Questions

Being already able to set your brain to maximum reception mode, and follow these 3 steps, you will set yourself apart from your competition. Ideally, give yourself some time to ready your mind for your writing task, for it is going to be a greatly unique experience. Some writers have even reported of finding a great amount of emotional unburdening through these treasured sittings!

Usually, there is a great amount of excitement, as each page you write comes out with a unique range of emotional experience and as promised earlier, a great deal of unearthing of the inner faculties of your wide and unique imprints of the past.

RULE#1

In proprioceptive writing, you write what you hear by imagining your thoughts as you would be hearing them, and writing them just the way you think them - as though your mind is speaking to you directly. This can pose a bit of a problem initially, as we are normally not used to hearing our own minds, but you will be responsive to this and turn your “vocal thoughts” into words. So, to watch out here, you should be WRITING WHAT YOU HEAR, and already you are being understood by this very different way of psychological writing. So, here you are not going to worry about punctuation, grammar or spelling, but give your words shape and meaning. Treat confusion as a way of recurring thought, and put down the phrases that come to your mind first. For example, “emotions are like a flurry of cotton masses”, “I don’t know where the hell this is going to lead me!”. Keep formulating shapes in your head and forget about being proper or right. Just be as honest to your real thoughts and emotions as you can, giving color, shape and form to your rush of thoughts.

 

RULE#2

There is only one thing to keep in mind—really, really listen to your thoughts. Make no attempt to edit, bawdlerise, censor, judge or chop off any of the thoughts you get. You are not going to direct or control them. For once let your uncensored mind do all the talking and let it flow!

 

RULE#3

Now, as you go on with the flow of your creative writing, be ready to pop up the proprioceptive question. When you are giving form to your vocal thoughts, often enough, you will have a particular word or phrase coming to you, that hits you and strongly affects you. Most likely, as an example, words with the most undefined emotional weight will pose as the element of most importance. When your mind produces this questioning, feed its query and underline that word. Come back to it later when you get an instant rush of thoughts – you will want to vent out and come back to. Again, for example, if you have had something unsettled between you and your mother, then the word “mother” or something related to “mother”, such as “nurturing” or “care” or “protection” might just strike a thought in your mind as it has been conditioned to be highly receptive.

 

RULE#4

After a rush of writing, you should tidy up your writing. Read over what you have written and what you want to say. Proofread your writing and what you want to say has been said in the correct light. Also, you will want to have someone else take a look at your work as you will become blind to the words you are reading.


- Nick Sanders

And how do I know how bad my grammar is?
- Mimi B

A Copywriter is a Salesperson in Print

So, now ask yourself the question again, do I need a copywriter? The answer is, of course, no. Not if you don’t want to sell things through advertisements or your website. Or, if you don’t care that your sales letters aren’t targeted or well written. But, if like most people, you do understand that effective, persuasive writing would bring about more sales and a greater professional image then yes, you do need a copywriter.

You may believe yourself to be a good writer, with a clear understanding of the English language. However, this does not make you an effective copywriter. A copywriter is trained to write in a persuasive style according to the copy purpose and target audience. As a copywriter myself I can vary my writing style to suit the person I’m aiming the advert at. I can make it feel like the advert or sales letter you’re reading was written just for you, even if 10,000 other people got the same letter through the post.

Would you buy from a website with poor spelling? Let me tell you now, I wouldn’t. It doesn’t matter how well designed the website is, if the spelling is poor it loses all professionalism. If you’re trying to sell to top level decision makers in business you need to write impressively. This means good English and good grammar, or face looking like amateurs.

A good copywriter is able to sell your product and service to any target audience. They will be able to put what you want to say in a written format that will persuade your reader to agree with you. This means you will get increased responses from your written copy be it more sales or more enquiries.

Too many people get bogged down with the design of their advertisements and websites, whilst forgetting that its what you actually say that sells your service. So, however good your website may look it is crucial that your copy appeals to your target and encourages them to buy from you.

Here at Red Balloon Creative our designers work closely with our copywriters, ensuring your website not only looks the part but actually sells your company as well. Professional copywriting can bring about great improvements to your sales and company image. So, whether its website copy, a sales letter or even writing an article Red Balloon Creative are the team to turn to for your copywriting needs. You can get in contact via our website at www.redballooncreative.com.



We look forward to working with you!


- Red Balloon Creative

Nearly 30 years ago, I was a guest panelist at a seminar about “Writing for Profit.” — All day long, the speakers had told the attendees all about how to submit their written works to editors and publishers … what to expect in a publisher’s contract … how to prepare a writer’s proposal … primarily focusing on how to “sell” what the attendees had written.

At the end of the seminar, a panel of five “successful writers” … including me … was introduced, with a list of each writer’s works and their individual accomplishments given.

The first few questions from the audience were nothing more than a rehash of some of the information provided during the day. Then, a young man stood-up in the back and said …

“All day long, you’ve been telling us how to sell our written works - but - how do you learn how to write to begin with?”

After the other panelists finished recommending english composition classes; espousing the merits of good grammar and syntax; and advising him to “just keep writing, you’ll get better,” it was my turn.

My answer was … as usual … short and to the point …

“Read!”

Then, I had to explain what I meant.

If you want to be a Science Fiction writer, read every science fiction short story and novel you can find. Immerse yourself in the type of writing you want to do. Spend 80% of your time reading and 20% of your time writing “sequels” to the stories you have read.

Today, the young man who asked the question is a highly-paid writer … with a host of articles and books to his credit. — Last time I spoke to him, he thanked me again for my simple advice.

With that said, I am now going to answer those of you who have persisted in asking me …

How To Write Better Ad-Copy

Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Now he’s gonna tell us to read all the books we can find on copywriting.”

Wrong, paperback-breathe! — The first thing I’m gonna tell you is — after you’ve read all those copywriting books for general knowledge; like learning english composition, grammar and syntax — throw away those books and …

Read The Ads!

That’s right. — If you are going to write an ad to sell your “fancy-dancy fishhooks,” gather together every ad you can find that offers fishhooks, fishing lures, fishing poles, or, even, fishing boats. — Read them … reread them … and read them some more. — Don’t even try to do any writing. Just read the ads!

Again, you’re probably thinking, “That’s old hat. Everybody tells us to keep a swipe-file of ads offering products similar to our own, then use those ads to write our own ads.”

Wrong, again, copycat-litter-breathe! — If you only use your swipe-file to makeup copycat ads, you will be committing …

The Biggest Mistake Made By Beginning Ad-Copywriters!

Unfortunately, most beginning ad-copywriters take a successful ad … offering a product similar to their own … and simply change a few words in the headline, rewrite and rearrange the paragraphs, maybe put in an extra “bonus” of some kind, and try to use it to sell their product.

Think about it! — That would be like copying “Moby Dick” by changing the whale to a great-white buffalo … moving the action from the ocean to the great plains … and making Captain Ahab a Buffalo Hunter with a missing arm. (Don’t laugh. It’s been done … starring Charles Bronson, if memory serves.) — No matter how well done, it would still only be an imperfect imitation.

In the business opportunity field, one of the most successful ads of all time was Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad. — Can you imagine how many times that ad has been adapted, rearranged and enhanced to sell someone else’s opportunity information? — Some of the adaptations may have had some success but, just a few weeks before he died, Joe Karbo himself lamented to me that none of his copycat-ads; copycatting his own ad, had ever been successful.

Do the same thing I told the young would-be writer to do to learn to write, spend 80% of your time “reading” ads offering products similar to your own. Then …

Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.

The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”

Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) — I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion … my product.

Use your swipe-file the same way. — Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. — Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read …

Write a “sequel.”

Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.

If you aren’t happy with your first results, do it all over again … read the ads again … set them aside again … write your “sequel” again. — Keep looking for more and more ads offering similar products to add to your story line … immerse yourself in those kinds of ads … to the point of drowning in ad copy. Then, lay those ads aside and write your “sequel” ads.

As your “sequels” get better and better, your income will get bigger and bigger.

Now, I’m gonna tell you …

The Greatest Unwritten Secret to Successful Ad-Copywriting!

Although I have read literally thousands of books, booklets, reports and articles about ad-copywriting, I don’t recall ever reading the “secret” I am about to tell you.

When you write your “sequel” ads …

Use The Words In Your Ad To Attract The Kind Of Customers You Want To Keep

The best way to explain what I mean is by illustration. — Here are two different headlines for an “opportunity” ad …

Earn $10,000 Per Month

Get $10,000 Per Month

It may appear, at first reading, that both headlines offer the same type of opportunity - but - read them closely.

The first headline begins with the word “Earn.” — To the reader, that means some “job” or “work” must be performed in order to “earn” the $10,000 promised.

Compare that to the second headline which starts with the word “Get.” — That leads the reader to believe that little, if any, “work” is involved in “getting” the $10,000.

Believe it or don’t … the readers don’t even realize that they are making that subtle distinction. Their reaction to the headline is ingrained in their “subconscious.”

Using the word “Earn” you will attract the kind of customers who don’t have a subconscious aversion to work. — Using the word “Get” you will attract more people who are looking for something for nothing … by “getting” their share of the “free lunch” that might just exist.

Which brings me to an observation about …

Ad-Copywriting Books

Over the past 30 years, I have watched an ever-increasing proliferation of books about ad-copywriting. Unfortunately, all too many of those books are just compiled from older, well-written books on the subject - but - with one BIG difference.

The compilers of those books believe that, in order to “sell” something, you have to “trick” the buyer into buying. So, they take legitimate advertising techniques and read into them an implied deception. In effect, the assorted fools who compile books corrupting viable advertising principals lend credence to the journalistic attitude that advertising, by its very nature, is evil.

Although I am adamantly opposed to book burning … any book about ad-writing that espouses any use of misleading words, deceptive phrasing, fictitious or nebulous testimonials, meaningless hype, or the egregious use of meritless guarantees belongs in your backyard incinerator, not in your business library.

If you have to “trick” your customers into buying from you, neither you nor your product deserve anything other than my contempt.


- Author

One of the most difficult challenges that students face when writing a research paper is when they first sit down to begin writing, is when they encounter the dreaded “writer’s block”. This article explains what writer’s block is, and discusses three easy ways to get past writer’s block quickly and effectively when writing a research paper.

What is writer ’s block exactly, and how do you know if you are experiencing this problem? Writer’s block has no clinical definition, but generally it is an inability to write, where the words or ideas don’t come to mind, and the writer ends up staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to begin or continue. In some cases, it is caused by anxiety and stress, and be overcome using common relaxation techniques. But more often, it is caused by a lack of preparation or lack of familiarity with the subject matter.

The first tip to overcome writer’s block is to know clearly what you intend to say in your research paper and how you intend to support your thesis. You don’t need to know the exact words yet, but the main structure of your paper should be known. If you have not yet written an outline, do so now. A writer can’t possibly begin to write without knowing the general ideas that they intend to express. If you have done your research, and have notes, review them again, and determine what the goal is for the section of the paper you are attempting to write. Once you know that, you can write your topic sentence. Writing your topic sentence should naturally lead to writing sentences that provide evidence or support for the topic sentence.

Many times writer’s block is caused by anxiety because the writer feels they have to produce eloquent prose right out of the gate. Banish that though! Write crudely if you must, but get your pen flowing or get your keyboard tapping. Don’t worry about eloquence or grammar, just get your rough ideas down on paper, and plan on polishing your prose during the revision process. No one will see your paper until you show it to them, so don’t be self-conscious about your writing skills. The goal is to get your ideas on paper any way that you can. Editing and revising will clean up any mistakes or poor sentence structure. Speak the words out loud at first if necessary, and if they sound ok to you, then start putting them down on paper.

The third way to simply overcome writer’s block is “skip around”, and write on whichever aspect or section of your paper you feel comfortable writing about. No one says that a writer has to start at the beginning of a paper and write until the paper is done. You can start at the end, middle, or anywhere you feel comfortable. If necessary, review your outline, and add additional detail and structure to it. Then pick the section where you have ideas ready, then come back later to the section that was giving you difficulty.

Any student, with the help of these three steps should be able to quickly get past writer’s block and begin to compose their paper. Getting started is half the battle, and with these three tips, getting started should come easily and comfortably.


- Ryan Harris

If your readers don’t care about your characters, you’re sunk. Readers don’t necessarily have to like all of your characters, but they have to care about what happens to your main character, or there’s no reason for them to keep reading.

Which means you have to care about your characters, and you have to know them, maybe even better than you know yourself. To create characters that live and breathe on the page, you must first create characters that live in breathe in your psyche. This is why you need to know much more about them than you’ll ever have to include in your completed story.

One way to achieve this authentic character history is to put your main character(s) in as many real-life situations as possible. And because thinking is only the first stage and can only get you so far, write these situations out, considering all sorts of details.

When you can imagine your character in different places and with different people, beyond people and places your story requires, you make your fictional people exponentially more realistic within the confines of your own story.

Start by deciding on the basics: your main character’s date of birth and favorite things (such as food, color, activity, place, song, movie, book, friend, family member, possession, game, animal/pet, amusement park ride, season). Remember: these are details you’ll want to work out, even though they may never need to be discussed in your story.

The basics is great place to start, but to create the most vivid, memorable characters, you’ll need to stretch your imagination and go beyond the basics.

The following exercises will get you started in developing rich, believable, interesting characters. Choose the exercises you’re most drawn to, and really let yourself go—don’t worry about polished sentences or grammar or mechanics. (You can’t plumb the depths of your imagination when you’re worried about comma placement.)

STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: List emotional, intellectual, and physical strengths and weaknesses for your character. Include any special talents or aptitudes. Get your hands on an IQ test and take it from your character’s perspective, not yours. (Tricky, but fun and worthwhile.)

DINNER AT OUR HOUSE: Imagine a family meal at your main character’s dinner table. Write a short descriptive scene revealing the average evening meal at your main character’s house.

Now revisit that meal scene and add tension. (After all, tension makes fiction go ’round.) Perhaps the school principal called Mom that afternoon and therefore Mom has some serious lecturing to do (or some serious disappointment to relate). Or maybe Dad lost his job that day and — over meatloaf and green beans — tells the family that they’ll have to be uprooted (again). Perhaps the teen daughter brings home a dinner date who only Mom (an undercover detective) recognizes as a convicted felon.

The point is: think of an emotionally-charged piece of information that will make this meal very different from the one above. Write this scene, paying attention to specifics.

WHAT WOULD S/HE DO? Imagine an ethical dilemma that your character finds himself/herself in. Maybe your character was offered a job promotion or a large bonus based on a task s/he didn’t carry out alone. Does s/he tell the truth and share the credit with the colleague or keep quiet about it and bask in the glory solo? Choose a moral quandary, plunk your character it in, and write a short, thorough, descriptive scene. Be sure to tap into your character’s thoughts, fears, conflicts, and ultimately how s/he arrived at the final decision.

DEAR DIARY: Write three diary/journal entries from your main character’s point of view, fully in his/her voice and in his/her head. Make the entries occur on different days and have them deal with different events and emotions. Try to include a whole range of feelings — joy, sorrow, rage, uncertainty, anxiety, to name a few.

DOCTOR, DOCTOR: Write up your character’s last physical exam report, as it would be written by the family physician. Include all relevant details, along with any physical complaints the character might mention.

Then write up some clinical notes from a psychologist who has been seeing your character in therapy. Perhaps your character has discussed his/her worst fear with the doctor. Reveal as much background to that fear as you can: when and why it began, how it’s manifested, how your character struggles to cope with it.

DEAR AUTHOR: Your character writes you (the author) a letter, instructing you quite specifically in how s/he wants to be portrayed in the book. Make your character’s personality come through loud and clear in this letter. Try to set yourself aside as you write it.

JOB APPLICATION: Get your hands on a job application (or create one of your own), and fill it out from your character’s point of view. Include work history, schooling, references, as well as the character’s statement explaining why s/he would be perfect for the job.

Always remember to have fun with these. The minute you’re not having fun, stop. The looser and more relaxed you are when you try these exercises, the more you’ll get from them. You’ll discover things about your character you never thought you knew, which translates to a more fully realized, believable person alive in your story.

To discover additional ways to make your writing habit more enjoyable, satisfying and productive, visit http://ManuscriptRx.com and sign up for “Write Through It,” the FREE monthly e-newsletter that offers practical writing advice and anecdotal wisdom.


- Lucia Zimmitti

I’ve written over seven novel length stories and I’m sixteen. I’ve never tried to get them published but I put them on Fictionpress. Good reviews. Grammar is something I’m currently trying to get better at, but it’s not horrible. My tone and mood is what I get the most compliments for. Also, I tend to be VERY detailed in imagery and so on. When I write, I want people to see exactly what I see. My stories are not forced. They are more like ideas that won’t go away until I tell them. I have some weak spots, obviously. Being a writer is a dream, but I have few questions on getting a really well thought out novel put out there.
How far should I plan ahead? How much background does a character need? What is a good pace for the beginning? How can I make a subplot that won’t over throw the main plot? What is TOO much for a reader to handle? A good way to keep a character IN character?

Thank you! I just want to get better. That’s why I put so many questions. Answer what you can!
What I meant by a good pace for the beginning is what is too fast or too slow before the main plot starts to flow. Does that make sense?
- Rosaline

If you decide that you want to be a writer, then poetry is a good place to start. Where do you start? How is American poetry different from Urdu poetry? Why write poetry? You may be asking yourself these questions and more.

Where to Start

When you decide you want to write poetry you should decide if you are planning on writing any other kinds of literature. This will help you to know if you are going to want to stay only with creative writing and help you to figure out if you need to research other kinds of poetry such as Urdu poetry. You can write poetry on any subject if you really want to.

How is American Different from Urdu Poetry?

There really is not that much of a difference because it is all poetry that we can learn from. You may not be able to understand this when you are writing because you may not even know what Urdu poetry really is in the first place. You may need to take the time to research what you want to write weather it would be Urdu poetry or American based poetry. If you are multicultural then you will be able to understand the Urdu poetry better then if you are just reading American based poetry. Urdu poetry is a great place for a person that is going to start writing poetry to start because it will help you to respect what others before you have written as well as what other cultures may say. Take the time to learn Urdu poetry for you and your writing. This will help it to get better in the long run.

Why write it?

There are many reasons that you may chose to write poetry but the main reason is that you just want to write. Many people will not follow their instincts when it comes to writing. They don’t understand that it’s really a feeling and it’s not just something that you can learn to do. You have to be born with a creative edge so that you can easily write your words. If you feel that you are not the best writer but still feel that great need to write then you can take classes to learn how to write your grammar better so that your poetry makes more sense to you and your readers.

When you start with your poetry writing you need to think about what you may have already read before you started writing the poetry. This may include the Urdu poetry that you may have heard about from your family or from your college classes. You should take the time to read these so that you know what people in the past have written as well as knowing what style you may want to write in. The more styles that you read, the more that you will learn and the better writer you will become. Take the time to understand the writing that is around you so that you can be the best writer that you can be.


- Basit Habib

One of the greatest challenges of writing a book is staying motivated throughout the project—this is something every writer struggles with at one time or another. And that’s okay. No one can stay focused 100 percent of the time. What’s important is that you stay committed to writing your book and you know how to re-motivate yourself when you feel like setting the project aside.

When you feel your inspiration waning, consider the following ways to snap out of it and stay motivated to write your book.

1. Just WRITE!

The best way to overcome a lack of writing motivation is to write—just put your head down and plow through. Don’t worry about whether or not your words are perfect because you have to go back and revise later. If you’re not sure about things like grammar and spelling, don’t worry about it until the book is finished. A good editor can go back and tell you how to fix the writing. In the beginning, focus on getting your thoughts on paper or on the screen and organizing them.

2. Get Help

Don’t be afraid to ask for help to stay motivated. If you haven’t written a book before you might need to hire a writing coach or read some books about writing to get started and stay on track. If you need help and don’t get it then you’ll be more likely to give up on the book, and if you give up on the book you could be giving up on a brand new career or a great new income stream for your business—or a hobby that you might really enjoy. So whatever you do, don’t give up on writing your book.

3. Communicate Your Challenges

Sometimes, just sharing your struggles with motivation can help you overcome them. One way to do this is start a blog and write about the process of writing the book. Your blog reader’s comments and support will help keep you motivated to write and make sure you meet your deadlines—you won’t want to disappoint your following. You also will have an audience of readers ready to buy your book the minute it’s finished if you cultivate supporters during the writing process.

4. Keep Your Eye on the Prize

If you’re stuck on the writing, think about how great it will feel to finish your book—and imagine what you’ll do with the money that you make from your book. You can expand your business, go on an exotic vacation, treat yourself to a luxury spa weekend, buy a house, buy a car, or thousands of other things. Writing for the pleasure of writing is great. But when writing doesn’t feel pleasurable anymore, it helps to think about book sales—and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if it keeps you writing.

5. It’s Not Just About You

Another great way to get motivated is to think about how your book will benefit others, which is an underlying desire almost every aspiring writer possesses. Sharing your experiences might really help someone else who is in the same situation that you were, so let the satisfaction of helping others motivate you to keep writing your book.

Staying Motivated in the Future

Motivation comes and goes. The key to completing your book successfully is to recognize when you need a motivational kick in the pants and take action. When you feel like setting your book project aside, consider these strategies for overcoming your motivational challenges—your future success as a writer may depend on it.


- Melinda Copp

When people think of writing, they invariably think oof story writing or creative writing. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (or resume) writing is an entirely different discipline to creative writing although the rules you learn through creative writing regarding grammar, spelling and punctuation are extremely important in CV writing, even if the creative aspect is not required.

Since your CV is a shop window for you and is more often than not the first and only impression that you will give a recruiting employer, it is imperative that you ensure it is written to the highest standard you can manage.

There are many websites out there offering free advice that can easily be applied to CV writing (or resume writing) so you don’t have to pay someone else to write it for you. This will allow you to submit it, confident in the knowledge that it is all your own work. Some believe there is something rather dishonest about having your CV written for you as it doesn’t provide an insight into your own written communication skills.

Poor language or spelling will reflect badly on you. Rightly or wrongly, a prospective employer will take this as an indication of your general level of literacy. For this reason, you should look for some editing and checking advice to combine with language and punctuation advice.

Don’t rush your CV; take your time. Make sure you have addressed all of the points possible. Use the language and writing advice you find to ensure that your sentences are as efficient as possible. This means that you get the desired message across in the minimum number of words. Your resume needs to be short, or you risk not having it read at all.

Check your spelling and punctuation more than once: there are few things that annoy reviewers more than bad spelling and badly applied punctuation.

There is always a tendency and a temptation to use partial sentences and phrases in bullet points because ‘they’ll know what you mean’. Try to avoid this wherever possible and demonstrate, through your CV, your ability to be an effective written communicator. You will notice more and more job advertisements asking for excellent written and oral communicators: your CV can demonstrate this for you at the application stage if you take the time and put the effort in.

There are a great many websites out there giving advice on how best to lay out your CV and what information to include, so there’s no point in repeating it all here. Try visiting www.freewritingadvice.com for some of the general writing advice described in this article.

Since CV, or resume, writing is open to a large amount of subjective opinion, it pays to research what is currently accepted and preferred practice in the jobs market today. The content and style of CVs/resumes can change through time and each reviewing manager will have their own preferences.

Try looking at specialised forums or online communities to get a good view of opinion and advice from specialists and other job hunters, who can give you the benefit of their experience. This may vary depending on the job sector you are targeting, so do your homework. Monster.com has a Resume Tips forum that is definitely worth a browse.

There are a great many sites offering advice, services and examples of CVs / resumes. Specialist sites like Resume-help.org can prove to be very valuable if you would prefer to have your CV professionally written, are looking for examples to base to your own on or are looking for specialist advice on what your CV, or even covering letters, should contain.


- Paul Docherty