Productivity: Take a Break

Writing Skills and Tools 1 Response »
Mar 252013

Knowledge work doesn’t involve lifting heavy objects, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. If you’re like most of us, you’ll probably find that you start to lose energy and start repeating yourself after about an hour. That’s when it’s time for a break.

You want to do something different so you stay fresh. “Different” is the key. “Different” isn’t the same as nothing. There are three kinds of breaks you can take that will increase your productivity.

Do something that’s different and engaging. Shift to another project. Or do a different kind of work. If you were working alone, do something that involves others, and vice versa. If you were writing, do some research.

Do something that’s different and not engaging. You want something that doesn’t engage your mind very much. Cleaning up files is a good example. Almost any sort of routine administrivia will do. You’ll find that your mind will roam free, which means this can be a time when you start popping up ideas.

Do something that’s different and physical. This is even better for creativity. Take a walk. Exercise. Take a nap, but not too long, twenty minutes will do fine.

Bottom Line

When you take breaks you increase your productivity over the long term.

Posted by Wally on March 25, 2013

2/9/13: The Writing Edge for Business Writers

Writing Skills and Tools No Responses »
Feb 092013

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Here are some recent blog posts and articles that might help.

This week I’m pointing you to pieces on how to think like a publisher, a list of “best” writers, ten things to write for your book launch, and whether thought leadership needs social media. There’s also this week’s book launch tip from Becky Robinson.

From WiseInk: How to Be a Writer Who Thinks Like a Publisher
“There are many mistakes to make as an indie author. We’ve seen them all. Common mistakes include not researching your audience ahead of time, underestimating your publishing expenses, and not hiring a professional editor. But here’s the biggest and most devastating mistake indie authors make: They forget to think like a publisher.”

From Writer’s Digest: Jodi Picoult: Top 10 Writers I Admire, and Why
“It’s time for another writerly list. If you liked Erik Larson’s Top 10 Essentials to a Writer’s Life and Sherman Alexie’s Top 10 Pieces of Writing Advice I’ve Been Given (Or That I’ll Pretend Were Given to Me), here’s an excellent one from bestselling novelist Jodi Picoult: Top 10 Writers I Admire, and Why.”

From Dana Sitar: 10 Things to Write to Help You Rock Your Book Launch
“You’ve written 20,000 to 80,000 words to craft a product that is irresistible to readers, and you’re ready to push your keyboard aside. Launch Week is just around the corner, and you want to focus on tweeting and monitoring your Amazon reviews. Not so fast!”

From Craig Badings: Does Thought Leadership Need Social Media?
“The natural reaction of most business people and certainly anyone in marketing, communications or social media these days is to label those companies and individuals not using social media as dinosaurs. But are they?”

Becky Robinson is my go-to friend and expert for launching business books. Every week, she publishes a book launch tip on her blog. This week’s tip is “Organize Your Personal and Professional Contacts.”

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writer’s Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

The CopyBlogger Blog

Problogger

Digital Book World

Tools of Change for Publishing

jeffbullas.com

Becky Robinson’s Weaving Influence

Posted by Wally on February 9, 2013 Tagged with: , , , ,

Writing Tip: Capture those ideas

Writing Skills and Tools 2 Responses »
Feb 042013

Everybody has good ideas. It’s something human beings do naturally. But if you want to make something of those great ideas, you have to capture them first.

You have to capture those ideas because you’ll forget them. That’s not criticism. It’s the way nature works. Here are three things to do to grab those ideas so you can use them later.

Have a way to capture ideas. A pocket notebook, index cards, a small digital voice recorder or you smartphone may do the trick. Find out what works best for you by trying them all.

Capture every idea. You never know in advance which ideas will turn into something really great. So keep your capture method(s) with you all the time.

Master the art of “excuse me.” When an idea pops into your head while you’re with other people, say “excuse me” and capture it. When you’re done you can say, “I apologize, but if I don’t capture my ideas right away, I lose them.”

That’s all it takes to make it possible to use all the good ideas you get. Develop a method to capture ideas. Develop the discipline to use it for every idea. Then do it.

Posted by Wally on February 4, 2013 Tagged with: ,

2/1/13: The Writing Edge for Business Writers

Writing Skills and Tools No Responses »
Feb 012013

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Here are some recent blog posts and articles that might help.

This week I’m pointing you to pieces on effective writing essentials, the power of headlines, book launch tips, book titles that sell, and publishing a book in three days.

From Debra Johnson: 8 Essential Habits for Effective Writing
“Between children, coworkers, construction, and other c words that stand for chaos, it is a wonder we can get anything written at all. This is when you need to develop some habits that create calm and order in the middle of mayhem. Here are some tips on how to stay productive and writing, even when you have confusion knocking on your door:”

From Vanessa Fox: The Power Of Headlines: The LA Times Gets It Right With Their Piece On The Inauguration
“Journalists call them headlines; SEOs call them titles and headings. Whatever you call them, they’re the words that tell someone that your article is what they want to read. Look at Google News any day of the week for examples of headlines that give you absolutely no idea what the article might be about. Search engines don’t know what to rank them for; users don’t know whether to click.”

From Becky Robinson: Best Book Launch Tips: Let Your Goals Guide Your Strategy
“As you prepare to market your book, you will want to be absolutely clear about your goals, and you want to allow your goals to guide your strategy.”

From Rob Eagar: 5 proven ways to create a bestselling book title
“As a marketing consultant who’s coached over 400 authors, I’m frequently asked about how I help my clients develop great book titles. I’ve been fortunate to have success in this area, such as working behind-the-scenes on two recent New York Times bestsellers, Made to Crave and Unglued. People ask me, “What’s your secret to a killer title?” My answer is that I don’t have a secret. Instead, I create and judge book titles by whether they are able to pass this five-question test”

From Adam Hyde: Zero to book in three days
“One of the burdens of book creation is the enormous time periods involved. Ask any publisher for a timeline for producing a book and you will be surprised if you get back an answer this side of 12 months. In this day however that timeline is looking increasingly glacial. How can we accelerate book production? How fast could it get? How does three days sound? Enter Book Sprints.”

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writer’s Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

The CopyBlogger Blog

Problogger

Digital Book World

Tools of Change for Publishing

jeffbullas.com

Becky Robinson’s Weaving Influence

Posted by Wally on February 1, 2013 Tagged with: , , , ,

1/25/13: The Writing Edge for Business Writers

Writing Skills and Tools No Responses »
Jan 252013

You’re a businessperson and you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. So you’re a serious writer, but no a professional one. Naturally, you want to do better. Here are some recent blog posts and articles that might help.

This week I’m pointing you to pieces on social media updates, book launch tips, writing traffic-building headlines, and secrets of professional writers.

From Michael Hyatt: 10 Types of Social Media Updates—How Many Are You Using?
“So, here is a list of ten types of social media posts, along with examples from my own Twitter account.”

From Becky Robinson: Best Book Launch Tips: Make It Visual
“Once you have drawn a list of quotes from your book, work with a graphic designer to bring those tweets to life visually, creating share images to use on Pinterest and Facebook. You can also add images to any slide decks you create for speaking to make your presentations really shine, and include them in book related blog posts.”

From Garrett Moon: Are You Following these 5 Headline Writing Tips for Better SEO Traffic?
“How do we write headlines that win big for both readers and robots? Here are a five things that you can do to improve your headlines right now.”

From Jeff Bullas: 10 Secrets of Professional Writers Every Blogger Should Know
“We all know good writing when we see it and we cringe when we see terrible writing.  The worst thing is that the harder people try to write well, the worse their writing usually becomes. Here are 10 secrets of professional writers are guaranteed to improve your writing.”

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writer’s Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

The CopyBlogger Blog

Problogger

Digital Book World

Tools of Change for Publishing

Posted by Wally on January 25, 2013 Tagged with: , , , , ,

Your Writing Cave

Writing Skills and Tools 1 Response »
Jan 142013

Serious writers create time and space for writing. Here’s how to create a space that will help you do the best possible job.

Eliminate distractions. Turn off electronic devices. Shoo people and pets away. Close the door. A door is one of the best writing tools there is.

Write in the same place every time. Then, when you go there, your mind will know it’s time to write and click into gear.

Keep your writing tools in your writing space. That way you’re ready to write as soon as you get there.

Posted by Wally on January 14, 2013 Tagged with:

Speed kills

Writing Skills and Tools No Responses »
Nov 072012

Larry (not his real name) publishes some great content on his blog. Alas, his writing is not as good as the content. I asked him about that during a Blog Analysis.

“I go too fast,” Larry told me. “But I’ve got a schedule to meet and lots of other work to do.”

I’m sure that’s true. I’m also sure that people draw impressions about Larry from his blog. His content sends the message that he knows what he’s talking about. His writing sends the message that he does slipshod work. Would you hire him on that basis?

People judge you on your content and the way you present it. If you want to make sure your writing represents you well, you must build self-editing into your process. When I write a blog post, I write a draft, set it aside for a bit, read it aloud, make changes and read it aloud again.

When I suggested to Larry that he adopt a process something like that, he balked. “I’ve got to post on schedule,” he told me.

OK, then you’ve got two options. Change your publication schedule or start your writing process sooner.

One client of mine produces a zero draft the night before he’s scheduled to publish. He says that means he writes his first drafts faster and that they need less editing.

Speed kills good impressions. Slow down and do a writing job that’s worthy of what you have to say.

Posted by Wally on November 7, 2012 Tagged with: , , ,

10/19/12: The Writing Edge for Business Writers

Writing Skills and Tools No Responses »
Oct 192012

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Here are some recent blog posts and articles that might help.

This week I’m pointing you to articles on successful book launches, figuring out if you could write a business book, and selling the book you wrote.

From Becky Robinson: 7 Lessons from 7 Book Launches
“In 2012, my company has launched 7 books so far. (6 for other authors, one for me.) Through the experience of each launch, we’re learning ways to serve our clients more effectively. Although our process is similar for each launch, we are refining through trial and error. We’re finding out what works best, and discovering new tools to enhance our work.”

From Erika Andersen: How To Figure Out If You Could Write A Business Book
“Writing a book requires a great deal of work (unless you’re wealthy enough to afford a ghostwriter), so before you commit, I suggest you find out if this is something you really want to do, or just an idle fancy.  Here are three questions to ask yourself before you start:”

From Joanna Penn: Help! My Book Isn’t Selling. 10 Questions You Need To Answer Honestly If You Want To Sell More Books.
“As always, these are not rules, because there are no rules in this crazy, fast-moving self-publishing world. There will also always be outliers who get away with not doing any of the following, but these will at least help with some guidelines!”

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writer’s Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

The CopyBlogger Blog

Problogger

Anna DeStefano’s Paper.li Newspapers

Posted by Wally on October 19, 2012 Tagged with: , ,

How to Learn to Write Well

Writing Skills and Tools 1 Response »
Oct 082012

Last week I received an email from someone who wanted to write for a living and was considering enrolling in a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. She asked if I had any suggestions about where she should go.

I ducked that question because I don’t know about individual MFA programs. But I do know something about learning to write. There’s only one way to learn to write, and that’s to write a lot.

In the olden days, there weren’t many MFA programs, but there were newspapers. And many writers, like me, learned the craft by writing short stories. There was a market for pulp fiction back then. The market has changed, but the basics of learning to write have not.

The only way to learn to write is to write. Reading about writing will not work. Subscribing to writers’ magazines and checking out writing web sites won’t do the trick either. Neither will going to writer’s conferences. You have to write.

The only way to learn to write well is to write a lot, get good feedback, and write better next time. There is no magic to this and it’s not a new thing. You need good feedback, whether it’s from the teachers in an MFA program or an editor on the job. And you need to take what they say to heart and then do better.

Posted by Wally on October 8, 2012 Tagged with:

10/6/12: The Writing Edge for Business Writers

Writing Skills and Tools No Responses »
Oct 062012

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Here are some recent blog posts and articles that might help.

This week I’m pointing you to posts on becoming a niche authority, what it takes to become a great blogger, and the publishing industry.

From Judy Cullins: How Nonfiction Authors Can Build Niche Authority through Content Marketing
“Content marketing is one of the very best ways for nonfiction authors to build their expert reputation and generate links to their website. In today’s guest post, publishing and marketing expert Judy Cullins shares some terrific tips for using content marketing as a promotional tool.”

From Jonathan Bailey: How to Be a Great Blogger in 5 Not-So-Easy Steps
“In short, while there are some great, easy tips that can help, none of them will make you a great blogger on their own. However, there is a series of steps you can follow to become a better blogger. Unfortunately, none of the steps are easy and no blogger does all of them perfectly.”

From Nick Ruffilo: What You Don’t Know About Publishing Can Hurt You
“As part of a start-up (I’m the chief technology officer at Aerbook, a cloud publishing company), I need to know as much as I can about the industry I’m operating in. Anyone who is trying to operate in this industry and thinks otherwise is delusional: What you don’t know can hurt you. Let’s do a little research.”

Tools and Such
From Kimberly Nilson: 5 Simple Online Services for Checking Content Plagiarism

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writer’s Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

The CopyBlogger Blog

Problogger

Anna DeStefano’s Paper.li Newspapers

Posted by Wally on October 6, 2012 Tagged with: , ,
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