Writing Inrochester

Rejection. This scary word plagues virtually every writer this side of John Grisham. It stops many writers in their tracks and often leads them to a new line of work. If your one of the millions of Americans who have a passion for writing and dream of seeing your novel on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and Borders Books, don’t let fear of Rejection scare you off. Follow this simple formula, and you can publish your novel on the very first try.

The secret to getting published is both simple and complex. The simple part is two-pronged. First, you need a modicum of writing skill. Now, you don’t have to be William Shakespeare, but you do need to know how to put sentences together, while tossing in a few nifty adjectives on occasion.

The second prong of the simple part of the secret to publishing on your first try is undeniable persistence and work ethic. Most writers fail, because they are defeated by the plague of rejection; they don’t have the necessary work ethic to succeed, even if they have the skill and the idea.
Oh, speaking of the idea, this is the complex part of the simple formula to being published on your first try.

You don’t need the amazing characters of an S.E. Hinton or the grace of Ernest Hemingway. What will get you published is a unique plot that appeals to a large audience. Let’s face it, publishers are in the business of making money — not authors. In most cases, publishers don’t care how popular you become or if your work becomes the next Oscar winning movie (unless they have a piece of the pie). What they do care about is lots of sales. If you don’t have name value, which you don’t until you become a selling author, publishers want ideas that attract a large audience.

Take my first-ever novel, The League, for which I received a publishing contract the first month I began sending it to agents and publishers. Is it because it’s the next Tom Sawyer? No, rather, it is because of the unique nature of the plot. The League is suspense with a back drop of fantasy football. It is the first of its kind, and fantasy football has over 15 million participants in America alone.

Now, I was turned down by at least 50 agents and probably 40 publishers. But I didn’t let rejection defeat me, because I knew I had a remarkably unique story that would appeal to a gigantic audience. In fact, this is exactly what my publisher said when he contacted me. He told me my writing was clean and the idea was incredibly unique. So, get yourself an amazing idea. Put it together neatly and clearly. Make it fast-paced, and send it to as many agents and publishers as possible. The electronic age makes it very easy to do.

Learn more about the process and The League at www.sportsnovels.com.

Mark Barnes has published several how-to books on real estate finance, Internet business, and self-publishing. Recently, he has expanded his horizons into the fiction world, with his suspense-thriller, The League, presented by DNA Press. The League is available at Amazon.com, DNA Press, Sportsnovels.com Sportsnovels.com and will be in book stores this summer. Mark is currently working on his second novel, another sports-related suspense thriller. Mark Barnes resides in a suburb of Cleveland with his wife, Mollie and two small children.

Copywriting for the web is a very important developing occupation for many people. There are millions of web sites which are working on the World Wide Web at present. All these web sites need to be real careful about the promotional efforts to stay in business. If these web sites are not careful about their promotional efforts, these web sites will not be able to survive the competition. It is very important that the web site keeps on getting fresh content every other week. The fresh content helps a web site in maintaining its page ranking.

This is the reason that all the web sites need new and fresh content every other week. This demand has created a work force who is working online to write for the web sites. Many of the people are earning a lot through web site copywriting. There are many ways in which copywriting for the web can help a copywriter in making a lot of money. You need to be a creative thinker and a good writer to earn a good amount of money through copywriting for the web.

If you want to make lots of money through copywriting for the web, you need to follow certain steps. First of all, find those platforms which can help you find the right opportunities to write for the web sites. Be careful and choose the right one. Do not fall for any fraudulent websites. Find those which actually pay. Write good and original stuff. Originality is very important. Be careful about it. Use nice language but do not make it very complex. Taking care of all these points will help you in making lots of money through copywriting for the web.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here:

Whenever you gather writers together they talk about writing. There are many different types of writers. Those who prefer to compose in long-hand or can only write on an old-fashioned manual typewriter. Those who write to music, demand complete silence, or create best surrounded by noise. You have the writers who must plan and outline before they can begin and those who find even talking about a project before it is drafted can stifle their creativity. But one of the most controversial divisions among writers is about whether writing is a skill, craft, or gift.

I admit that I like to stir the fire a bit because I can argue all three points and depending on how my own writing is going at the moment I may find that one viewpoint carries more weight for me personally.

I know as a teacher of writing that writing is a skill. I have taken people, young and old, who loathed writing and believed they would never be able to write — and provided them with basic tips and tools to become good basic writers. I have taken good basic writers and given them the support and direction they′ve needed to become skilled writers. I’ve watched skilled writers with practice and determination become proficient writers. I have seen this in the classroom, at writing conferences, and in newsrooms. I have witnessed this transformation enough to know that writing is a skill that can be taught and a skill that can be learned.

I know as a writer, editor, and reader that writing is a craft. As the definition reads to craft is “to make or produce with care, skill, or ingenuity”. A skilled writer can capture our interest and convey information, but a writer can also craft a story, poem, or essay that touches our emotions as well as our brains. For those who have gone beyond simply skilled to be craftsmen and craftswomen they can rely on their knowledge, experience, and instinct to create writing that does more than simply delivers — it also sings.

I know as a writer and reader that writing is a gift. Some writers simply possess a special quality that allows them to step beyond and above the huddled masses. For some it is a special ability to shape words into images and ideas and for some it is a unique vision of this world (or another) that speaks to our souls in a way others cannot.

Are writers born or made? Many people argue that some gifted writers are born, but I am not convinced. Perhaps you could have some predisposition but I believe that writers are made. They are made in the rocking chair when Mother reads “Goodnight, Moon”; they are made under the cover with a flashlight when you simply must finish “The Hobbit” for the first time; they are made when you proudly pocket your first library card; they are made when you fill your first notebook; they are made when you submit your first poem, article or story for publication; they are made when you receive your first rejection; and they are made when you turn the computer on every day to write.

I believe some writers are supremely gifted but even so does that mean it was a gift given to them whole or was it a gift developed through years of reading, writing, talking, and thinking about words?

So, I believe, writing is all three — a skill, a craft, and a gift. Some writers find their ability spans all three while others never progress past the level of skill.

Deanna Mascle has been teaching and writing professionally for more than 20 years. Find more articles about writing at answersaboutwriting.com Answers About Writing at answersaboutwriting.com answersaboutwriting.com

From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters at www.managing-creativity.com/

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) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

Sample Movie Deconstructed: Forrest Gump (1994)

FADE IN: Loop: falling feather.

Intro the Hero and his Character: Forrest sitting on the bench.

Catchphrase: life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.

Reference the Mentor: Mama.

Hero’s Ordinary World: Forrest as a boy on crutches.

Hero’s Backstory: descended from the founder of the Klu Klux Klan.

Meeting the Mentor: Mama / Mrs Gump.

Hero’s Ordinary World: renting out rooms in the house.

Mentor’s Guidance: you’re the same as everybody else; you’re no different.

Hero’s Capabilities: IQ 75.

Call to Adventure : “…my boy will get the same benefits as everyone else…”

Refusal: the chart.

Overcoming Refusal / Mentor’s Sacrifice: sex with the school administrator.

Hero’s Backstory: what’s vacation? Dad left.

Hero’s Ordinary World: Forrest teaches Elvis his walk.

Going on a Journey: Mama puts Forrest on the bus.

Resisting the Journey: my mama said never to talk to strangers; well now we ain’t strangers anymore.

Hero’s Status: no one lets Forrest sit next to them.

Meeting the Romantic Challenge: meeting Jenny on the bus.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: little Forrest and Jenny on the tree.

Goddess’ Inner Challenge: Jenny doesn’t want to go home.

Forced to the First Threshold: the boy s chase Forrest.

Encouraged to the First Threshold: run Forrest run.

Foreshadow of the First Threshold: Forrest breaks free of his crutches and runs like the wind.

Goddess’ Inner Challenge: Jenny’s dad was kissing and touching her all the time; “…Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far far away from here…”; Jenny’s Dad arrested.

Foreshadow of the Resolution: Jenny would come and sleep over.

Pushed to the First Threshold : Grown Jenny tells grown Forrest. to run he runs through the football game.

Forrest gets to go to college on a football scholarship.

Outer Cave: Forrest follows the black students into school Wallace gets shot.

Middle Cave: Forrest rescues Jenny from the guy in the car.

Pulled into the Middle Cave: Jenny invites Forrest into her room.

Inner Cave: Jenny wants to be a singer; have you ever been with a girl Forrest?

Forrest plays football and meets Kennedy. Somebody shot that President; and then his brother too.

Graduating from the First Threshold: Forrest graduates: Mama proud.

Pushed to the Transformation: army recruitment.

Threshold Guardian: Forrest enters the army recruitment bus.

Hero meets Ally: Forrest meets Bubba.

Ally′s Backstory: Bubba’s mama cooked shrimp, and Bubba’s mama before her etc.

Foreshadow of the Resolution: I’m getting into the shrimping business as soon as I get out the army.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Forrest assembling the gun, listening to the sergeant major; Bubba talks about shrimp.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Forrest misses Jenny.

Goddess forced to the Transformation: Jenny thrown out of school; playboy shoot.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Jenny in the porn show; Forrest beats up the man in the audience Jenny, I love you; Forrest, you don’t know what love is.

Physical Separation : Jenny hitches a ride; Goodbye Jenny, they’re sending me to Vietnam.

Guidance: don’t ever try to be brave; just run, just runaway.

Goodbye to the Old Self: Goodbye; I’ll write to you all the time, and just like that she was gone.

Goodbye to the Old Self: Goodbye to Mama: you come back safe now.

Transformation:

Entering the World of the Transformation: arriving in Vietnam on the helicopter with Bubba.

Meeting the Mentor: Dan Taylor.

New Self: change your socks.

Mentor’s Backstory: somebody in his family died in every single American war.

Guided by the Mentor: Dan tells them the rules of survival.

Journey to Trial 1: in the countryside.

Meeting Allies: Dallas, Cleveland, Tex et al.

Trial 1 [passive]: checking out the hole the different types of rain.

Foreshadow of the Resolution: Bubba asks Forrest to go in the shrimping business with him.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Forrest writes to Jenny.

Trial 2 [active]: the shootout.; the enemy attack; running; rescuing Tex, Lt. Dan etc

Warning against Trial 3: I’ve got an airstrike coming.

Trial 3: Forrest rescues Bubba; Bubba dies.

Marker: back on the bench it nipped me in the buttocks.

Mentor’s Inner Challenge: Dan refuses the ice cream; Dan loses his legs.

Romantic Challenge: Jenny’s letters returned.

Meeting the Oracle: learning to play ping pong; “..never, ever take your eye off the ball…”

Mentor’s Inner Challenge: Dan pulls Forrest off the bed; you cheated me out of my destiny; what am I going to do now.

Journey to the Sword:

Separation: Lt. Dan discharged.

Seizing the Sword : Forrest gets the Medal of Honour. Where were you hit? In the buttocks.

Convergence: Forrest invited to speak; Jenny appears; round of applause.

Near Death Experience : Jenny’s boyfriend slaps her; Forrest beats him up.

Reward : Forrest and Jenny go for a walk; I wish it would never end; I′ll always be your girl.

Just like that. She was gone, out of my life again.

Forrest goes back to the army to play ping pong; plays for the US.

John Lennon interview.

Somebody shot him.

Atonement with the Father : Lt. Dan returns; “..they gave you the congressional medal of honour..”

Staying with Lt. Dan celebrating the holidays.

Foreshadow of the Resolution: if you’re ever a shrimp boat captain, I’ll come and be your first mate.

The girls arrive at the bar.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Jenny leaves the guy.

Happy New Year; Old Langs Ayne.

Apotheosis : Dan throws the girls out “…don’t call him stupid…”

Marker: back on the bench

Forrest meets Nixon Forrest reports Watergate; Nixon resigns.

Ultimate Boon : Forrest discharged from the army.

Return : Forrest returns home; gets 25k sponsorship money.

Magic Flight : doesn’t stay home long.

Visiting Bubba’s family.

Visiting Bussa’s grave.

Buying a shrimp boat; shrimping is hard; only five shrimp.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: naming the boat Jenny Jenny doing drugs.

Disgust with the Self: Jenny thinks of suicide.

Rescue from Without : Lt. Dan appears; “…well, I said if you ever became a shrimp boat captain I’d be your first mate…”

No shrimp.

Forrest goes to church but Lt Dan leaves the praying up to him.

Still no shrimp.

Where’s this God of yours. The hurricane.

The hurricane destroys all the shrimping boats except Forrest’s.

Forrest starts bringing in the Shrimp.

Forrest becomes the owner of Bubba Gump Shrimp; cover of Fortune Magazine.

Mentor’s Inner Challenge conquered: Dan thanks Forrest for saving his life; goes swimming.

Crossing the Return Threshold : Mama’s sick; Forrest runs home.

Departure of the Mentor: Forrest at Mama’s bedside; Mama dies.

Lt. Dan invests in Apple; he don’t have to worry about money anymore; Forrest gives a heap to charity; Forrest cuts the grass for free.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: thinking about Jenny.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Jenny returns.

Jenny sleeps. And sleeps. And sleeps.

Goddess’ Inner Challenge Conquered: Jenny returns to her father’s house and throws stones at it; “…sometimes there just ain′t enough rocks…”

Jenny and Forrest like peas in a pod again; on the tree; Jenny buys Forrest some Nike shoes; “..it was the happiest time of my life…”

Forrest asks Jenny to marry her; “…I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is…”

“…Forrest, I do love you…”; Jenny sleeps with Forrest.

Jenny leaves.

Forrest alone.

Forrest starts running. And keeps running.

Master of the Two Worlds:

Forrest runs to the ocean. And turns around. And runs to the other ocean. And back again.

And gets press attention.

And gets a following.

And thinks up the ’shit happens’ slogan.

And comes up with the Smiley T-shirt.

And after 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours…he stops “…I’m pretty tired, I think I’ll go home now…”

Reagan gets shot.

Loop: on the bench, Forrest pulls out the letter.

Forrest runs to see Jenny: Jenny’s a nurse.

Jenny apologises.

Forrest Junior arrives.

Forrest is a Daddy.

“…is he smart?”

Forrest sits and watches TV with his son.

Jenny is sick.

Will you marry me Forrest?

Freedom to Live:

Lt. Dan appears with his fiance at the wedding

Forrest and Jenny get married.

Happy family.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Forrest by Jenny’s bedside “..I wish I could have been there with you…”; “…I love you…”

Forrest gets Jenny’s Father’s house pulled down.

Forrest by Jenny’s grave.

Forrest Junior starts school; playing ping pong fishing he’ so smart Jenny.

Jenny buried under their tree.

Forrest Junior gets on the bus. I want to tell you I love you.

Forrest senior waits for the bus on the bench.

Loop: the feather.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates 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

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/

Online article writers often feel over whelmed by the number of articles produced by other authors. In fact sometimes they think that they can never accomplish the incredible rates of productivity of the top online article writers and yet they might be surprised how well they could do if they would stop allowing negative bio-feedback to rule their thoughts?

One online article writer asks; Does Writing One or Two Articles Per Day Make a Difference? Well of course it does. You see one article does make a difference if it is it captures the imagination of the reader and gets them thinking, do not assume that one or two articles is nothing, because that is 365-730 articles per year and that certainly makes a big difference indeed. A very big difference; Power to the people, power to those who persevere. Remember; Never, ever, ever, ever, ever Give Up. Never. Winston Churchill.

If someone writes one or two articles per day and then gets better then they can write four to 5 articles per day. Eventually they get better and better and eventually they are able to write 10-articles a day. The first year I started writing articles I actually got up to 13 articles a day and have 4000 articles by the end of the year. And here is the kicker. I am not even a writer, I am a retired entrepreneur you see? This is article number 8499 and the next one will be 8500.

“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/

How to write a sentence.

Writing is rarely easy. This is probably because writing has developed over the millennia. During this time the technique of writing was evolved to meet the need for more accurate communications in language and writing between peoples. Writing was needed to record what was said or what wished to be said over distance and what was agreed.

Communications of all sorts are needed simply to survive. The development of the technique of language and writing was not the result of a desire to establish a literary tradition but to enable the transfer of information and knowledge with simplicity accuracy and precision by leaders in rule trade and war. From this exchange the technique also accommodated the need for natural teachers of ideas in knowledge politics religion social arts and commerce whose job it was to pass on the culture of the older generation to its young.

To become a good writer it is not too far fetched we should employ good writing technique standards already in use by writing a piece every day to get the feel of writing and learn to identify the common problems faced by every other writer.

Most people think unless a writer earns a million dollars a year the writer is no good. This is untrue. Whether a writer receives payment or not is more likely to be due to personality traits and cannot imply of itself good or bad quality in the author’s ability to write. It is true incompetent writers will not be able to sell their work but these writers are by definition – bad writers or not even writers.

Most problems encountered in writing arise from confused thinking - not from the lack of creative power. If we feel we have no creative power this is more likely to be the result of a block of some sort. By block is meant not writers’ block we hear so much about but a more basic block – a conviction we are not cut out for writing. It is not the absence of talent that blocks the writer but probably a misunderstanding of the exact nature of the parts forming a piece of writing.

This article is about getting rid of this misunderstanding.

Realizing a very simple truth clears the problem.

Words build sentences. Sentences build paragraphs. Paragraphs build chapters. Chapters build books.
It follows if the writer can write a sentence then the writer has the potential to write an article or even a book.
The sentence therefore is a basic building block of writing - from this everything or nothing else flows.

Each sentence contains a single idea and only one idea expressed in words. The sentence has a structure. If the sentence does not have this structure the sentence is meaningless – it cannot be understood because it contains an incomplete thought. Neither can it be edited until this structure is complete.

If the sentence is not properly constructed it cannot become part of a paragraph. No paragraph no article or chapter. No article or chapter no book!

A sentence consists of three essential parts:

A Subject
A Verb

An Object.

These three parts must be present if the sentence is to have meaning.

Subject: who or what the sentence is about.
Verb: what is said about the Subject.
Object: what is affected by what is said about the Subject.

Subject The cat The sentence is about - The cat.
Verb sat What is said about the cat is it - sat.
Object on the mat What is affected by the cat sat - on the mat.

How do we decide on the order in which the words are written/?

Consider the alternatives for an even simpler sentence:

1 Cats sleep often.
2 Cats often sleep.
3 Sleep cats often.
4 Sleep often cats.
5 Often sleep cats.
6 Often cats sleep.

Of the six word order sentences only 1 – 2 and 6 seem make sense.

1 Subject verb object.
2 Subject object verb. [This sentence appears to be a reply to a question.]
6 Object subject verb. [This sentence appears to be a reply to a question.]

Most sentences are more detailed than this because each part is too vague.

Which cat is the one in the sentence? The black cat.
How did the cat sit? Very still.
Where was the mat? By the open door.

Now we get:

The black cat sat very still on the mat by the open door.

Note: this sentence is still divided into its three-part structure:

The black cat | sat very still | on the mat by the open door.

Further information is only added in with the part of the sentence to which it refers. The end of each sentence has to be linked with the beginning of the following sentence. This establishes a flow or story line for the reader.

The black cat with the torn ear | sat still and listening | on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught.
The black cat with the torn ear sat still and listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught.

It can be seen from this example how a complex sentence can be constructed retaining its basic simple form. This provides an easy way to get all the facts we want to use into the sentence without worrying too much about the writing.

The next step is to construct the second or following sentence.

This will depend on the direction we intend the piece to take. In a work of fiction the next sentence is obviously what happens next to the Subject - the cat – and should flow naturally from the content of the first sentence

The cat got up frightened.
Her black fur rose at a loud cry somewhere in the dark.

Group the sentences next - still listed one under the other - till those about the same specific part of the piece are together. Each group of related sentences form paragraphs.

The black cat with the torn ear sat still and listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught. The cat got up frightened. Her black fur rose at a loud cry somewhere in the dark.

We can edit these three lines as follows:

The black cat with the torn ear sat still listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught. The cat arched her back ready for any danger. Then her black fur spiked as she heard a long low moan of intense pain outside in the night.

Analyzing these three sentences we obtain the following structure:

The black cat with the torn ear sat still listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught.
The cat arched her back ready for any danger.
Then her black fur spiked as she heard a long low moan of intense pain outside in the night.

This is an example of how writing a simple three-sentence paragraph is actually written whether the writer is conscious of doing so or not. Having placed all the facts of the sentence in place we can check for ease of comprehension simplicity accuracy and precision.

Fortunately we have word processors now to make this task of editing easier than it used to be and sentences may be written as they come to mind in and out of context. We may then easily group the sentences for paragraph content and continuity by cut and paste until the paragraph is complete. The writer’s original thought thread or idea has become clear in the final form of the paragraph.

Unclear thinking affects all writers to some degree. No writer is completely immune. Clear thought and expression is the essence of all the arts of which writing perhaps is the one key to understanding all of them.

Many writers strive to write high-density content even though their texts may already be crystal clear. Others aim to continually enrich and enhance their style. A few search endlessly for simplicity.

My very best wishes.

John Blenkin is a retired architect and is now a watercolor painter and article writer. His interests are wide covering both technical and philosophical subjects. He also writes online articles on the technique of watercolor painting.

freefolios.com/ freefolios.com/
mailto:foka@spidernet.com.cy foka@spidernet.com.cy

So we are to grow wise. We are to evolve. We are to become great. A great speaker is one who has lived life, made mistakes, learned lessons. And, hopefully, grown wise.

What about you? Where are you on this rocky and magnificent path to growing wise. To making the difference you yearn to make? Let’s look at this fascinating business and at your role as an expert who speaks.

The speaking business is not so simple. You know this already. You are to master challenges and complexities. To touch lives. To affect the affairs of organizations. In short, to make a difference. A positive difference.

You do this through your attitudes and actions. Through your words and stories. And through your wisdom. You engage your understanding of the human condition. And of how organizations function.

So how do you get so smart? What do you do to grow wise?
I don’t know. Yet I can tell you a bit about my experience and how I harvested such wisdom as I may have.

I plunged into the world of work at 17. My college was the School of Hard Knocks. I watched. I listened. I reflected. And made a freight car load of mistakes.

And I asked, every time, What is the lesson in this? How am I to conduct myself to avoid such mistakes in the future? Not very complicated, huh?

This is the simple secret I want you to have. Make your mistakes. A mistake, after all, is only a missed take. Your life is your movie. You’re the producer, the director and the star. So you simply shoot the scene again.

Examine your options. Look at your choices. Consider your
talents. Then pick a speaking specialty. Please don’t be a generalist. Engage your personal past. Hook into your history.
Use what you know.

Ask yourself what kind of people you’d like to invite home to dinner. There’s your natural audience.

Are you a master in some field, a field you just love? Now you know what you can speak about with passion and authenticity. If you are not already a master in some field you love, then do this:

Select a specialty. Study that specialty. Get to know all there is to know about it. You can do it. Anyone can do it. Start to speak about your specialty for whoever will listen. Most of us started with service clubs. They hunger for free speakers. They eat them up. 52 a year.

As for platform skills, just be yourself. Tell yourself you’re speaking with old friends. You’ve been away. Doing life. You’ve returned to share your adventures. See? It’s not all that hard to get practice before groups. Join Toastmasters. Take the Dale Carnegie Course.

It’s the old How do I get to Carnegie Hall story. You practice, practice and practice. In due course you wake up wise.
That’s all there is to it.

© Burt Dubin. Burt Dubin is author of “The Speaking Success System,” an unusually effective mentoring program to help speakers reach their career goals faster. Get your complimentary 7 part e-course on how to succeed faster as a paid speaker plus Burt’s Speaking Biz Strategies Letter at: burtdubin.com/bonus.html burtdubin.com/bonus.html
Contact Burt at: (928) 753-7546 or 1-800-321-1225 Fax:(928) 753-7554

The Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) 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. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

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 catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story. This is why stories such as Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Midnight Cowboy (1969), American Beauty (1999), The Graduate (1967) and many others (all deconstructed at the URL below) appear to be different but are all constructed, almost sequence by sequence, in the same way.

and more…

*****Shape Shifter and post Mastery fo the Two Worlds*****

Post the Crossing of the Return Threshold and before the Master of Two Worlds and Selves, a hell of a lot happens that is rarely given mention. The Final Conflict (a metaphor for this stage) follows a distinct process. It is post the mastery of the two worlds and two selves that the shape shifter (especially one who has been engaged in the Period of Dissonance for an inordinately long time) often demonstrates allegiance. In Straw Dogs (1971), Amy is slow to get the gun, but she does get it.

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

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When I am writing articles, and some days I write as many as 20-30 articles, although most days it is less than that, I have to come up with that many topics. And it is important to me that I don’t spend too long just thinking of topics, because I need my time to write my articles. There are only so many hours in a day.

So here are a few ways that I think of topics for the articles I write:

I’ll do one of two or three different things. The thing that works best if I’m going to write twenty articles is this: I’ve done some keyword-research into my work and so I’ve got actually a list of about fifty different keywords that I can write topics on, and so a lot of times what I’ll do is I’ll just pull that list out. I created it online– I created it in Word so I’m able to just go back and look at it repeatedly. What I’ll do is I’ll just go in there and I’ll select twenty keywords, and then I’ll write an article on each one of those keywords.

Another thing, if I’m only writing five or ten articles, a lot of times what I’ll do is select some key ideas, and then I’ll write two or three articles on each one of those key ideas.

Sometimes I get asked about writing on similar topics as ones I have already written on.

One thing that you’ll find is that my traffic from the articles that I write is pretty much the same as it was ten months ago, in terms of the new articles. I’m continuing to gain additional traffic as a result of the articles that I’m writing, even though they’re on the similar topics. A couple of things happen when you submit an article, especially when you submit it to the top four or five article directories.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here:

A recent survey showed that more than eighty percent of Americans want to write a book. This extraordinary statistic is somewhat puzzling considering that the National Endowment for the Arts estimates that only fifty-seven percent of Americans have read even 1 book in the last twelve months!

What is it that makes people — even non-readers — want to put pen to paper?

Perhaps it’s the desire for fame and fortune, the need to earn the respect of others, or maybe it’s just the wish to leave some mark on the future, a permanent record of a life lived.

Whatever the reason, for those who actually complete a manuscript, the odds of seeing it published by a reputable firm are slim.

For the estimated 2 million manuscripts currently completed, there are only 64,000 publishers of record, and only a fraction of those are actively seeking new manuscripts.

So what are the millions of hopeful authors to do?

Well, the first step would be to ensure their manuscripts are the best they can be. This can be done by re-writing, editing, proofreading by an outside firm or even by a well-read and literate friend.

Even then, most of those two million books stand no chance of being accepted by a traditional publisher. Those authors that do make the cut are not necessarily the best writers, but rather are those who can sell themselves and their stories most convincingly.

Some authors, after rejections from the trade, will find themselves victims of vanity publishers, who take advantage of the hopes and aspirations of writers to extract an exorbitant fee to ‘publish’ their book.

Luckier will be the writers who publish through firms like iUniverse and Lulu, for although their books will likely never see wide distribution, at least their losses will be minimal.

And finally there are the select few who decide to become publishers themselves, even if it is only to self-publish their own book.

These publishers will find great obstacles, and a great deal of work in this route, but the challenge and reward of having one’s success or failure entirely in one’s own hands is a powerful feeling.

Whether they choose to publish electronically, or use short run printing service like Lightning Print, or even to go full boar with a print run of 1,000 or more, their success depends on how well they sell themselves and their story to others.

And so, if you are about to embark on a new manuscript, educate yourself thoroughly about the industry, its scams, and potential pitfalls. And more importantly, learn to market yourself well, for this, more than any other skill, is the determining factor in your success or failure.

Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr.is a Pastor, Author
Internet Marketing Coach and Relationship
Coach. You may visit Dr. John’s website at
LeadersExcel.com LeadersExcel.com Or e-mail him
at mailto:drjohnneyman@gmail.com drjohnneyman@gmail.com