn language skills as you write essays, sure, but no one’s going to ask you to write a 20-page screed on Proust in any marketing department. You might learn statistics skills or some algebra, but you won’t learn how to do your taxes.

And so on.

Online courses are specifically designed to solve real-world problems. Problems you’re probably having in your business right now

Not sure how to market your business? There’s a course for everything from how to set up an email marketing account to how to conduct a full-scale guerilla marketing campaign. Don’t know how to write that sales page? There’s a course that tells you exactly how. Not sure how to write an ebook? There’s help for that too.

Online, you’ll find a huge array of courses that makes sure that whatever your problem, someone can guide you step by step through the answer.

And that’s guidance that’s near impossible to find anywhere else.

Speaking of which . . .

You’re Never Without an Online Course

I know many people who’ve taken workshops, seminars, or specific courses to learn more about business topics. Those courses are often great, and they usually offer the ability to talk directly with the instructor or speaker, so it’s easier to get questions answered in the moment.

The problem is that it’s extremely rare for those workshops or seminars or courses to be offered when you actually need them.

If you saw a flier tomorrow for a seminar on how to conduct an affiliate program, you might pass up because you’re not currently looking to start an affiliate program. Six months from now, when you have a product that needs affiliates, you’ll wish you’d taken the course.

But it’ll be too late.

Online courses are usually more flexible. Whenever you want to learn something, you can find someone offering it. You can educate yourself at the same pace your business develops, which means you’ll never have to walk into a new phase without the knowledge you need to pull it off well.

Oh, and by the way…

Online Courses Are Cheap

Many people balk at the price of online courses, which can run in the thousands. This always baffles me, and here’s why:

On average, an upper-level university course costs about $3,000 in the United States – and there’s no distinction between useful courses and non-useful courses. Want a full education? $40,000 is the norm. (It’s not much cheaper in Canada, by the way.)

And out of that 40 grand, there might be two courses that were in any way useful to your career.

But the same people who shelled out tens of thousands to take Shakespearean iambic pentameter balk at paying a reasonable fee for information they actually need to run their business.

That class on Russian social studies will never earn your business any money. The online course on how to launch a product successfully? You bet it will.

Any course worth its salt helps you earn back the price of the course AND go on to make a sizeable profit on your investment. They give you immediate potential to create more wealth – and they’re tax-deductible, too.

I’d say that’s the best ROI you’ll see in the business world.

And guess what?

Online Courses Get Personal

Sitting down in a classroom with other students and the instructor has its advantages. Interaction is one of them: You can raise your hand, discuss with peers and listen to what they have to say.

Some people think that online courses are still plug and play, where you learn on your own in a solitary vacuum, and the instructor never shows up. And way back when, that’s exactly what used to happen.

Online courses have changed a lot since those days.

Most online courses come with forums where you can interact with your peers and your instructor. Some have live calls where you chat as a group. Some have video conferences, or webinars, or chat features.

They’re alive. They’re real-time. And you always know how to email the instructor for personal help so he can answer your questions promptly when they arise.

Learning online is the next best thing to being in a classroom – in fact, it’s even better. What university lets you show up in pajamas, munching on a snack and holding a mug of Irish coffee?

Yeah. Exactly.

From the Pencil Cup

Looking to improve your business? Learn how to write better content for your business – web copy, blog posts, newsletters, sales pages, emails, that sort of essential business stuff - with Damn Fine Words.

Damn Fine Words is an innovative writing course for business owners that teaches you valuable knowledge about one of the most essential business skills ever: effective communication.

No business succeeds without it. (And many businesses fail without it.) You could even make a huge profit with some basic improvements. Learn more about DFW here.

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Post by James Chartrand

The Damn Fine Words Writing Contest

James — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:00:02 +0000

A lot of people have been telling me they wished they could register for the Damn Fine Words writing course. They say that if they could just take this course…

They could finally start that online business, because they wouldn’t feel like they had to put off writing for their audience.
They could improve their writing skills and get higher-paying clients, instead of 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 could change their game. And for many of them, the course could even be a life-changer.

I’d like to help make that change happen.

Welcome to the Damn Fine Words Contest.

This contest is a friendly competition where your sincerity, desire to learn, and motivation counts. It’s a writing contest that isn’t about the quality of your writing but rather the quality of your thoughts on writing.

Here’s what you can win:

Two people will win a place as a student in the Damn Fine Words writing course, valued at $1,399.

Winners will join the course as full-access students and 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. 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.

The Rules

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.
Link to www.damnfinewords.com once in your post
Post your article to your blog.
Come leave a comment here in the comment section that links to your post.
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 is someone who really wants to be in the Damn Fine Words writing course.

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

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:

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

Submissions end January 16 at 5pm EST. 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!

From the Pencil Cup

Ready to join the Damn Fine Words writing course right now? Registration is open now to January 23 - don't miss it! Your business will thank you - and you'll be amazed at how much your life can change. Click here for details.

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Post by James Chartrand

Should You Write with Your Head or Your Heart?

Agent X — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:00:19 +0000

Have you ever looked over a piece of your writing, only to realize that something’s missing? It’s so easy to get caught up in all the tips, tricks and techniques:

Write a great headline – a number, adjectives, a clear promise
Have a gripping introduction to draw the reader in
Make sure you spell out a benefit for every feature

All of this is good advice. But in itself, it’s not enough.

Head-First Writing Falls Flat

In the first month of my creative writing Masters, both my tutors told me that I wrote too much from the head. I’d gotten all the technical stuff right – I could construct a plot, write good dialogue, and so on – but there was no heart behind my short stories.

They were right. I was trying to follow all the rules, but I didn’t really care about what I wrote.

The same thing happens to a lot of online business owners. We tend to get caught up trying to get things perfect … but this results in copy that’s either bland or trying too hard.

There’s no real energy or excitement behind our words. So we fake it by throwing in lots of extra adjectives and exclamation marks.

Yes, the technicalities of writing are important. If your sales page is poorly constructed and riddled with grammatical errors, you’re going to put people off.

But when you sit down to write your first draft, you want to use your heart, not your head.

How to Write From the Heart:

Focus on the why. Think about how much your product can help people. Think about the reasons you set up in business – the things that truly matter to you.
Just write. Don’t get hung up on how to express yourself. Imagine you’re sending an email to an old friend, telling them all about what’s going on in your business.
Choose to write on topics you care about. If you’re a freelance writer, you might not have total control over what you write about – but you can choose to specialise in something that’s important to you.
Get interested. Any topic can excite you, if you let it. Look for a way in or an angle that allows you to say something heartfelt.

Your heart-felt piece is going to be powerful and raw … and it’ll need some shaping to make it as good as possible.

Heart-Centred Writing Needs Editing

There’s nothing false or fake about editing carefully, even if you’re writing something that’s deeply heartfelt.

When you wrote your first draft, you may have fumbled around for words. You might not even have known exactly what you wanted to say until after you’d said it – many people think things through while writing.

Editing lets you clarify your message.

You want to convey your emotions to your reader, but that means polishing up your writing so that the reader gets it. Clunky sentences and distracting typos aren’t going to help.

How to Edit With Your Head:

Let your work sit for at least a day. If you’re working on a big project like an ebook, try taking a whole week away from it. You’ll be able to see it more objectively.
Print your piece out (or turn it into a .pdf). Read it through and get hold of the big picture. Watch for any major problems, like whole sections that need to be cut, or subtopics that you’ve missed out.
Pay close attention to vocabulary. A particular word might resonate with you, but will it work for your reader? If you overuse certain words, look for synonyms.
Ask a friend for feedback. When it comes to editing, two heads are always better than one. A writing or business friend can give you a fresh perspective and honest advice.

I know it’s tough to reach deep and put your heart on the page. Every single time I write something that seems a bit too close to home, I’m reluctant to hit “publish”.

But when I do, I’m always overwhelmed by the positive response from readers.

Don’t be afraid to follow your heart. That blog post about something dear to you will touch others. That section of your ebook where you confess your own hang-ups will help people. That sales page which is honest and forthright will reach your ideal customer.
I’m no braver than you. But I ditched those short stories three years ago, and spent the rest of my Master’s degree working on a novel – something I really wanted to read. I ditched my first blog that was all about trying to make money, and started a real business around what I love – writing.

I found my voice by finding the courage to put my heart onto the page.

If I can do it … you can too.

From the Pencil Cup

Want to learn more writing techniques that help you reach your ideal customers where it counts - right in the heart? Check out Damn Fine Words, the innovative writing course for business owners. You'll fall in love - AND you'll get great results for your business!

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Post by Ali Luke

Ali Luke has just launched her debut novel Lycopolis, available as an ebook from Amazon. A supernatural thriller with a hefty dose of geekery, Lycopolis has been described as “fast and furious” and “absolutely gripping” by readers. Find out more – and get the first five chapters for free – at Lycopolis.