Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Business Planning & Retreat Weekend

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I have just declared the long weekend of September 1-3 as a Business Planning & Retreat Weekend.

Do you want to join me?

While I'm not inviting you to share my time during those precious three days , I'll gladly share my plans so that you can create your own retreat!

I really want to make the most of this opportunity to spend a big chunk of time working ON my business instead of IN it (as per Michael Gerber and the E-Myth Revisited).

I looked at my Artist Retreat Day Guidebook, which gave me some great ideas for how to prepare between now and then:

  1. Create (and protect) the time. So while I'm gladly accepting new clients and projects, we won't be starting your new project until after September 4th.
  2. Create my workspace, by making sure clutter is at bay and my favourite business books are handy. Besides E-Myth Revisted, I'll also pull out my Andrea Lee Collection, Multiple Streams of Coaching Income and Money, Meaning and Beyond, as well as Peter Bowerman's The Well-Fed Writer and Back for Seconds). I'll also pull out some newsletters and e-books, as well my own many folders full of ideas and nearly-started projects.
  3. Create my mental and emotional space, and put a support team in place. I will do some journaling and reflection so that I can set my intention and begin with the right motive. I'm also going to be setting up some "check-in" times with some support people during the weekend, AND a purely social event so I can let loose a little 😉

I'm going to refer to Dina Lynch's recent blog post about Marketing Plans, because there are definitely some ideas there I want to put into practice.

And of course everything will be integrated into the wonderful Vision Map that Jan Wallen helped me create.

My plans are still unfolding – I'll keep you posted…..

NEW NOTE FROM LINDA (August 27) – keep your eye on the "Comments" section, I'll be updating about my plans for the weekend, and during the weekend itself.

Tuck thinks I’m a Belle with Balls!

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Tuck Self, the Rebel Belle, is a self-proclaimed “personal growth enthusiast” with a passion for squeezing as much juice and joy out of this journey as she can.

She and I have been in touch a few times over the years, and most recently she wrote to ask if I'd be a guest on her Belles with Balls podcast. How could I say no to that??

We'll be chatting about "How to Claim Your Expertise." It's a bit of a sneak preview of a September tele-class series that I'll be announcing soon.

If the Imposter Syndrome has been keeping YOUR great ideas stuck inside of you, don't miss it!

So, are you a Rebel Belle? Find out at Tuck's FUN & FANTASTIC website, and you'll also get onto her mailing list and be the first to know when our interview is available.

You Talk, I’ll Write – Name Change and Other News

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It’s official! After bouncing the idea off some trusted colleagues, clients and my brilliant newsletter subscribers, I have decided to officially change the name of my business from You Talk It, I’ll Write It to simply You Talk, I’ll Write.

Check out the site to see what other changes I’ve made!

Coming Soon:

  • Success Story service – let me ghostwrite a story that demonstrates your skilled work with clients, and all of the benefits you can offer
  • Teleclass Series (ok, now I’ll Talk and YOU can write!)

Subscribe to the blog or newsletter to make sure you’re in the loop to hear about these events as they happen.

Organizing the Organizer

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An organizer with her own show on HGTV came to her VA (virtual assistant) Lisa Wells with a challenge.

The organizer had been approached by an online magazine that loved her work on the show and wanted her to submit an article.

This woman was a great organizer, but writing?

She knew she was in over her head.

Added Value

Since Lisa’s expertise is to provide her clients with excellent technical and administrative support (not writing or editing), she passed the challenge on to me. She also acted as the project manager, making the process seamless for her client and boosting the value of her own services.

Organizing the Organizer

The story the organizer had put together showcased her successful work with a family who had a very cluttered closet.

Her writing needed – dare I say – some organization!

I structured her ideas into sections, telling her story in a logical way.

I used numbered lists and bullet points to break up the information and make it much easier to digest.

I incorporated extra content she had provided (such as an FAQ list) to add sidebar material like simple tips and information about professional organizers.

I also cleaned up her writing a bit, looking for grammar issues and commonly misused words.

I absolutely loved working on this project, and shortly after I added “Organizers” to my roster of ideal clients (along with Coaches and Speakers).

Why not get started on your writing project today? You could have a great new promotional tool in place by September!

5 Web Resources I Use the Most

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I was just “tagged” by Christina Favreau, who has asked me to share 5 favoutite websites. The rules of the tag are:

  1. MUST be clean. No R rated sites.
  2. Only FIVE links.
  3. MUST tell 5 people.
  4. A link back to the person who tagged you
  5. Lara’s Place [Update December 8, 2012 – Lara’s Place website is no longer active] is the meme originator

The 5 Web Resources I Use the Most as a Writer and Editor are:

  1. Data Deposit Box – continually backs up the newest versions of all my client projects, as well as anything else I’ve created or revised since the last back up
  2. Ezine Articles – premiere article bank website
  3. Copywriting tips from Copyblogger
  4. The Ezine Queen’s Magic Text Formatter – formats content to 65-characters per line – GREAT for text-only emails [Update December 8, 2012 – this resource is no longer available
  5. Typepad – I use their basic templates for this blog, their advanced templates for my website, and now that they’ve introduced the “Add page” feature, I’m encouraging people to use Typepad to create simple websites that are very affordable and easy to maintain

My next task is to “tag” 5 other bloggers and ask them for THEIR 5 favourite web resources. Here goes:

  1. Sandra De Freitas of Tech Coach for Coaches.
  2. Donna Papacosta of Trafalgar Communications.
  3. Kathy Mallary of SpiritSpring Coaching.
  4. Felicia Slattery.
  5. Dina Lynch, the Mediation Mensch [Update December 8, 2012 – Dina is no longer blogging as the Mediation Mensch, but you can catch her at Speak Up Powerfully.