Inflikt

What do you want to write? Why not write an ebook? Ebooks, sold from one- or twopage websites, has been a lucrative business for quite a few people and who knows? Perhaps it is your turn?

“How to write and publish your own OUTRAGEOUSLY Profitable eBook in as little as 7 days” is a no-nonsense guide to the essentials - finding out what to write about, how to kickstart the process, how to market your masterpiece and how to sell it - automatically.

I have read 10-20 books on writing. This is the most concise, lucid, thorough book I have read yet. I am not writing an ebook myself, though. I am writing a fiction novel (in Norwegian, so most of you won’t be able to read it if it ever is published - if it doesn’t become a huge success, that is! :). With all the wheeling and dealing at my work, I felt like writing something for the pure pleasure of creating (and the tool below lets me concentrate on creating, not technology!).

That doesn’t mean that 7 day ebook didn’t help! No wonder considering the authors. Joe Vitale is the bestselling author of Hypnotic Writing, Advanced Hypnotic Writing, and Spiritual Marketing. Joe Edwards wrote Selling Your Home Alone and The TEN Dirty Little Secrets of Mortgage Financing - and both of them are making a very nice income.

Visit their website; see if it doesn’t capture you (like it did me). They have a special offer on the book: only $30, including some nice bonuses.
Jump over to http://www.smartsoftware.org/7day/ this moment - if only to enjoy the way these two authors use words to entice!

But you need a good tool to write with!

Quite often I come across simple software - easy to install, to use or to tweak. Less often I come across brilliant software, with brilliant execution, features or ideas. Simple, brilliant software is even rarer. The Journal is one such creature.

For some time, I’ve had a book in my head. I’ve been building the characters, setting up scenes and creating images and dialogues.

I have started on books before. I always hit a point where I get more captivated with perfecting the previous words, paragraphs and pages than I am with creating new words.

Sure, I know; writing teachers say Write without editing. Leave it all for the rewrite. Still your inner critic. Well, I am not capable of that - when I scroll down the Word-document, I spot flaws, errors and logical mistakes - and I must fix them. OCD, I guess.

Then I came across the Journal (TJ). At 3 Mb, it is a fast download, and it is something I can guarantee will stick in my Programs-folder like jam-spots to a three year olds sweater.

Once installed, you are asked to define a user. A nice feature; you can have more than one user and it allows you to password protect your inner thoughts.

What shows up once this is done looks like a simplified version of Microsoft Word. No clutter and no unnecessary features, though, only the basics such as different fonts/boldface/italics and so on. A feature not found in Word is the calendar. On the left side of the display you see the days of the month, with today marked in bold. As you type, the built-in spellchecker checks your spelling.

The genius of TJ shows up when you start it the next day. You start on a new, blank page - you can still access what you wrote yesterday, but it is in read-only mode (you can edit if you wish).

To me, this allows for a much more natural writing process - it flows, since I only glance through yesterday’s entry before I start writing.
In addition to the journal-feature, you have a notebook which stays static. I use this for noting down things I must research, ideas on situations and such.

To give you an impression of how different people use TJ, I have taken the liberty of copying some testimonials from its webpage:

“I’m an independent programmer, and I’ve used The Journal for almost three years now to keep up with my projects on a day-by-day basis. My clients are consistently amazed when I can quickly tell them the exact date we made a particular decision or software change, and all the factors we were considering at the time. The Journal has greatly increased my professional effectiveness and is second-to-none!” –Bill D. Pirkle

“I am a note-taker by profession (University teacher and literary critic) as well as compulsion, and routinely use several free-form databases in order to keep track of references, quotations, and (when they come) ideas. These programs are very useful for their purpose, but do not encourage one to enter random thoughts or log personal and domestic events on a daily basis. The Journal enables one to do just that, and you are to be congratulated for having made the program so straightforward, transparent, and at the same time elegant in its operation. It is the kind of program that nobody knows they need until they’ve tried it, whereupon it becomes indispensable.” –David Lucking

As you can see, TJ can be used in various ways. The fact that the programmer, David Michael, has added easy to use backup-features, a thesaurus and extensive printing-options makes this a true winner.

You can download a 45 days trial of the Journal at http://www.davidrm.com hejournal/ . I am certain that you will become just as addicted to it as I am, and that you will be happy to fork over $40 once the trial is over.

About the Author

Haakon is the editor of SmartWare, a Mensa International Journal-column. He reviews books, software, new-age-stuff, brainwave-machines, music that changes emotions, creativity boosters and marketing material. Visit at http://www.smartsoftware.org

How to write a sentence.

Writing is rarely easy. This is probably because writing has developed over countless centuries. During this time the technique of writing was evolved to meet the need for more accurate communications in language and writing between peoples. Writing was needed to record what was said or what wished to be said over distance and what was agreed.

Communications of all sorts are needed for people to simply survive. The development of the technique of language and writing was not the result of a desire to establish a literary tradition but to enable the transfer of information and knowledge with reliability simplicity accuracy and precision by leaders in rule trade and war. From this need to survive exchange the technique also accommodated the need for natural teachers of ideas in knowledge politics religion social arts and commerce whose job it was to pass on the culture of the older generation to its young.

To become a good writer it is not too far fetched to agree we should employ those good writing technique standards already in use by writing an exercise piece every day to get the feel of writing and learn to identify the common problems faced by every other writer.

Most people think unless a writer earns a million dollars a year the writer is no good. This is untrue. Whether a writer receives payment or not is more likely to be due to personality traits and cannot imply of itself good or bad quality in the author’s ability to write. It is true incompetent writers will not be able to sell their work but these writers are by definition bad writers or not even writers.

Most problems encountered in writing arise from confused thinking - not from the lack of creative power. If we feel we have no creative power this is more likely to be the result of a block of some sort. By block is meant not writers’ block we hear so much about but a more basic block - a conviction we are not cut out for writing. It is not the absence of talent that blocks the writer but probably a misunderstanding of the exact nature of the parts forming a piece of writing.

This article is about getting rid of this misunderstanding.

Let us accept this very simple truth to clear the core of the problem.

Words build sentences. Sentences build paragraphs. Paragraphs build chapters. Chapters build books.
It follows if the writer can write a sentence then the writer can at least write a paragraph and so has the potential to write an article or even a book.

The sentence therefore is a basic building block of writing - from this everything or nothing else flows.

Each sentence contains a single idea and only one idea that can be expressed in words. The sentence has a structure. If the sentence does not have this structure the sentence is meaningless - it cannot be understood because it contains an incomplete thought. Neither can it be edited until this structure is complete.

If the sentence is not properly constructed it cannot become part of a paragraph. No paragraph no article no chapter. No article no chapter - no book!

A sentence consists of three essential parts:

A Subject

A Verb

An Object.

These three parts must be present if the sentence is to have meaning.

Subject: who or what the sentence is about.

Verb: what is said about the Subject.

Object: what is affected by what is said about the Subject.

Subject The cat The sentence is about - The cat.

Verb sat What is said about the cat is it - sat.

Object on the mat What is affected by the cat sat - on the mat.

How do we decide on the order in which the words are written/?

Consider the alternatives for an even simpler sentence:

1 Cats sleep often.

2 Cats often sleep

3 Sleep cats often.

4 Sleep often cats.

5 Often sleep cats.

6 Often cats sleep.

Of the six word order sentences only 1 - 2 and 6 seem make sense.

1 Subject verb object.

2 Subject object verb. [This sentence appears to be a reply to a question.]

6 Object subject verb. [This sentence appears to be a reply to a question.]

Most sentences are more detailed than this otherwise each part is too vague.

Which cat is the one in the sentence? The black cat.

How did the cat sit? Very still.

Where was the mat? By the open door.

Now we get:

The black cat sat very still on the mat by the open door.

Note: this sentence is still divided into its three-part structure:

The black cat | sat very still | on the mat by the open door.

Further information is only added with the part of the sentence to which it refers orlimits. The end of each sentence has to be linked with the beginning of the following sentence. This establishes a flow or story line for the reader.

The black cat with the torn ear | sat still and listening | on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught.
The black cat with the torn ear sat still and listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught.

It can be seen from this example how a complex sentence can be constructed retaining its basic simple form. This provides an easy way to get all the facts we want to use into the sentence without worrying too much about the writing.

The next step is to construct the second or following sentence.

This will depend on the direction we intend the piece to take. In a work of fiction the next sentence is obviously what happens next to the Subject - the cat - and should flow naturally from the content of the first sentence

The cat got up frightened.

Her black fur rose at a loud cry somewhere in the dark.

Group the sentences next - still listed one under the other - till those about the same specific part of the piece are together. Each group of related sentences form paragraphs.

The black cat with the torn ear sat still and listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught. The cat got up frightened. Her black fur rose at a loud cry somewhere in the dark.

We can edit these three lines as follows:

The black cat with the torn ear sat still listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught. The cat arched her back ready for any danger. Then her black fur spiked as she heard a long low moan of intense pain outside in the night.

Analyzing these three sentences we obtain the following structure:

The black cat with the torn ear sat still listening on the mat by the open door in the freezing draught.

The cat arched her back ready for any danger.

Then her black fur spiked as she heard a long low moan of intense pain outside in the night.

This is an example of how writing a simple three-sentence paragraph is actually written whether the writer is conscious of doing so or not. Having placed all the facts of the sentence in place we can check for ease of comprehension simplicity accuracy and precision.

Fortunately we have word processors now to make this task of editing easier than it used to be and sentences may be written as they come to mind in and out of context. We may then easily group the sentences for paragraph content and continuity by cut and paste until the paragraph is complete. The writer’s original thought thread or idea has become clear in the final form of the paragraph.

Unclear thinking affects all writers to some degree. No writer is completely immune. Clear thought and expression is the essence of all the arts of which writing perhaps is the one key to understanding all of them.

Many writers strive to write high-density content even though their texts may already be crystal clear. Others aim to continually enrich and enhance their style. A few search endlessly for simplicity.

My very best wishes.

John Blenkin is a retired architect and is now a watercolor painter and article writer. His interests are wide covering both technical and philosophical subjects. He also writes online articles on the technique of watercolor painting.
http://www.freefolios.com/
foka@spidernet.com.cy

Cashing In on the Customer Success Story
By Christine Taylor

Next to white papers, customer success stories  or case studies  are the most popular tool in the technical marketer’s toolkit. That’s because it’s one of the most powerful tools available to your sales force.

Why are they so popular? Because they are compelling to prospective customers. References and testimonials are great things to have but customer success stories flesh out those testimonials and give them teeth. And if you match the case study customer’s industry to the prospects, it’s clear to prospects that your company knows how to successfully operate in a given market.

The ubiquitous case study can range from a 3-paragraph online snippet to a full-blown magazine article. The most popular case study in the marketing/PR arsenal is the 600-1200 word customer success story following this pattern: company overview and challenge, project details, and positive results. Elements include:

Customer Overview and Challenge: Start with a 2-3 paragraph overview of the customer’s company. This should be very positive - since you’re going to detail a problem the customer was having, the last thing you want to do is make them sound like a jerk. So compliment them. Feel free to adapt the overview from their own Website text, where they’re already placing themselves in the best possible light.

Then move on to the business challenge. Don’t make the customer sound stupid or incompetent. The challenge should always be centered on something good that is happening to them -fast growth, industry prominence, strategic IT changes - whatever. Their challenge should be applicable to your readers’ own business issues.

Project Details: Everyone knows that no project goes perfectly, but save the debriefing for the longer-form trade journal article. These short customer success stories should report on the successful project by briefly discussing specific products and benefits.

Don’t go all over the map. If the project is fairly narrow or specific, you won’t have any trouble sticking with the main point or product. In the case of very large and complex installation, concentrate on the main product or application. For example, Microsoft Great Plains has more modules than you can shake a stick at. Concentrate on the ones that had the most positive impact on your customer.

Business Benefits: Always quantify improvement if you can. Numbers can be dollar savings, percentages, or other measures of saved staff time, more efficient workflows, better customer service, etc. Be sure that the benefits you list are the benefits the customer perceives - hard costs are most easily quantified, but soft costs may have the higher perceived benefit to a customer. Ideally you will have both.

Putting the Customer Success Story to Work — How can you use your completed stories? Some ideas:

1. Post them on your website. The more you have up, and the more frequently you post new ones, the more often spiders will find you and you’ll move up in the search engine rankings.

2. Include them in sales kits. If you have a lot of case studies put them in a separate notebook, which can be very impressive physical proof for a prospect.

3. Make them searchable. Encourage prospects to go online and search your case studies. Use parameters like vertical market, products, or customer challenges.

4. Use them as marketing support for resellers and integrators. The easier your product is to sell, the more resellers and integrators will push your product when they talk to their own customers.

The More the Merrier
How many customer success stories should you have on hand? The answer is the more the better. A large companies may have hundreds of them available on their website and in sales and marketing kits, and even many smaller companies commonly have 25 or more. Why? Because they work. Start capturing those customer success stories today, and watch those sales rise.

About the Author

Christine Taylor is the principal of the Christine Taylor Company. Christine concentrates on writing Core Collateral like white papers, bylined articles and case studies, which is the foundation of the successful B2B marketing outreach. You can reach Christine at 760-249-6071 or at christine@ctaylor-co.com, and visit her website at www.ctaylor-co.com and her blog at http://christinetaylor.typepad.com/core_collateral.