Writing in Rochester

I can’t speak for the magazine business, but as a former newspaperman, I can tell you how newspapers gather information. The first thing a new reporter does on a beat is introduce himself to all the principle people on that beat. For example a reporter covering a federal courthouse would introduce himself to the chief judge in the district and to the US Attorney for the district, also to the clerk of the courts and the head of the US Marshal Service in that courthouse. In short, find out who the movers and decision makers are and make yourself known to them.

If I were covering the fashion world for a fashion magazine, I would first learn who the newsmakers were. IT might be a particular fashion house, a designer, or buyers for the important stores. Learn who they are and make yourself known to them. Also let them know that you are interested in any new developments in their fields and are willing to learn as much as you possibly can. You might also find out that many of the people in the fashion industry employ public relations firms to get the word out, so introduce yourself to the major PR people.

Depending on what your position is on your magazine, you might ask for help from some of the senior writers or editors. My practice was always to ask for help, no matter what the situation was. Sometimes people will see you as a threat to their jobs so they might refuse to help you, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Keep an open mind and be creative in your search for information and for contacts.

Generally speaking, you are a journalist if you write for a newspaper, magazine or other kind of journal that reports the news regularly. According to American tradition and constitutional law, the profession of journalism is separate from and independent of government regulation or registration.This is important because it is felt within the journalism profession that once we submit to being registered and licensed by government, then the government that we are obliged to report on can then decide who is and who isn′t a journalist.

That means if I begin to report unfavorable facts about the way the government is doing business, they would have the power to revoke my registration and silence my journalistic voice. We fight hard to keep governments from trying to register us and to regulate us. We are governed only by laws of libel. Generally in this country you are a journalist if you report and write the news for a regularly published newspaper or magazine.

Various news organizations issue identification cards for their own employees and that should be enough. We steadfastly resist government’s attempt to regulate us.For if we allow them to regulate and license us, we also allow them to revoke that license and to silence us.I know I have repeated this principle several times, but it is important enough to bear repeating. If your weekly newspaper says you are a legitimate employee of them, engaged in writing and reporting the news, that should be enough.

A journalist is a person who reports and writes the news. He is usually an employee of a newspaper, or works under a contractual arrangement with a newspaper. The term is broad, it can include peple who report for magazines or for radio and TV stations. To get an exact definition go to a dictionary.

The freedom of the press and freedom for journalists to report the news is not a universal freedom. In many countries when a dictator or a tyrant takes over the first thing he does is get control of the newspapers. There are just some of those people out there that think can get away with some of the stuff that they are doing. Most of them think that if they can get control of the newpapers then they can have them print what they tell them too with death to them of a loved one. So most of the time a lot of journalist will stay clear of some topicas where others belive in freedom of speech.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant at 4magazines.info/ 4Magazines.info/. 4Magazines.info offers the greatest magazine subscriptions from a variety of top publishers. Browse through our selection of Lifestyle Magazines here: 4magazines.info/category/lifestyle.html 4Magazines.info/category/lifestyle.html.

There is a hidden world in literature, an insubstantial veiled opportunity for writers who aren’t driven by fame but merely love to write. This underworld involves the use of talent dedicated to helping an author create their dreams from the myriad prose available for a fee and the art of such an interaction is called ‘ghostwriting.’ The skilled and hard to find professionals who provide such services are called ghostwriters, freelance writers or staff writers, but for those who need them they are often referred to as life savers!

Many authors regularly use ghostwriters to either aid them with delivering content in formats they are not comfortable with, to meet a pressing deadline, to present their ideas and concepts in a professional and timely manner or simply to take advantage of a skill set which they lack but require for achieving an end goal. Ghostwriters may also be called upon in the form of experts to lend a level of expertise when the concept is known but details and skills to complete the project are lacking.

Even top name artists and authors have commonly released works which are based on their notes and story plots or rough overviews but which were actually completed by a ghostwriter in able to meet a timeline or allow the author to make other commitments. There is certainly no shame in the practice, and the successes that have grown from it have increased the demand until today it is difficult to find a quality ghostwriter when one is needed. Despite hundreds of sites and freelance writers being available finding the one that is right for you and that can meet your deadlines with a product that reflects your goals is where the art of hiring a ghostwriter comes in.

The profession of ghostwriting is not new – many of the works of Shakespeare himself are said to have been written by his students in ‘his’ style. Unlike its inverse and deadly literary enemy plagiarism, ghostwriting is the art of a writer putting an author’s words and concepts onto paper for them with the full understanding that they will not be acknowledged except for financial recompense. The ability to do so in a seamless manner is where this type of writing becomes a true art form.

As you can imagine it takes a special type of writer to be a ghostwriter – first and foremost they have to be skilled, quick, and imaginative since in many cases they will be writing from the notes and existing knowledge of the author about the subject in question – about which they may know little to nothing! Secondly they have to be able to ‘take on’ different writing styles and tones to allow the book or article they are writing to properly reflect the authors point of view. Perhaps most importantly they have to accomplish this whether or not they agree with the author, and without allowing any personal sentiment or viewpoints to become involved. In rare cases where the author wants the personality or opinions of the ghostwriter to come through striking the balancing act to allow that but not overpower the message the authors seeks to portray becomes the principal goal.

In addition to needing excellent technical skills, quick response to feedback, an ability to take direction but still be able to work with little to no supervision a ghostwriter must above all else be able to turn out enjoyable and informative prose in a timely manner which reflects the author’s intentions. For you the customer seeking assistance with creating your masterpiece finding the right writer to do with you is truly magic!

Julie-Ann Amos is an international professional freelance writer/author and consultant. She runs a resource for those in need of freelance/ghost writers worldwide. For more information on her writing services visit exquisitewriting.com www.exquisitewriting.com

Humor is a double edge sword. Use it well and be marveled at. Use it badly and be
disapproved of. Where exactly is the fine line between being a funny comedian and
being an insensitive prick?

One of the common advices most of us have received was to avoid ALL political,
racial and religion based jokes, no matter how tempting they may be. As long as we
stay away from them, we have a shot at being funny without offending anyone.
However recently two men with solid steel balls – a standup comedian and a well-
respected chief constable – went ahead to break the norms. One did exceptionally
well and became an overnight Internet sensation. The other – sadly – was ridiculed
by the media.

Let’s first look at the man who hit it big with the audience – Stephen Colbert.

Stephen Colbert became the man ever since he delivered a 20-minute satirical
speech on Bush administration at the 2006 White House Correspondents’
Association Dinner last month. Although some critics dismissed his speech as
lacklustre, the entire blogsphere hailed him as “the man with the iron-steel balls”.
There was even an entire site dedicated to Colbert’s single speech in Wikipedia, a
speech that Time Magazine Online called “the political-cultural touchstone issue of
2006”.

My personal favorite:
“And though I am a committed Christian, I believe everyone has the right to their
own religion - be you Hindu, Jewish, or Muslim, I believe there are infinite paths to
accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.”

On the other hand, John Vine, a well-respected chief constable who was also the
Past President of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, left his
audience stunned and embarrassed with his one-liner joke on the Iraq bombers. It
is worth noting that this joke was unplanned for (and even uncalled for). But out of
our desperation to revive his bored audience, he made a decision to tell an off-color
joke.

The joke went like this: Two Al-Qaeda fathers are ruminating about their suicide-
bomber sons. “Ah, kids!” goes the punchline, “they blow up so quickly these days.”
One lousy decision and this poor man ruined his hard-earned reputation. If only he
has made an early decision to improve on his public speaking skills, say join a
Toastmasters Club…

So what can we learn from these two separate incidents?

1. ALWAYS test-run your jokes!

If Vine has tried this joke on his close friends during his rehearsal (I wonder if he
even rehearse his speech?), his friends may have warned him against cracking that
off-color joke. And probably the only sin he would have committed was being a
boring speaker, which equates to a chance of redeeming himself. On the other
hand, Colbert has been a standup comedian for a long time. He is seasoned. He has
his own TV show. He knows what he is doing and I am pretty sure he has tested his
jokes on some people.

What’s the takeaway for us then? Always test your jokes on your close friends before
unleashing it on your unaware audience. If any of your friends feel ANY discomfort
with a particular joke, consider removing it. No point risking being a little funnier
for being an insensitive prick.

2. Self depreciating humor is still the safest

When I first competed in the International Humorous Contest last year, there was a
portion of my speech where I joked about why Chinese were not the first humans on
Earth. This joke was extremely effective and generated one of the biggest laughs in
the entire speech. But I took it out after the first try. Though I was a Chinese myself
(which makes it ok to crack jokes on Chinese people), I made references to the
Bible. And that creates ambiguity. In the end, I focused my entire humorous speech
on Singapore (where I came from) and its quirks. And guess what, the audience
loved it!

This only goes to show how effective humor can be if you make fun of yourself. Not
only is it safe, it ALWAYS makes the audience laugh. Try that on in your next speech!

3. Is your audience prepared for your humor?

What’s the purpose of humor in your speech? Do you want to warm the audience
up? Or do you want to prove a point?
In Colbert’s speech, it was straightforward. He was the featured entertainer for the
dinner. He was hired to roast President Bush and the audience knew it. As such, they
expected his speech to be satirical and sarcastic. Vine, on the other hand, was
invited to speak at a grand dinner attended by eminent lawyers and advocates,
because of his reputation in the police anti-terror operations. What a world of
difference! He was not even expected to be funny. And no one expected him to
crack jokes, not to mention off-color jokes on Iraq bombers!

So the next time you want to use humor in your speech, be it a joke or an anecdote,
question its purpose and effectiveness on the particular audience. Make sure your
audience is prepared for your humor too, else don’t be shocked if your jokes
bombed!

Philadelphia’s Funniest Man - won the International Humor Contest at Division Level in
2005. A celebrated Toastmasters both in Singapore and Philadelphia. Writes regularly
on public speaking topics. If you are keen to gain insightful and easy-to-apply tips on
public speaking, check out his blog at blog.ericfeng.com Public
Speaking for All

If you receive money from an online payment processor like PayPal, you probably use it as knockaround cash. Usually, depending on wher the funds ecame from, the amounts are nominal. Eg, $12 from a few articles written, $7 from an e-book sale, $20 from an item sold on eBay.

When it comes to money, most of us don′t recognize the value of small amounts. Following are three things you can do to advanc your freelance writing career from the money you make online.

3 Tips for Using Your Online Money to Advance Your Freelance Writing Career

1. Advertising: If you want to make a serious go of freelancing, using the “nominal” amounts from your PayPal account can go a long way towards brining in clients.

Many popular writing e-zines and small business websites sell classified ads, eg, writing-world.com and PowerHomeBiz.com are two sites that come to mind. These sites reach thousands of targeted visitors for just a few dollars a month.

Compared to offline advertising, eg, post card mailings, this type of advertising is some of the most effective, cost-conscious advertising you can buy.

Most freelancers don’t think about advertising when they start out. However, it’s critical if you want to grow a business - which is what freelancing is. While free methods like article marketing should always be utilized, combining them with paid advertising will help you grow your freelance writing business that much quicker.

So, while your PayPal account is growing, scout out some cheap online outlets in which to advertise and when your account hits the magic amount, place that ad!

2. Increasing Your Skill Set: Take an online course, learn a new software, attend a seminar, etc. Whatever you consistently put off because you can’t afford it, allocate your PayPal earnings to it and finally knock this goal out.

Increasing your skill set can garner you new clients and/or broaden the array of services you offer clients.

Assigning a purpose like this to your online earnings will usually push you to sell more, because you will want to reach your goal that much sooner.

3. Building a Website: Although this is a form of advertising, I separated it out because if you’re serious about making a living from freelancing, having a website is no longer an option, it’s a must.

Many freelance writers procrastinate on getting a website, either because they don’t have the money, don’t have the time to learn a software so that they can build it themselves, or a combination of both.

Many resort to the, “when I can afford it when I get a big project when my niece can build it for me” syndrome. In other words, they delay, delay, delay until . . .

If you consistently and effectively allocate your PayPal earnings to a specific growth-oriented goal, before long, it will hold big chunks of money - brought in from clients you’ve acquired through the judicious use of those small deposits.

Good luck!

Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com www.InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less — Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com www.InkwellEditorial.com to register now.

I′ve heard a lot about what writers have to say about the publishing process–and many are disappointed. Usually it’s because they had certain expectations that were not met. Whether they knew it or not, there was no way those expectations were going to be met because of the way they chose to have their books published. The way to avoid such disappointment is to be clear about what you want and to make sure you’re pursuing an avenue, whether it be self-publishing or traditional publishing, that will get those needs met.

To get clear about your desired outcome, it’s best to create a publishing plan for yourself. To do that, you ask yourself a series of questions so you can get a concrete picture of what you want. Make sure you write down your answers!

Fill-in-the-Blank

First, complete this statement: “I want my book to be____________”. Here you want to ask yourself, “Do I want my book to be a product I’m going to sell when I get speaking engagements?” or “Do I want it to be a door opener for potential jobs or other business opportunities?” or “Do I want it to be a gift that people are going to pass around?” or “Do I want it to be the first in a long line of my contributions to the literary canon?” What exactly do you want your book to be or to do for you?

I recently spoke to an author/editor working on an inspirational book. When I asked her why she was doing the book, she said she wanted to put a positive message out in the world. Okay, that’s great, but she could do that by just printing up a few hundred copies and giving the book away to anyone she met. When I probed further about what she really needs this book to do, she said she wanted it to put her fledgling publishing company on the map and to establish a brand so she could create a series of books, much in the same vein as “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. With this in mind we were able to focus on marketing, because in order for her book to do these things she would need a very persistent, aggressive marketing campaign to make this happen. If she had only focused on her first answer, she would have made different decisions that may not have helped her get the result she wants.

The Money Question

Next, what do you want financially from your book? Do you want a publisher to give you a huge advance or does the money not really matter because you’re looking for prestige? Be honest with yourself. If making a lot of money is important to you, it’s going to be hard for a first time author to do that through a traditional publishing house. You would be better off self-publishing your book and then making a big push to sell as many copies as you can. Once you’ve established yourself with some sales you can always turn to a traditional publisher to help you reach a broader market.

Determined to Go Traditional?

Are you set on having the prestige, not to mention the relatively low-cost experience, of being published by a traditional publishing house like a St. Martin’s, Random House or any of the smaller to mid-size companies? If so, how long will you try to find a publisher? If this is your goal, you′re going to be focused on doing all the things you need to do to get the attention of a literary agent and/or acquisitions editor. That means developing a following (your platform), taking writing courses if necessary to improve your work, and searching for the right agent to represent you so you can get your foot in the door.

What are you willing to do to find the right agent and publisher? Send out 200 query letters? Are you willing to spend the money to go to conferences to make connections and tell people about your work?

The Numbers

How many books do you want in print and how many do you want to sell? If you sign with a traditional publisher, you may have no say in the matter, but if you self-publish you have the option to go with a company who can print up copies as you need them. Or maybe you don’t mind doing a print run of 5,000 copies and storing them in your garage! But what number of sales would you consider a success? 5,000 is considered a really good number in traditional publishing for your first time out. Maybe your goal is to sell 200. Or maybe you’re just making this book for your family, so you don’t really care how many you sell; you just want your family members to see that you wrote a book. That’s okay too!

Distribution

Next, how will you get those books to the places where they can be sold? How will you get distribution? How many doors are you willing to knock on? What’s your budget for this?

The Team

You may try, but if you self-publish you really can’t do it all on your own. Publishing will require you to work with others on developing an audience, marketing, distribution, sales and production. Who will be on your team? Are you going to hire a coach, an editor, a proofreader, a book designer, a publicist?

Stick to the Plan

If you answer all these questions clearing and honestly, you will have a comprehensive plan for how your book will come into the world. You’ll find the whole process will be easier when you have a plan–it’ll help you make decisions when problems or opportunities arise. Then you can tell others a different kind of story: how the publishing process was exciting and enjoyable–and not disappointing–for you.

2006 Sophfronia Scott

Author and Writing Coach Sophfronia Scott is “The Book Sistah” TM. Get her FREE REPORT, “The 5 Big Mistakes Most Writers Make When Trying to Get Published″ and her FREE online writing and book publishing tips at

In October 2004 when my book “Your Retirement Masterplan” (How To Books ISBN 1857039874) was published I participated in eleven 15-minute live interviews on local radio over a period of just five days.

The results were highly encouraging; the book leapt from nowhere on Amazon.co.uk to position 194 out of 3123 competing titles and eventually grabbed the No.1 spot for its core keyword (retirement) where it remained for nine months.

I am shortly to repeat the broadcast exercise for my newly published tome “How to Earn Money in Retirement” (How To Books ISBN 1845281128) but before doing so I am already off to a head start…

Although this title does not hit the bookstores until Friday 5 May 2006 it already ranks at No.47 out of 3453 competitive titles on Amazon.co.uk – which means of course that it is already selling in big numbers online – thanks largely to the success of its predecessor and the initial boost it got from radio promotion.

These promotional interviews are arranged by my publisher’s media consultancy and I do not require to visit a single studio to take part; they are all conducted over the telephone, sitting at my desk at home.

So what if you self-publish your output and you don’t have a publicist to arrange radio interviews?

Does that mean you are excluded?

No way I have self-published several books in the past and managed my own promotion.

Here is what you do…

1. Wherever you live in the world you’ll find that the majority of local radio stations are banded together into a single network for cost-effectiveness;

2. Identify the controlling network;

3. Visit the corporate website containing links to all subsidiaries;

4. Pick out those stations within a 500/1000 mile orbit;

5. Visit each local station website individually;

6. Scan the daily programming schedules;

7. Highlight those programs that might identify with the topic of your book;

8. Note the presenter’s name;

9. Email him/her with a well-couched request for a live interview

10. Follow that up with an identical snail mail request

11. Follow that up with a telephone call (you’ll get to speak to someone in authority);

12. You know your topic inside out speak up with confidence and you’ll get your interview; maybe not straightaway but, if you sell yourself and your project professionally, you’ll be logged into and up-and-coming slot in the station scheduling.

Go for it…it’s free!

In truth though there is more to creating bestselling books than spieling about them on radio and if you’d like to learn how I manage to produce bestsellers consistently, visit the website featured in the resource box below.

Jim Green is a bestselling author with an ever-growing string of niche non-fiction titles to his credit. 1st-creative-writing-course.com 1st-creative-writing-course.com

In any sales situation whether face-to-face, on the web, in an advertisement or through direct response letters, the experts have always maintained that decisions to buy are emotional justified by logic. Painting the picture of the pleasure or satisfaction a purchaser gains or the problem or pain they avoid or cure is the most powerful way of persuading people to buy and is frequently used in marketing material.

Now our inherent experience and knowledge has been proven scientifically by Dr Joe Arvai, who is a professor of judgement and decision making and heads up the Skunkworks Lab at Michigan University.

As part of his research he and Dr Robyn Wilson ran a study on decision making, asking 210 participants to judge how much of a budget should be allocated to risk prevention in two areas in a National Park; Mugging and Bag Snatching or Accidents Caused by Wandering Deer within the park. The published results in March 2006 showed that, in spite of statistics indicating the deer problem actually had a slightly higher risk, the volunteers judged it as lower and therefore a higher budget allocation was given to the emotive problem of mugging.

So how does this impact on our marketing material? It demonstrates that emotion, experience and perception all affect our decisions. Which is why it is so important to really understand your target prospect. What are their experiences; what appeals to them; what excites them; what angers them; what worries them; what do they REALLY WANT - rather than need? People take more notice of their emotions than any logical argument.

And of course we see this all the time; otherwise why do people buy high-status cars or houses or designer clothing when a cheaper unbranded item does the job just as well? They want to enjoy the status, and maybe even envy, in the eyes of their friends and colleagues.

Before sitting down to write any sales letter, advert, brochure, email, web page or even an article like this, describe your ideal customer. Then when you craft your message keep this picture in mind and clearly show the results they can expect to enjoy.

Once your prospect has made a decision to buy they will need to justify the purchase to themselves - and perhaps other people - especially if your product or service has a high-ticket price. You can help them do this by describing the features of your offer and reasons-why they made a decision in your favour.

Having trouble describing or picturing your target prospect? Look at your existing customers why did they buy from you? What influenced their decision? Is it something you can use to encourage other prospects to make a good buying choice?

©2007 Original Work by Carol Bentley

Learn more about Persuading People to Buy… Subscribe to your free reports, with no commitment, at CarolBentley.com CarolBentley.com

Carol, who is the author of ‘I Want to Buy Your Product… Have You Sent Me a Letter Yet? (Rated 5-star on Amazon), is launching a unique copywriting programme in the UK. Download a 17-page interview transcript where she reveals more about these powerful techniques and register your interest with no commitment. Visit carolbentley.com/event-register.htm” target=”_new WriteLettersWinSales.co.uk

Carol has extensive experience in writing copy for direct response campaigns. If you would like to talk to Carol’s office about having her work on your current or next sales project you can use the contact form on her website.

Have you been straining and struggling, trying to find a way to get your favorite manuscript, articles, poems or other classic writings out to the world? Ok, you can blog them of course, but what if you had a way to actually publish your cherished works in an iPod book form? Would that be of great value to you? I can only speak for myself in this regard as I am an author. The subject of my material is usually about search engine optimization and search engine marketing. This is my passion and my drive. Therefore, I write articles, press releases, blogs and forum posts all the time.

I have just recently met an amazing individual online. His name is Steve Cox and he is a well known software designer for some major corporations and educational institutions. He has introduced me to what I believe is the most efficient way to get your manuscripts, both in media and written format. This ingenious software is called PocketBook. With PocketBook, famous authors like yourself can trial download the software and place up to 10 works for absolutely no money. Its a simple program to use as you will already have your media uploaded and you will simply transfer this into the PocketBook and bingo! You now have your published work to display to the world.

But wait just a moment. I have not told you the best part yet. What if Steve Cox gave you the opportunity to place your new novel, poems, articles or whatever for sale into his high traffic ebay store? Would that be a great value for you as well? Well, guess what? That is exactly what his software program can do as well. Yes, you produce the work, publish it, send it to his ebay store and when someone wants to purchase it, you make money! This is nothing short of an incredible opportunity people. Could it be any better than this?

As a matter of fact it can be. What if Steve Cox were to do all the technical work for you at absolutely no charge? Would that be an even better value? That is exactly what this man is offering, for a very limited time. He will place your media files, your written copy and even produce a pocket book cover for your book at no charge! Let me ask you Mr. or Mrs. author. What could you possibly think of that would hold you back from doing this?

If you have been following my articles at all, you know that I love marketing online. I love meeting like minded people that are striving for internet notoriety in some manner. Most are having no luck at all, but that is ok. It is called a consistent building process. I have just published my new first edition iPod book called “Internet Marketing for the Average Guy.” For me, this tells it all as I am a believer that absolutely anyone breathing today can learn to become an effective online businessman or businesswoman. We have a choice. We have to make the decision.

Seriously, Steve Cox has the best system for quickly producing your iPod books. He even offers to place them in his ebay store. He does this as he knows that building a great business online requires visualization and hard work. I sincerely hope to see your iPod book along side mine very soon!

Butch Hamilton is an SEO|SEM Specialist. Living on the internet has become a way of life…a successful way of life. His talents for obtaining top positions on the search engines have led him to the point in his life where he has always wanted to be.

Says Mr. Hamilton, “Writing has always been my passion. Gone are the days when I placed blatant ads on the internet for exposure. I have found my life’s work in writing articles.”

Butch Hamilton’s Quote: “What we think-is what we become.”

Butch Hamilton
806-874-3314
806-205-0648
Skype: butch.hamilton

pocketbookmaker.com pocketbookmaker.com
butchhamiltonsbestdomains.com butchhamiltonsbestdomains.com
butchhamiltons-internet-newsletter.com butchhamiltons-internet-newsletter.com

Marriage is a beautiful bond between two people and Wedding Toasts are the best way to express fond memories and the finest wishes you have for the newly wed couple. Whether your toast is humorous, endearing, or a combination of the two–all eyes will be on you during your toast so you need to make it as effective as possible. If the lot should fall upon you to give a wedding toast speech, you need to be prepared.

Your toast is meant to convey a message of hope. It’s a kind of send-off. You’re encouraging the bride and group to start their lives together as one. You can use your toast to tell a story, or bring the guests on a trip down memory lane. If you’re the best man of the wedding party, you may wish to pick up a book on wedding toast etiquette. It’s always nice to state how long you have known and loved the couple. Your toast does not have to be very long , but it should express genuine warmth from your heart.

While wedding toasts are very common, it can be difficult to give a great toast if you’ve never done it before. Sure, you see the movies where toasts are spoken as if they are poetry, seemingly with no forethought or effort. But this is not reality.

Search your library or even the Internet for some great quotes about weddings to incorporate into your speech. You also need to know something about the newly weds. If you know that the couple really likes a certain poet, or a particular movie, or have a favourite book or other interest, see if you can capture some of the memorable lines or concepts from the above and somehow incorporate these ideas into your speech. Remember that even the most practiced celebrity plans for any and all public appearances and speaking, so plan for yours to make sure that your thoughts come out as well thought out as they should be!

There are several important moments during a wedding celebration when wedding toast specches are made. Generally, this is the usual order in which toasts are made:

The Best Man
The Groom To His Wife
Father of the Bride
Father of the Groom

Normally, the best man gives the first wedding toast speech at a wedding reception. For most, it is probably the hardest and scariest wedding duty, but probably the most important as well. He is the friend of the groom and welcomes the bride. Use it as a special moment to wish them every happiness but with the reminder that it takes effort to succeed. But try not to be too serious here - use picturesque language or lines from well known songs to illustrate the point in an inspirational way.

There are some things you should never do for a Wedding Toast Speech. Don’t get intoxicated - it won’t give you courage, only ruin something that should be memorable. Don’t use foul language, especially if children are present. Never mention former lovers or spouses of the newly weds. Don’t intentionally embarrass the bride or groom - it is their day, not yours.

Follow these steps and you’ll find that you can make it through those few moments of pressure to say something that the bride and groom will thank you for.

Would you like to see some actual examples of speech ideas? Make it easy on yourself. Check out
weddingtoastspeeches.blogspot.com Wedding Toast Speeches

It’s no secret that “all writing is rewriting.”

So be reassured if your words land on your computer screen in less than perfect form the first time. Be reassured if you spend hours adding, deleting and shuffling phrases, sentences and even whole paragraphs around your document and back again. And be reassured if you’re just plain frustrated because it takes longer than you thought to get across the mood and meaning you want. Welcome to the writer’s world!

For me there are 3 clearly-defined steps in the writing process.

Step 1 - Getting The Words Down On Paper

All you are doing here is putting information on paper. Everything you know about your topic. Every idea you have about your ideal client and how you can help them. Do it without censoring yourself. Keep writing until you have exhausted all the ideas you believe belong in your piece. Don’t worry if you end up with seven pages of information and you only need three. You can go back and edit later.

Step 2 - Editing

Time to review and refine the content. What is absolutely necessary? What can be discarded? Are the ideas organized logically? Does it flow smoothly? Does your content precisely reflect the point you want to get across? Where are there gaps in information: are you making assumptions about how much people already know about your business?

In this step you’re also looking for the right words. Not just any old words that say roughly what you want them to say, but the exact words that get your ideal clients excited about your product or service.

Step 3 - Proofreading

Here you’re checking for consistency, spelling, punctuation, and the rules of grammar. Make sure that the company name is spelled correctly. Are you using the same format for the phone number each time it appears? Are periods and commas where they should be? Run it through a spell- checker.
You can get yourself into trouble by trying to do all these steps at once. But go about it in a systematic manner and your content will come together much more easily. Each of these steps can involve several rewrites until your material is polished and you’re satisfied that it presents you to your best advantage. Be patient with yourself.

Mark Twain is reputed to have said: “If I′d had more time, I′d have written a shorter letter.” That’s the crux of the matter: it takes time and many rewrites to craft a focused, concise piece that gets your message across with clarity and no distractions.

Now it’s your turn: take a look at whatever piece you’re working on right now. Which of the above steps are you working on right now? Or are you trying to do them all at once?

Copyright 2004 The Dennison Group.

Maggie Dennison provides Marketing and Writing Solutions for sole entrepreneurs and small businesses. She is the author of “11 Steps To Marketing Materials That Get You Clients NOW!” Maggie holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology, and is fascinated with what triggers people to do the things they do. And that’s exactly what marketing materials are all about. Pick up a free report “11 Hot Keys to Website Content That Works” at her website.