What do you want your readers to do?

Answer that question before starting to write, otherwise the end result may be another "crossing-the-desert" story that exhausts rather than inspires readers. Don't take this wrong; rich details are wonderful. Agonizing, obsessions are not. Vintage rocket fin caddy with faded red paint is enough. Don't park there to reveal every dent, bump, traffic ticket and back seat make-out session that makes the car special to you. Faced with TMI (too much information) that fails to enhance the story, and I'm done. So are many readers.

If you want me to read on, entice me. One of the best compliments I have heard for my novel, Taylor Kendall:Evil Inc, came from a psychotherapist colleague who said; "I was tired and planned to stop at the end of the next chapter, but there was another hook that kept me reading. By 4am, I finished the book; exhausted yet satisfied." That's what I wanted to do, get the reader so involved in the story, the characters and the suspense that continuing to read was the only option.

Signing for book buyers!

When writing a business article, do you want the reader to buy, subscribe or attend an event? Does your web copy grab attention and cause the reader to hit the "sign up now" button? Will your poem touch heartfelt memories so that the reader recommends your work to fellow poetry lovers? It's like the old saying, "begin with the end in mind." That's good advice for writers. Know what you want your reader to do and you are more likely to communicate that as well as motivate the reader to act.

Writing Endorsements -Show Not Tell

Effective endorsements show benefits. Telling is like shaking your fingers in someones face to get agreement. Showing with examples, metaphors or testimonies is more persuasive and action-oriented. In the recent Florida governor's race, a candidate's mother went on the air to tell us why her son was so wonderful and therefore deserved our vote. As my Mama would say, "consider the source". To begin with the source (his mother) is prejudiced. Secondly, the source is telling me as a voter to choose her son. Like most Baby Boomers, I don't like being told what to do without more information to persuade me.

No matter how much expertise you have, when you write an endorsement, your words have to fan the flames of reader interest not be a flame-thrower aimed at the reader.  Look at the endorsement sample in my previous blog for the birthday party book. There are specific ideas for a variety of ages, checklists and party activities. Mentioning these SHOWS what this book has to offer rather than Telling a reader that the book is "great".
Think about an eBook or information product that you would endorse. Write a paragraph then highlight the words that "show" v. words that "tell". Re-write to make it more about "showing" and notice the difference.,

Boost Name Recognition with Endorsements

New writers, or those changing genres, can build up credibility by writing endorsements. A quick way to do this is to endorse eBooks and other internet information products. Your name in that eBook is search-engine discoverable. That's another mention for a small project.


Years ago when I was breaking in to online ghostwriting, I did several endorsements and reviews. Here's a sample from an eBook titled, Planning a Perfect Birthday Party: 


    "Before you get wrapped up in what you like, pay attention to the golden rule of birthday parties: it's not about you. Planning A Perfect Birthday Party emphasizes that whether toddler, tween or teen, let your child choose the colors, theme and activities. There's also practical guidance on the numbers of guests and length of the party for each age group.

        Planning a Perfect Birthday Party is about organization, checklists, activities, tips, but most of all it's about making memories."

As endorser, your role is to read the material, relate it to your life experience or professional expertise and present highlights that show why this is worth reading. Get that - - - show, don't tell. More on that in the next blog on writing endorsements.

Oxymoron Alert: Workplace

Ever felt like your company's claim to empower workers, encourage creative thinking and develop new ideas was more promise than practice?  Then you understand the meaning of

Artificial Autonomy

Writing to the Trends

Consumer and social trends influence what people want to read. Whether business writer or fiction writer, you need to know these trends. My top source is Trendwatching. The free monthly trend report is a source of endless article and ebook ideas. Fiction writers also need this information to add authenticity to the setting in a given time.

Among the "11 Crucial Trends for 2011" is Online Status Symbols. That's what you are reading. A blog is an online status symbol that establishes a cyber-presence, defines the interests of the blogger and presents creative work.

Another 2011 trend is Social-Lites and Twinsumers which reflects how we share ideas online, recommend colleagues or products and follow the sub-culture of popular brands (like Amazon, Levis or Starbucks). Of course both of those trends involve ample tweeting, Facebook time and blogging!

Business writers may want more intense information which comes with the paid Premium service. For most writers, the monthly Trendwatching email briefing is robust and a fantastic free resource.

Oxymoron Alert: Spiritual Variety

While I plan to protect my source, this is worth sharing:

Minimally Orthodox

Hard to follow that with any commentary. If you think this is funny, the context was even better!

Oxymoron Alert: Food Variety

Heard a home cook's interview describing a delicious recipe for "12 ounce Pound Cake".
Do the math, people.
A pound is 16 ounces, so this is actually a 75% Cake.
No wonder children have such difficulty with fractions and conversions when adults speak in oxymorons.

Writers on Clutter Overload -2

            Clutter Overload 1: Paper remains the major cluttering item in any office. Papers, file folders, spreadsheets, memos, manuals and anything that can be printed is printed. Then it has to be filed somewhere but in the meantime, for a long time, it lands in a pile. Before long, every available surface is topped with paper piles. Paper consumes a huge amount of time and energy. How many e-mails are printed out "just in case" instead of saved electronically for reference?

            Clutter Overload 2: Second to paper are knick knacks, photos, collections or last year's grab bag gift. Scattered around the desk and stuck on bulletin boards, these dust magnets function like sand traps on a golf course, they slow down your game. Even photos or desk toys are a distraction in the work day which can connect to a pleasant memory or provide a way to waste time.

           Clutter Overload 3   The third most often complained about clutter in an office is wires. An endless stream of cables runs from computers, monitors, printers and phones. The electronic gadgets that keep the office going need their umbilical cord connection to power.

             When you think of McCartney's album title, Memory Almost Full, is your work space so full of clutter that you can't remember a project deadline, a fax confirmation to send or an assignment to send to a client? Clutter in the work space becomes mental clutter as your concentration is repeatedly interrupted searching among the piles or trying to remember what needs to be done next. There was a reason your elementary teacher told you to take everything off your desk and work on just one paper at a time. That's still the best way to complete jobs without missing something important.

             As Sir Paul said, "I think that we all need to delete stuff every so often." That's the truth. After all, when the memory runs out, the oldest items are lost to make room for the new. So help out the process. Sort without mercy in 15 minute time blocks at least twice a day until the pile is reduced. Do this twice a week and you'll control clutter instead of allowing clutter to control you.

Writers on Clutter Overload -1

Paul McCartney's cell phone flashed the message, "Memory Almost Full" and that became the inspiration for his album. Writers can relate as we attempt to work efficiently in cluttered offices and live productively in cluttered homes. It's no exaggeration to say that clutter, a nice word for "stuff", takes over without a struggle.

          A 2010 Office Depot survey found that 32% of workers from cubicle to corner office admit that clutter severely impacts their productivity. 82% of those surveyed admitted that de-cluttering would make a big difference in their job performance but most don't do anything about it. The "Everyday Minimalist" gives these stunning realities

• 80% of home clutter is due to disorganization rather than lack of storage space
• The average American gets over 49,000 pieces of mail in a life; more than a third is junk mail
• Americans spend about 9 million hours each day searching for lost items. And you thought lost keys were no big deal!

          Clutter isn't just about visual pollution; the emotional impact of clutter can literally drain the energy right out of the best writers. Spending a few minutes here and there searching for missing files, a phone number or reference book doesn't seem like much until it adds up to hours of wasted time each week.  Behind those mocking signs like, "A Clean Desk is the Sign of a Sick Mind", are people who are trapped by their junk. Do they feel like laughing? No, writers overrun with clutter are more likely to describe their feelings as anxious, embarrassed, angry or depressed.

        As much as writers protest that they need all that information "at fingertip reach", most are drowning in clutter. How many more words per day could be written if even half the clutter-interruptions were managed? Which is more satisfying: rummaging around piles for plot notes or actually writing the story?

  

         More on the Big 3 Clutter Sources in part 2