Writing Inrochester

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

There is only one story.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharsis).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story.

and more…

A TRIVIAL TASK

One often missed element of many successful stories is the stage of the Trivial Task. Following the debates between Doves and Hawks, the Interdictions and the Refusals, the Hero is immersed in a Period of Desolation, unsure of whether to embark on his or her Journey, Transformation or Quest.

Either the Hero is Pulled out - some emergency pulls the Hero out of his or her Ordinary World and from his or her Ordinary Self (the imminemt death of family - Gladiator, 2000) or a Trivial Task pushes the Hero out of his or her Ordinary World and from his or her Ordinary Self - unconsciously, unwillingly - into the Journey (Luke must rescue the droids - Star Wars, 1977).

We are intimately familair with the Trivial Task from our fairytales:

a) Go up the hill and fetch a pale of water.

b) Go to the market and get a fair penny for these pigs.

c) Go to grandma and give her these cakes I’ve baked.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at clickok.co.uk/ clickok.co.uk/

The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

Do you know copywriting? Actually this is a non-sense question since almost everyone knows what copywriting is. This kind of marketing is getter popular every minute. Article writing proves to be the most convenient and effective way of getting through with your targeted visitors to your site. Of course, along with these visitors is the chance of getting them to buy from you.

Should you opt to use copywriting as your online marketing strategy make sure not to commit these mistakes that are frequently being committed.

1. Confused with the primary reason. As you know when you write, you are making sure that you are giving out information to your audience. Though you are using them to market and promote your site, still it is important to provide good and informative content. Your audience might leave and find other information if your articles are proven to be worthless.

2. Unable to optimize the marketing opportunities offered by articles. It is popular fact that articles will help you gain more links to your site. But that is not all you get from articles. You can even use them to get high page ranking. Make sure to provide relevant keywords in your title as well as within the article.

3. Just merely getting the articles published. This is a mistake that is often being committed by some writers. You just do not desire having more back links with these articles. There are other article directories out there that do not just publish. Follow their specifications and guidelines.

Want to learn more about it? Download the free ebook,

Webmasters are now trying more and more ways of getting relevant inbound links to their websites. Blog comments, forum posts, directory submissions, link swapping to name a few techniques.

In the midst of all this, article submission still plays an important part, as submitting articles do three things for your business!

1. It can generate inbound links for your site. This is done when webmasters use your articles on their website or in their Newsletter.

2. It can send traffic directory to your site from the article. Having a readable and enticing Resource box will send visitors straight to your site hungry for more. If you have a long article (I would suggest at least 800 words to be effective), why not submit the first part and then direct readers to your site to read the second part? This will get you traffic! Or you could run a series and tell the reader they can read Part 2 at your website.

3. It positions you as an authority in your field, or give the perception of such. If a reader finds your article and then visits your site, they will have made a decision about you based on the article. Normally if they are visiting you from an article it means you have something that they want and in these cases your ability to convert them into a customer is greatly improved. So when you are writing content try and make sure it is not just a Search Engine friendly piece. Make sure you have something real to say or provide some great tips.

One way to enhance all of the facets of article submission is to submit articles to the niche article sites, not just the major general directories such as EzineArticles, GoArticles and NetterWeb. While these are great resources, why stop there, dig around and find some little directories in your niche.

Just as we are told to get links from relevant niche sites, why wouldn’t we submit our articles to relevant niche article directories, surely this makes sense?

Some of the article submission services do offer some niche directories but in the main you are better searching for these gems in Google. Try typing

keyword articles

Keyword Submit Article

keyword Article Site

The resultant sites could give you some good quality inbound links on relevant article sites, something your competitor may not be doing.

Why not give it a try?!

Jason Hulott is Editor of Finance and Insurance Writer, a new

Think about last year, then write down your 10 biggest or most important accomplishments. You should reflect on each of these individually. Use each one as a springboard for setting or revising new goals for this year. Use the momentum of your recent past successes to fuel even further growth and development for this year. Forget “New Year’s Resolutions”, just Do it! Here’s how to get started.

1. Get published in at least three new markets this year

Did you write articles or get published last year? Great! This year produce even more. Could you use article templates to write an article per week? A couple of articles per month on a regular basis? Publish your pearls in technical and trade magazines, online newsletters and post them in article banks. Print this article out. Write some new publication possibilities here:

A.

B.

C.

2. Expand your repertoire of methods and resources for doing your job

What can you do that’s new, different or better in your field of work for this year? Try some new techniques and ideas gleaned from technical or trade magazines, chats with your peers, seminars and conferences, meetings or brain storm sessions. This year you’re going to make even more of a difference. Jot down some key ideas now:

A.

B.

C.

3. Branch out into an as yet unexplored area related to your field

There are almost always new developments in virtually every field. A Google search will quickly turn up the latest developments related to your career. How can you work portions of these new concepts and new knowledge into your everyday responsibilities? Now’s the time to branch out, explore a bit and delve into some unexplored territory. Got a couple of ideas or so on what you might do? Jot them down here now:

A.

B.

C.

4. Join or get two new memberships in professional organizations

By now you should be familiar with several organizations which represent various facets related to your line of work. Are you an active member of at least two or more of them? If not, sign up. Visit their websites, poke around and explore what’s being offered. Special interest groups can be a gold mine of key contacts and useful information for networking your way towards the pinnacle of your profession. What are the top three or four organizations you should consider? Get the names and website addresses. Jot them down here now:

A.

B.

C.

D.

5. Participate in at least two profession-related seminars

If you’re familiar with the professional / trade organizations related to your field then likely as not you know of any annual seminars and conferences they may sponsor. This year, not only are you going to attend two or more of them, but you’re going to give a presentation at two of them as well. Often there are not only national conferences, but regional and local area ones too. These provide more than ample opportunity to answer two or three “Call for papers” and get on the roster as a presenter. Start locally or regionally, then move up to the big annual national conference. Frequently, it’s possible to prepare a focused-presentation and give it two or three times at different local or regional conferences so you needn’t research and prepare several different presentations. Note the upcoming seminar / workshop dates, places and themes here now:

A.

B.

C.

D.

6. Upgrade your professional credentials

Don’t let the world pass you by. Upgrade your credentials and stay in touch with new developments in your area of expertise. In addition to attending workshops and seminars, consider an online or virtual course, a lecture series at a local technical facility, trade organization, college or university. Look into the availability of short intensive programs and summer courses. If possible and applicable, go for a Master’s degree, a post-graduate specialization or even higher if having a PhD or other terminal degree would substantially boost your marketability. Pencil in a couple of possibilities for this year:

A.

B.

C.

Remember to print this article out and jot down some key thoughts and ideas now to help get you started. If you’d like additional help and ideas or have a question, please feel free to e-mail me. I’ll be glad to help. Good luck, and just Do it!

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and photographer offering Web Content Writing Services for top-quality articles on: Education, Language learning, Salt and Fresh water fishing, exotic foods, South American travel and culture, Ethnic issues – Blacks, Latinos, Indian native tribes, Health, Internet business resources and more … His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News, Brazil magazine and hundreds of sites online. For fr*e*e sample articles and available web content e-mail: mailto:lynchlarrym@gmail.com lynchlarrym@gmail.com

The greatest gift you have to give to yourself and humanity is the book, the song, the poem the artwork or invention that is locked away within your consciousness.

All of us have this gift that needs to come out. A one line peace of wisdom written on a napkin from the restaurant that comes from the heart has just as much value as a Picasso. Just the right words written by a street person living on the side of the road can have more impact on society than those of a trained phd that has been writing for years. A few scribbles written by a beaten women can change the way other women are treated. A short paragraph in a suicide note can save the lives of others.

All of us have something to write about when it comes from the soul. It has nothing to do with being a writer or a published author. It’s about letting it out and not holding it in, it is a release.

It doesn’t have to be about sad things or struggles either. It is just as important to write about accomplishments and successes. The urgency is the same and before one dies it is important for the ego and the soul to release this energy.

It is the fear that stops one from doing so. I have talked to many people over the years who have confided in me that they have always wanted to write a book. All of them have been afraid to do so. They claim they don’t have the knowledge or skills and they worry about being laughed at or ridiculed. Who would buy my book of poems, my “how to” book, or my child’s story book. There are so many other books, great books and authors and these people devalue themselves and their work before it is even started.

I have to remind them that it doesn’t matter about skills. It is the idea, the experience, thoughts or philosophy contained in the root of the book that is important. Even experienced authors have people that help them published a finished work. I personally don’t know of any writers that have completed their books from start to being published by themselves. Lack of skills is the least important aspect of writing. Getting your thoughts on paper is the only reason for doing it. Once that is done, it doesn’t really matter if the book is ever published unless that is the motive for doing it.

The important thing to note here is that you are writing for yourself and your life has value no matter how you have lived it. Others will gain from the wisdom you have achieved in your life, even if it is only one thought.

After years of writing hundreds of articles, essays and books, I have come to know that I did it all for myself. Most all the things I have written about have come from the heart; they are all my true thoughts at the time I wrote them. I have moved past most all that I have written and some of it seems very immature. I do not have the burden of what these thoughts should mean to me any longer as they have all been worked out on paper and I have moved on.

Most of the time I do not know what I am writing until I have finished and I go back and read my work. Buy the time I have proof read it three or four times I have absorbed the information and refined it to a level that I can live with it. What I have successfully done is manifested another Roy into physical existence on paper.

It does not matter to my soul one way or the other that someone else should read it or benefit by it. It does matter however to the ego. The body would love for someone to know me through my work and gain some wisdom from the experience. Through the course of my work with my web site, I go back into these articles and books and read them each time for the first time. I marvel at how good or how badly they were written, but always I come away uplifted by what I have read. I have written these articles for myself, that I might gain more insight into who Roy is and how he experiences himself in this lifetime. What I am doing in fact is giving myself back to myself; it is the greatest gift of all.

I want to tell you at this point how I starting writing so that you may be able to start on your own and begin to create that masterpiece. I want you to know that you can do it. All it takes is a couple of words, a line of text, a paragraph or two and you are off. The most profound thought or acknowledgement of who we are is summed up in only two words, “I AM.” Even if you can not write or read, someone else can do it for you. I am going to show you how I started and what has led me to this place in my life.

After I finished high school I ceased to read or write except to facilitate everyday responsibilities. I may have read one or two books over the next 30 years or so. I had difficult in reading more than a paragraph at a time because my eyes would dance around the page. In my work there was very little need for either reading or writing. I also believed that I was inadequate or plain stupid in those areas.

Near the age of 50 my attitude changed when I was given a book to read. I liked the title and started to read the introduction. It was difficult to keep my attention because I could not focus on the sentences. I took my time and gradually was able to read a page at a time, then a chapter and now I can sit down and read right through without stopping.

This book was a catalyst for reading others and I started to build up a library. After several months I was hooked on reading. I developed a dislike for TV and videos and I got the urge to start writing my thoughts down on paper.

Even more difficult than the process of reading books again were the first steps to writing. I had a high school education and some skills, but was overcome by fear of my own ability and thoughts of rejection should someone read it.

The process I used to get started was not my own and I don’t remember where I heard about it. Basically the advice was to just start writing and that is what I want to pass on now.

I positioned myself at my kitchen table very early one morning before I could be disturbed by routine morning activities. I surrounded myself with things that I imagined a writer would need, like my morning tea, a pad and a fountain pen. I wanted to emulate the image I had of how a writer would look like when he/she was ready to add words to paper. I sat at the table very comfortably in my house coat starring at a blank page ready to do writing things.

Taking the advice that I was given, I just started writing and it went something like this:

“Well what am I going to write about?”
“The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.”
“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.”
“This is stupid.”
“Nothing is going to happen.”
“How long to I have to wait?”
“My cat is funny.”
“Should I start of with a quote?”
“Boy am I going to through this away before someone sees it.”
“I can’t write.”
“Now what?”
“It’s a bright sunny warm summer’s morning and I am sitting at my table trying to be a writer, shit.”

This dialogue went on for a couple of mornings until finally the sentences started flowing and the writing developed a mind of its own and I did not look for anything in particular to write about. I struggled on my own for more than a year, then one morning I started writing a few pages at home and had the urge to take paper and pen to the mail and write there, hoping to find inspiration.

Having bought a cup of tea I found a table away from the others and continued where I hand left off at home. I started writing for a few moments when something amazing took place.

My pen took on an energy of its own and forced my hand forward along the lines of the pages leaving in its wake paragraphs of text. I lost track of time, and it seemed like only twenty minutes of time had passed to write the more than twenty single line spaced pages. My hand was getting tired and sore from the increased speed of the writing. I didn’t want to stop but was also afraid to let it go on. I was sitting back watching myself and my eyes filled with tears as I began to allow fear to fill my presence. I thought that it would not stop and that I could not control what was happening, so I terminated the process.

It has taken me five years to get to this point and the article you are now reading.

The writing comes easy for me, it is the proofing that is the greatest challenge and it is so, because I do it myself. There are others that could help and it’s simply a matter of choice.

I write for myself and I am the majour beneficiary of what I have written. If someone else should benefit from my reading it is because they have placed themselves in the correct time and place to receive that profit. I have made my writing available through my web site in order to facilitate that discovery.

Anyone can do it, no matter how small or large the project. How significant or insignificant it may seem at the time you story must be told.

Each of us has a creation, a story, a painting, a sculpture or poem in us that needs to come out. They are a physical expression or symbol of who we are and we owe it to ourselves and others to bring it into the physical world.

The two most powerful words of expression by humanity are “I AM.” The sentence is complete in its brevity and what follows is the extension of “I AM.” I am a writer, a painter, a sculptor, a poet, an artist and “I AM” going to bring this story out because it is who “I AM.”

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy’s books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.

Roy’s style is hard hitting and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.

Visit Roy at: klienwachter.com klienwachter.com

Enthusiasm is an exceptional excitement, interest, or devotion. In public speaking, excitement about your subject will make a speech come alive. It will enable you to capture the attention of your audience. That not only makes you more persuasive or motivational, it makes you a more interesting speaker.

So your audience wins, they get a wonderful experience and at the same time learn or receive needed information. They get something that will benefit them. You win by accomplishing the objective of your presentation.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” Ralph Waldo Emerson

So how do you achieve something great in your speech? How can you create enthusiasm?

To build enthusiasm, as always, first consider your audience.

Why does the audience need to hear this?
In what unique way will they benefit?
Will they see what you see in it for them?

All the enthusiasm in the world for something people don’t want or need will be of little value in your speech.

However, if it is relevant, if it is real, and it could benefit the audience, your excitement about the subject, will give you an edge. So know your audience and tell them the self serving benefit to them your information will bring.

Get Your Edge

How do you get an edge? You already are speaking with the purpose of trying to get your most wanted response. Perhaps you even have a primary and secondary goal you wish to accomplish with your audience. With an enthusiastic presentation you make the whole more than the sum of the parts. It can’t be stressed enough, it has to be real to truly benefit the audience.

For any speech or speaking you have to do, get your emotions involved in the subject. Show your excitement, your interest, your devotion, your passion in what ever your subject is.

What if they don’t want or are not interested in your message. Ahhhh. That is where the unique pre-selling proposition mixed with enthusiasm can save the day.

Your Unique Pre-selling Proposition and Enthusiasm

If you think, “But, I’m not selling anything,” think again. You’re introducing a subject or presenting an idea that you want them to buy into. In other words, you’re selling. Not in the traditional sense of the word but still selling.

What is your unique pre-selling proposition?
To pre-sell means to prep them for the sale or mental ‘buy in’ of your message. If you go in knowing they neither need nor want what it is you are offering, good salesmanship traditionally teaches you should cut your losses and say good bye.

Ask yourself how many times you saw an ad several to dozens of times before you went ahead and bought. The initial ads only planted seeds that needed to germinate before they could grow.

However with that knowledge, you propose or create a proposition that will get them to listen. The proposition may only be, “for your information” with the caveat of what’s in it for them. Why would they need to know what it is you have to offer?

For one thing, the knowledge you are offering to them will enhance their life. It will make them better at what ever. Your message needs to have that formula and with in that formula, enthusiasm. The excitement, interest, or devotion to what ever your message is.

In other words, even though the information might not benefit them today, you’re so excited about it, you want them to have this knowledge so that it will be available to them in the future. No selling, just preselling.

It goes to a very basic philosophy we follow at Speechmastery.com. The most self serving thing you can do is be selfless, the most self satisfying thing you can do is serve others.

When you serve others even though there is nothing in it for you (or at least it may appear that way) you will reap rich rewards.

A true story from June, 2006. I recently went to New Hope PA, one of the top 20 places to buy art in the USA. It just so happened it had been one of the best places I found to sell my art too. Over 14 pieces in one year. Alas, my gallery representation there closed due to retirement. So looking for a new gallery to represent me, I started scouting out the town.

The first gallery was way out of my league. Hudson School Paintings by Charles Rhinehart that (if you like that kind of art) you would drool over were in the entry way. They started at $20K. My highest and best only sells for $6K. On introducing myself as an artist in abstract impressionism he asked to see some of my art. I didn’t think he would be interested because I am in the Minor leagues and he is in the Majors as far as art goes.

During the initial viewing of photos of my paintings, I also shared some art marketing tips with him. I demonstrated it on two pieces he had in his gallery. Within minutes he had a customer who he showed this unique feature of a beautiful painting with gold leaf in the paint. The now enthusiastic patron had to rush out to get his wife to show her this incredible painting.

Howard has probably forgotten more than I will ever know about gallery selling. I on the other hand am a student of the psychology of art. Only recently have there been any in-depth high level studies on the subject. Freely sharing my knowledge even though it seemed hopeless provided me with my most wanted response.

I got an appointment to bring in my originals and he is considering carrying me.

Help people get what they want and you will get what you want. I never imagined even being considered by such a prestigious gallery. Even if he doesn’t carry me, it was a wonderful experience and we will probably be working together in the future in some way.

Appropriate Enthusiasm

Blind enthusiasm can make you look fanatical. Although you want to strive for an animated presentation, balance is needed. Don’t be excited about every thing you say. If you do, your enthusiasm will quickly use up the energy of your audience and tire them out. Some parts of your speech will require more, others less.

Where in your speech do you present with more enthusiasm? The places where you want to motivate. The parts you want to persuade. The high points of what you’re speech is about. This will stir the audience up to feel as do you about what you’re saying.

To believe something new we mentally need a basis for that belief. For instance, when doing scientific testing, controls are used. The control group allows a measurement of the results and how good or bad they are.

Your enthusiasm needs a control group of words. This way the reality of the enthusiasm can measured against what the audience perceives as your biases or personal reality.

A word of caution is due here. First about the dark side: blind enthusiasm is called fanaticism. If your devotion or enthusiasm is a biased thinking, it will be blind to difficulties, challenges and objections. Nothing will kill your credibility as fast as fanaticism.

There are times when enthusiasm will need to be tempered with a somber tone. Perhaps some eulogies will require no enthusiasm, others may demand it because of the wish of the deceased or the enthusiasm for life they shared.

Talking of layoffs, bad news, and the like will require tempering the enthusiasm. Use sound judgment when and where to use it in a speech.

Use enthusiasm wisely and enjoy the rewards and excitement it brings. Let it well up from the heart. Let it overflow into your words. When appropriate be enthusiastic!

Jonathan Steele is a Registered Nurse, Artist, Freelance Public Speaker and Web Host of speechmastery.com/ speechmastery.com/ where speakers are helped to advance in their public speaking careers.

While we all make mistakes, some can be more damaging than others.

As more and more people decide to try their hand at setting up their own online business it’s only a matter of time before they realise they’ll need to set up their own web page and start providing unique content to get the traffic they need.

Setting up niche sites and writing articles seems to be the most fruitful way to go about driving traffic to your site; unfortunately, no matter how professional your web page looks or how interesting your article may be, if the would be customer comes across too many simple to fix, yet easy to make, errors in your writing they will quickly find the back button.

Most readers/would be customers will forgive a misplaced comma or a run-on sentence in your article or promotion page. Most readers also understand that the internet being what it is, there is always going to be differences in certain spelling and grammatical rules (for instance as an Australian I like the letter ‘U’.) It’s the misused word or phrase and the forgotten capitals that will turn them away before you get the chance to sell them on your idea or affiliate program.

Even with the abundance of writing programs that provide both spelling and grammatical checks it seems that too many people either don’t bother with them or don’t realise that they won’t pick up certain things: homophones (words that sound the same but differ in meaning or spelling or both) being one problem. The spell checker generally won’t pick them up because even though it’s the incorrect word it is spelt correctly.

If you were to come across a web page promoting an item that had something like this:

More then two thousand satisfied customers. (then = time eg. now and then)

Then compared it to a similar promotion that said this:

More than two thousand satisfied customers. (than = compare eg. more than, rather than)

It’s easy to see which one you’re going to take a further look at.

That’s just one example of how the smallest of errors can make a huge difference to whether or not your potential customer will continue read your article or web page.

Listed below are a few simple ideas that will help you to polish off your article or web page to ensure it’s a professional as possible.

Check and double check your work.

Read it out loud. This can often help when it comes to checking if you’ve used the right word or phrase - particularly words like: hear/here, lose/loose, to/too/two, chose/choose, its/it’s etc.

Start at the end then read it word for word backwards, this can help check that you have the correct spelling.

Where possible see if someone else can give it a quick look over for you. Often no matter how many times we read our work we can still miss the most obvious of mistakes; this can be partly due to the fact that we tend to read what we meant to write rather than what is actually on the page.

These are just a few ideas that might help when it comes to getting visitors to stay awhile at your site.

If you′d like to know more or would like some general tips, tricks and advice when it comes to starting your online business please visit V Brown at

There seems to be a little bit of debate at the top online article submission websites as to how long the articles that are posted should be in length. In other words how many words long should they be? The most popular online article submission web site has a minimum of 200 words and many believe that should be raised by 50 or 75 to be 250 or 275 words. This makes sense indeed. Some article authors and article marketers believe the minimum word count should be 300.

And at least one of the top most prolific online article authors thinks it there should be a few exceptions for a couple of categories and he states; I think the Humor articles should be lowered to 80 or 150, because to tell a really good joke you only need that much and if you make it wordy to reach the minimum you can sure ruin the joke. Maybe have a slide on the humor category only. Those are my thoughts and really I have been thinking this for quite a while with the new system and word counts and prior on the humor category.

Perhaps the top online article submission web sites should be upping the minimum word counts to 250-275. But also perhaps we should ask the Ezine Publishers, who seem to pick these articles up in syndication and really multiply the readership. And do not forget that with folks having lesser attention spans, it is to also be considered so the minimum should probably not exceed 300 words although most writers will opt to write 300 - plus word articles anyway. Think on this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/

For me, the heart of research has always been the ability to elicit information from others. For years, it never occurred to me to go to the library or rummage through magazines or official documents. If I wanted to know about something, I found experts on that subject and tried to crawl inside their minds, to cram everything they would tell me into whatever time they would give me, and to understand things about which I knew absolutely nothing. Sometimes, I knew so little I couldn’t even frame a decent question.

In those cases, the first interview was always critical because it was the one that provided me with the big picture, key contacts, and politically correct language. This person had to be someone who wouldn’t mind that I knew nothing, someone who would be willing to explain the subject from the ground up. I was always amazed at the number of people who met those criteria. After the first interview, I went from one expert to another, asking each of them to refer me to the next, until all of these fragments began to make sense. The whole process was like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle without a picture of what it would look like when it was completed. Every assignment was a mystery to be solved, often with very few clues.

I would ask myself: What is the point of this story? What do I need to know to make that point? Who should I talk to, and how can I get to that person? What are the right questions to ask? How will I know when I have enough information? Answering those questions was always an adventure in starting with nothing and watching bits and pieces grow and take shape until they became an article.

Little by little, I was learning the art of interviewing; and, over the years, the ability to do it well has proved to be one of my most valuable strengths. The more I sought and gathered information in this way, the greater my respect for the interviewing process became.

1. First, I believe interviewing requires the courage to take risks. It is risky to be in the presence of an expert when you can barely pronounce the name of his or her subject, let alone discuss it intelligently. It is risky to admit how little you know and still get this person to talk to you, to teach you everything you need to know, and often to do it in the simplest language possible. It is risky to believe you can then write about such a topic credibly, accurately, and understandably, so that people who know less than you do will understand it and find it interesting.

2. Second, it takes the ability to get your ego out of the way so that you become virtually invisible, and the spotlight is on your expert, not on you. By that I mean that if you are conscious of yourself, of the questions you are asking, of how you are coming across, of whether the other person thinks you are smart or clever, or of needing to prove how much you know, you have missed the point completely. An interview isn’t about you it’s about the other person. It’s about what that person knows or has experienced or can share with you that will add to your understanding of your topic.

3. Third, you have to be able to take in and process information on the spot. You do not have the luxury of pouring over your notes or listening to your tape at a later time and framing the questions you would ask after you have had a chance to review them. You must assume that this is your only chance to ask, and that each question or comment will expand your grasp of the subject matter. That presupposes that, when the other person is talking, you are listening — fully engaged in the content, the nuances, the direction in which he or she is going. You have to be able to capture the message, read between the lines for nonverbal cues, check the accuracy of your understanding, integrate the new information into what you already know, and be prepared to build on that with your next question.

4. Finally, it takes the rare trait of empathy — the ability to feel what the other person is feeling; to capture her enthusiasm for the subject; to view it as she does and, beyond that, to transmit those feelings through the words you write to the printed page, so that they are still alive when the reader finally sees them. Empathy is more art than skill, but even art improves with practice.

As a writer, you will encounter many subjects in which you have little interest and more than a few that will bore you to tears. How do you bring such subjects to life? The answer is that you find a resource who is very interested in it, who knows a great deal or cares a great deal about it, and who is eager to share what he knows with you.

You purposely set out to capture the other person’s excitement, to understand what makes this topic so fascinating. The more questions you ask, the more you learn and, consequently, the better your grasp of the inherent richness of this topic becomes. Enthusiasm is contagious; and, if you are open and receptive, you can catch it.

The test of your interviewing skills is in the finished product. Does it do what it is intended to do: inform, educate, clarify, persuade, amuse, or create a particular impression or feeling? Is it accurate in fact, as well as in tone? Is it honest? Is it alive? If you do submit it to the interviewee for approval, is it likely to pass muster? This is the tough test to which you must submit every interview.

Bobbi Linkemer is a ghostwriter, editor, and the author of 12 books under her own name. She has been a professional writer for 40 years, a magazine editor and journalist, and a book-writing teacher. Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs who want to write books in order to enhance their credibility and build their businesses. Visit her Website at: WriteANonfictionBook.com WriteANonfictionBook.com

[From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters and sitcoms (see below for the URL of our Home Page) and our isolation and identification of more than 188 stages of the Hero's Journey that you need to know about...]

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharsis).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story.

and more…

Inciting Incident: Star Wars, The French Connection, Little Miss Sunshine

One purpose of the Inciting Incident, and another reason for it to be separate and distinct from the Call to Adventure, is that it establishes polarization between the Hero and the Antagonist or Greater Antagonism.

For example:

In The French Connection (1971), the Inciting Incident establishes Pierre as the bad guy and the context of heroine export from France to the USA.

In Star Wars (1977), the first sequence introduces the Antagonist and the need for a resolution [Vader kidnaps Leia].

In Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the first sequence shows us Olive watching the beauty parade. This Inciting Incident establishes the distance between plain old Olive and the possibility of her winning such a competition (polarization).

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at clickok.co.uk/ clickok.co.uk/

Managing Creativity and Innovation and related techniques and tools can be found at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/

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Kal Bishop, MBA

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