Writing Inrochester

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…

ABRIDGED TIP(S):

*****New World of the Transformation*****

It is not unusual for the New World of the Transformation to be made explicit and developed before the hero engages in the Trials and Transformation. In Walk the Line (2005), Johnny moves straight from succeeding at the audition to singing in front of a crowd, where he meets June Carter. In Gladiator (2000), Maximus is brought into Proximo’s World.

*****Reflection****

The Hero reflects on his arrival in the World of the Transformation and whether he has made the right decision. In The Matrix (1999), Neo doesn’t agree with Cypher that he took the wrong pill. In Dances with Wolves (1990), John writes in his diary that these people are nothing like he was told. He made the right choice.

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.

The secret to writing a great fantasy novel is the laying of a firm foundation.

Writers of fantasy novels understand what fantasy is, fantasy is not something incredible. In fact, for a fantasy novel to work it must be believable. If your novel is not believable, you would sooner be writing a comedy.

To write a fantasy novel that works, your world, your characters and the intention, adventure or quest must all fit together. Long before to you get to write “once upon a time”, or “in a land far, far away”, you must create this time and place. The writer of a fantasy novel must know this place in as much detail as they know their real world.

In the creation of this fantasy place, the writer must pay careful attention to believable detail. Consider that if sun never rises in a fantasy place, the vegetation would not be vibrant and, well, unless there is some other element in the environment that should explain the impossible. If the land is barren, there is unlikely to be an adequate water source, unless somehow this source is polluted, stagnant and infertile. If the writer feels compelled to include a viable water source here, they must explain some force that makes it so.

If there are animals in this world, they must belong to this world. An arctic wolf is unlikely to fare well in a hot humid environment, but some cousin of the wolf that evolution has produced with a thin sleek skin will do nicely. Perhaps the writer really wants an arctic wolf, should attribute its presence to some magic or other force, but this force should also have a reason to belong.

After the environment has been set, or even in the creation of the environment, the characters should be given form. As important as it is that the characters have physical form, it is vital that they have personalities and human traits complete with fatal flaws. To properly develop the characters, they must have a history, direction and purpose. Although clearly defined in the writer’s notepad at the very beginning of developing the fantasy novel, these things should be revealed in the duration of the novel.

In developing the characters (this is still very much before the writing of the novel can commence) with their individual qualities, the writer should also examine how they interact with other characters and their environment, and their relationships to each other. These things will be revealed to the reader in the appropriate scenes in the finished fantasy novel. The writer of a fantasy novel should keep in mind, or learn to accept that his characters are real, and as such conflicts and tensions are often apparent even if not spoken out loud, these things can be represented in the way they relate to each other and situations.

All good fantasy novels must include a quest or an adventure and a reason with motivation. It is here that the fantasy novel explores humanity. The secret to writing a fantasy novel is knowing that the novel is a vehicle for understanding what life is. The writer should not say this to their reader, but do allow the reader to draw their own comparisons to the world they are reading the fantasy novel from.

Finally, the secret to writing a fantasy novel beyond creating the foundations are the same as they are for any other novel. A fantasy novel must have an interesting plot, and themes. Typically, fantasy novels should include the examination of good and evil, and, the quest to understand oneself, complete with challenges.

The history of the characters is an ideal backup story, so a good fantasy writer would have developed a thorough history for their characters. I do this myself. I create diaries and journals kept by my characters and refer to them in the character development. I do not write these into the novel but simply write them to know them and draw the characters development out from them.

It is important that the writer of a fantasy novel create their world and their characters from their own imagination. Writing your characters into someone else’s world is sure to prove a disappointment to the reader who will know this world from someone else’s novel. A fantasy novel is not an extension of someone else’s work it is the creation of a new one.

Number one secret to writing fantasy novels- make it believable.
Number one not so secret to writing a great fantasy novel- create a solid foundation.
Number one rule to writing any fantasy novel- use your imagination, not another writer’s.

It’s goodbye from me

That’s it folks

Barry

Publishing pro and author/filmmaker Barry Sheppard has written and published many books, with hundreds of reviews in newspapers, TV and radio. He is now concentrating on eBook writing/publishing and starting his own television station. Did you find this information useful to you? You can learn a lot more by visiting novelmaster.com novelmaster.com

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…

*****First Threshold*****

Willingly or not Hero enters a First Threshold, somewhere where he (or she) is a Fish out of Water. In Straw Dogs (1971), David goes into the pub. for some cigarrettes.

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.

FORWARD

The 188 stage 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 188 STAGE 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) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to www.clickok.co.uk for full details)

*****Trial 3 Reward*****

Post Trial 3, the Hero is often given a reward. In Brokeback Mountain (2005), Jack meets and marries Lureen.

****Crossing of the Return Threshold*****

Engagement in the Final Conflict has certain characteristics, including:

Indirect Engagement. The Hero will engage with some alternative to the Antagonism. For example, the Antagonist’s Armies. In Star Wars (1977), Luke engages with the Empire’s fighter pilots.

Increased Intensity. The battle will be intense with many soldiers on both sides dying.

Seeming Weak. The Antagonism will seem stronger, many of the Hero’s minor allies, innocents or similar will perish.

Threat Acknowledged. The Hero’s threat will be acknowledged, but it will seem minor.

Antagonist Confident. The intensity of the antagonist’s attack and the seeming weakness of the Hero give the Antagonist hope.

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.

On the internet there are millions and millions of web sites currently existing. The number of web sites has grown tremendously over the period of last few years. As the life style of people has changed with the internet becoming the most important source of information gathering and also of doing business, new web sites are being constructed. In this situation the internet marketers need more methods of promoting a web site than the past. At present, article marketing is one of the most important methods of promoting a web site.

Article marketing is the means of promoting a web site these days. Many people follow this method to promote their web based businesses. Article marketing has proved itself effective in this regard. You can increase the number of visitors to your web site tremendously by using article marketing as your web marketing tool. To make your article marketing campaign effective, you need to write really good quality articles. Until and unless your articles have a promotional quality in them, it will not be possible for you to get the best results out of your article marketing campaign. If you want to use article marketing as an important source of promoting your web site and your web based business, you need to be good at it. Write good stuff and find the right article directories to submit your articles to. The articles need to be informative.

You need to be speedy in this regard. The more articles you write for promotional basis the better. Thus it is important that you write more and submit more, but still, you must be maintaining the quality. In this way you will be in the position of taking maximum advantage of your article marketing campaign.

Article Marketing

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:

Let me repeat. If you want to be a successful speaker on stage, be extremely lazy!
And I am not the only wacko that says so. Fred Gratzon, a successful entrepreneur
who founded the Great Midwestern Ice Cream Company and a telecommunications
company Telegroup that went public in 1997 proved that theory. He even wrote an
ebook that convincingly argued how we can do nothing and accomplish everything!

Central to Fred’s book is his personal axiom:

“Success is inversely proportional to hard work. That means, as effort and hard
work become less, success becomes more. As you move towards effortlessness,
success moves towards infinity.”

In my opinion, Fred’s wacky axiom makes a lot of sense. If you want to become a
very successful speaker, you may want to think twice about trudging along the “hard
work” path. Not that hard work is wrong, but perhaps there is a much easier path
that requires less sweat and pain. Who won’t want that? Not unless you are a
masochistic weirdo that takes pride in torturing yourself. If that’s the case, I say join
the army.

Looking back at how I triumphed over my fear of public speaking and evolved into a
gung-ho speaker in a short span of one and a half year, I believe I may have
stumbled upon The Alternate Path, a path that Fred described to be of greater ease
and effortlessness.

Here’s how you can walk that path. Just five words.

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS!

That’s right. Very simple. Very DUH! Yet how many of us are doing it? Fearing public
speaking is normal. Most people have it. And there is absolutely no doubt that this
fear of ours is huuuuggggggeeeee, even astronomical and VERY real. But how do we
handle it? We work really hard to fight it. We read tons of books, e-books and blogs
on how to FIGHT our fear. We pay eye-popping, jaw-dropping and gut-wrenching
sum of hard-earned money (pun intended!), attempting to ELIMINATE our fear. And
sadly for most of us, it all amounts to nothing in the end.

Today I will like to propose that you take The Alternate Path. This path doesn’t even
require you to fight the fear because it is too much of a hassle and hard work.
Instead, take time to find the right angle to tackle the problem. With regards to
public speaking, the right angle in my opinion, refers to ways you can be successful
right from the beginning. Here are some ways that worked extremely well for me.

1. Find a group of audience that loves you from the start.
You can never go wrong by starting to speak in front of a group that wants you to
succeed. And this group could be as small as just your little puppy or your beloved
wife or even your buddies from the army! I would also strongly recommend you to
join the Toastmasters! It is an organization that was set up with the sole goal of
making you and me successful in public speaking. And from my experience, they
have one of the best community of people you can ever be with.

2. Start by taking small steps
Yes. Stop trying to speak like Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill. You will never
be as good as them. There is a reason why they are legendary. Instead pick
someone your own caliber. Say your school lecturer or your CEO! If you can be half
as boring as him or her at your first speech, consider that a big success. Go out and
celebrate! Always give yourself a chance to win, no matter how small the win is. It is
much easier to move forward that way. And in no time, you will find yourself joining
the ranks of highly competent speakers!

3. Start by focusing on your strengths.
I have mentioned this one before in my earlier post. Every speaker is unique. Take
time to discover your strengths. Focus on them. Say you are extremely energetic on
stage. Explore how you can leverage that energy on stage. If your friends think you
are funny and not lame (that’s a world of difference!), start studying how you can be
funnier. It is painless if you focus on your strengths. You will also start noticing
yourself improve much faster. And the praises you received from your friends will
only accelerate your growth as a speaker.

As Fred indicated in this book:
“The right angle … is always in the direction of greater ease and
effortlessness.” Note: you are NOT avoiding the job (becoming a successful
speaker). You are merely avoiding the hard work of becoming one. So if you are sick
and tired of working so hard with little results, take on The Alternate Path.

Be extremely lazy!

Philadelphia Funniest Man - won the International Humor Contest at Division Level last
year. Absolutely passionate about public speaking and he takes pride in writing articles
that are of value to individuals who are seeking to find their voice in public speaking.
You can read more about his articles at his blog:
blog.ericfeng.com Public Speaking for All

Even though writing is a talent and every writer develops his own method of writing instinctively, only a combination of talent, careful planning, persistent hard work and patience can produce a good literary work. It is, therefore, advisable for you as a writer to be meticulous and avoid rushing your work, bearing in mind that every literary work takes form in stages.

Basically, there are three of such stages; conception, gestation and delivery stages. The stages have some semblance with the biological process of child bearing. From the time of conception to the delivery time, the expectant mother has to tend the pregnancy through prenatal care. Likewise, the writer has to treat every stage in the creative process with a sense of commitment if the work is to meet the expectations of his potential readers.

Conception stage refers to that moment when the idea of a story occurs to the writer. It usually occurs either during a conversation, at a quiet lonely moment, while driving, when strolling or in a dream. It could also be inspired by an incident of a high emotional impact. It is advisable for you to always have a piece of paper and a pen with you so that any time and anywhere the idea occurs, you could quickly jot it down. However, you should not rush into full writing at this stage. Just jot down the main body of the idea in a few sentences and allow it to expand and take root in your mind.

The period under which the idea takes root is the gestation stage. The stage must also not be rushed. Keep turning the idea or the story line over and over in your mind and continue to update it on paper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could tell it easily and convincingly. It becomes as easy as telling your own personal story!

The last thing you may do before the delivery stage is to make the complete outline of the story, i.e. the synopsis. This entails the structure of the story from the beginning to the end, including the twists and the denouement.

The delivery stage is the final phase. At this point you would develop your work fully, based on the synopsis. However, there is no rule binding you strictly to the synopsis it only serves as a guide. Just follow your creative instinct and do away with any part of the synopsis you find unnecessary or unsuitable. Even at this final stage you need to take your time. Don’t write too much at a sitting. Stop writing as soon as you run out of ideas, then resume again as soon as your brain has rested. Remember, your first writing at this stage is a mere draft. You have to rewrite and rewrite, taking care of elements like narrative logic and grammar, till you get a clean copy. That is the secret behind the success of writers like Mario Puzo, who said he rewrote The Godfather several times before it went to press. The same thing goes for the famous poets of old.

These three stages are a general knowledge to every writer. But not many writers believe it is necessary to be so meticulous as to go through them systematically. Their reason is that writing is a natural process that requires no rules. Yes, writing might not require rules in the strict sense of the word, but it does require some procedure or steps. Even plants, whose existence depends solely on the dictates of nature, need to be tended to bloom and look attractive. No gardener worth his salt would leave his flowers to the mercy of nature. William Wordsworth acknowledged this fact in his piece, The Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1798). Having stressed the fact that poetry results from the spontaneous overflow of compelling emotions, he added: “Though this be true, poems to which any value can be attached were produced…but by a man who, being possessed of more than usual organic sensitivity, had also thought long and deeply”.

There are a number of practical examples to substantiate this view that seeks to underscore the need for the writer to be more active and scrupulous. Wordsworth never waited for inspiration to come to him. He went in search of it, taking long walks in countryside with camp stools and writing materials. And when an idea occurred to him he would write it down quickly and then carefully develop it afterwards. Another British poet of the romantic era, John Keats, adopted the same method. It took him only a few minutes to draft his famous poem, Ode to a Nightingale, which consists of eight stanzas of ten lines each. He wrote it as he watched the bird frisking on a tree, and stopped shortly after it flew away. But the rewrite took him several days!

All the renowned writers I’ve read about went through this tedious process to produce their masterpieces. Therefore, you don’t have to be ashamed of the amount of effort you expend on a piece of work. It is not a symptom of weakness but a sign of commitment. Moreover, the number of rewrites you make does not matter; what matters is the end-product. No one cares to know how you produce your work, all your readers care about is to see a good work. And satisfying this need is your surest way to success. So put in your best no matter what it takes.

About the Author: Sumaila Isah Umaisha is the Literary Editor of New Nigerian Newspapers, Kaduna, Nigeria. He has written two collections of short stories; The Last Hiding Place and Burning Dreams, and a collection of poems; mailto:hell@heavensgate hell@heavensgate. His poems and short stories are published in six anthologies. He is currently working on two books, collections of interviews with Nigerian writers; Nigerian Writers Talking (Vol. 1 & 2). He is a joint winner of Association of Nigerian Author’s Literary Journalist of the Year Award, 2004. E-mail: mailto:umaisha05@yahoo.com umaisha05@yahoo.com.

Music seems to be an instrumental part of our high school years, no matter what decade you are from. I was a member of the marching band and a majorette all through high school. It seemed like musicians were a different breed apart from the rest of the school. Music spoke to our spirits and emotions. Our band director was very prolific in writing music for every instrument in our band. I always thought of him as a musical genius, because he could effortlessly incorporate the popular songs of our day with some incredible choreographed formations created by our Drum Major. During football season, our half time shows were like theatrical presentations. With the loyal support from our fans, we became the envy of other area high school bands.

After saving up my allowances, I “had” to go buy something. I went to a nearby music store and purchased my first album (that we called an LP) released by my favorite group. There are many areas of writing that I can incorporate this experience into. Here are ten generic questions to help compose an interesting submission:

1. What was the name of the group?

2. What were my favorite songs from that album?

3. Was the album Classical, R & B, Spiritual or Rock?

4. Who was the lead singer?

5. How much did my album cost?

6. What did I play my album on (Victrola or Stereo)?

7. Did I go to any of this group’s concerts and where?

8. Did this group make any soundtracks to movies?

9. What popular dances were out during the release of this album?

10. Were there any historical movements going on when this album came out (ie. anti-war demonstrations, civil rights movement or women’s rights movement)?

Dancing to slow love songs with your partner was called slow draggin’. This was an unwritten indication that you and the person you were dancing with were an item. Up-tempo beats symbolized your free spirit by having a good time. As you think about some of these questions, allow your mind to reflect on your first 45 record, LP, 8-Track or cassette that you purchased. Then unleash your creative writing juices to make some entertaining pieces that would be memorable to your audience. Check out some of these suggested markets:

• Entertainment magazines

• Music related magazines

• Teen magazines

• Fan Club magazines

• Articles on retro and “old school” music

• Trade journals

• Dance related magazines

• Fashion Magazines

Music was based on some type of inspiration as it is today. Now, let music inspire you to write about it. Remembering that first album I bought, contained songs that truly celebrated life, supported peace and abhorred hatred and war. There are numerous writing angles to take with this subject. Write music or write about the various aspects of it. Then, when those checks start rolling in, you can sing all the way to the bank!

Kym Gordon Moore is a public relations strategist for budget conscious new authors and coordinates creative marketing packages for her clients. She is the author of the e-Book, “Alphabet Soup: 5 Main Ingredients for Turning Words into a Bowl of Hot Topics!” Many of her articles, essays, short stories and poems appeared in a variety of magazines, newspapers, ezines and anthologies. kymgmoore.com kymgmoore.com

Everything seems so bright and different when you are young. But once you have graduated from school and took the first serious step into a grown up life, colors start to loose their brightness. In today’s highly competitive world a starter should know the last tendencies regarding labor market and its twists according to the demand and proposal. One of the key factors appears to be demography, the maneuvers started when actual urbanization took place and continues until now as you may see. Everything seemed proportional when there was a great demand for IT-specialists and young men and women made their best to get into the university to get these kinds of jobs. This was a result of an affirmation that internet business is going to be profitable and will prosper from no on. It is really a profitable business right now, but there are companies that end up in bankruptcy and there is nothing that can help. Overestimation of any possibility is dangerous. Despite these aspects there are some tendencies that are easily explainable. For instance, high demand in the field of medicine and healthcare in general is a result of the ageing of American nation.

The process of shifting from goods production to service production has been taking place since late fifties. This is the tendency that is typical for all of the countries with highly-developed economy. The Department of Labor has presented new statistics where education and health shears are marked under the highest demand. As I have already mentioned above, the raise in health care sector is dictated by irreversible process of ageing. But where does such a demand in education comes from? There is a social factor present in all of this. This age is called the age of emancipation, when women show desire to make a career more often than it was in the beginning on twentieth century. Therefore a lot of specialists in childcare establishments are required. Another issue is a “white collar” rush. Men and women all over the world prefer to work in service development than in goods development. There is a low demand but a great offer for specialists in marketing and managing fields but industries where “blue collar” employees are required lacks professionals. Young men and women rush into the Universities to get involved in service industries.

There is a great rise in business and professional services demand. These will be the fastest growing sectors in the future. The rising demand in services will be obvious in the future as the first signs are shown now. Even today the agencies are overloaded with clients that want to get employed in this particular sphere. How are the agencies going to mange this issue? The matter is that some of the clients wrongly define the function of such services. What they do is they present their customers with top quality resumes and cover letters, portfolios and references to present their clients in the best possible light. Even if you are a student you require student resume as well as any other in order to be a successful candidate and become potential employee.

Denis Glover has been working as an editor at ResumesExperts.com - resumesexperts.com Resume Service. He is experienced to produce different types of resumes (e.g. resumesexperts.com/student_resume.php nursing student resume, resumesexperts.com/sales_resume.php sales manager resume). Any detail of the resume starting from the objective and ending with the format can be specifically designed for any employee. He has been providing professional recommendations for jobseekers for 12 years.

You’ve probably seen web sites with testimonials - they can add legitimacy. But sometimes they are believable, and sometimes they are not. Are testimonials worth the effort?

The answer is “Yes” if they are done right.

When done correctly, testimonials can help you establish credibility and give you an opportunity to prove the claims about your web site.

However, when done incorrectly, testimonials aren’t believable and honest, and can cause more harm than good.

Here are some ideas on how to use testimonials effectively:

1. Do not fake it
Your testimonials should be believable. The best way to make them believable is to not make them up. A fade testimonial can ruin your credibility. Play fair, and get real testimonials from real people.

2. Be brief
If it’s too long, your web site visitor probably won’t read it. If you’ve got a super long testimonial, break it up into small sections and use it in different places.

3. Identify the person giving the testimonial
Ideally, use a full name and title, not something generic like “Happy Customer”. Also, you get bonus credibility if you put real contact information so your web site visitor can actually reach the person giving the testimonial. Usually, the visitor won’t bother, but they want to know that they could contact that real person and confirm the story.

4. Put testimonials throughout your web site
It is OK to have one page with all your testimonials, but you can’t guarantee that a visitor to your web site will go to that page. Put one or two testimonials on each page throughout your web site.

Herb and Monica Leibacher operate Web Builder Express. Create a professional web site for your business or non-profit organization with Web Builder Express. At WebBuilderExpress.com WebBuilderExpress.com, you can request your free Quick Start Guide that tells you how to create a great web site.