Editor and Ghostwriter
By Linda Dessau
I think my colleague Dina Giolitto could relate to the “Article of a Lifetime” syndrome that I’ve blogged about before. In a recent blog post, she says that it’s difficult for her to write shorter articles.
She’s come up with a handy formula to take her longer articles and chunk them up. Read about it on her blog.
Writing Prompt: If you’ve got too many ideas for one article (or blog post), try Dina’s method and enjoy the extra exposure of a second or third article or post.
By Linda Dessau
Clients and readers have told me that they don’t write because they don’t think they have anything to write about.
After all, what do you know, anyway?
PLENTY!
Forgive my fading memory, but I think it was a resource from Thomas Leonard that first challenged me to list 50 facts I already know that could help the members of my target market.
I’ve put that challenge into the My Book Wiki program (more details coming soon), and I’m putting it to you right now. So c’mon, you may just surprise yourself. Even better, you may do some good and help others if you take even ONE thing from your list and write about it in a blog post or newsletter article.
Writing Prompt: What are 50 facts that you already know that could help the members of your target market?
By Linda Dessau
My latest look through the book on my desk, Your Attention Please, led me to another gem.
The authors encourage us to browse the magazine rack for a model of writing that will get our audience’s attention and get them to take action.
It’s true, whether it’s a Cosmo quiz or a compelling story in Reader’s Digest, the sole purpose of these magazines is to serve their readers with entertainment, information and suggestions for improving their lives.
Writing prompt: Grab a popular “service” magazine from your coffee table or your corner store and choose an article to use as a template for the next article you write.
By Linda Dessau
Some more great stuff from Jason Womack today, about setting up your home office classroom.
I love his tips on how to burn through the latest hot business book in no time flat, so I’ve decided to apply them the book that’s on my desk right now, Your Attention Please.
I didn’t follow the plan perfectly. Though Jason promised that by using this method I’d get through the whole book in as little as an hour, I don’t have that long today. So I just read the little bit that caught my eye, and that was enough to inspire a topic for a blog post. Thanks, Jason!
Writing prompt: What inspiring ideas can you find on just one page of a book?
By Linda Dessau
I really liked Jason Womack’s tips in this Lifehacker article, How to Kickstart a Low-Productivity Day.
I often use the "walk around" strategy when I’m stuck or tired. Since my home office is in an apartment building, I can take a trip downstairs to get the mail and maybe pop my head outside to breathe some fresh air.
I also love his emphasis on gratitude and connection with others – those are both very important to my productivity and well-being.
Writing Prompt: Take Jason’s suggestion to open up a favourite book to a random page and read for five minutes. Did that spark any ideas you can use in your current writing project? If you need some help making the connection between what you’ve read and what you’re writing, check out this post.