Regina Paul Writes

Trying to Get Your Book Published?

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:40:00 +0000

There are so many aspiring authors out there and I so often get questions regarding how they can become one of the ranks of the published. I've begun a series on the Associated Content covering different aspects of becoming a published author. Check out the first 3 articles in this series:

1. What Are Publishers Looking For From Authors

2. Top 5 Misconceptions Aspiring Have About the Publishing Industry

3. What to Do When a Publisher Rejects Your Manuscript

If you have comments, questions, or more advice for aspiring/new authors, please feel free to post it in the comments area below my articles. :-)

One Post Per Day

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:46:00 +0000

writing like the wind
Originally uploaded by snigl3t

I've made the decision to write one blog post per day as often as I possibly can. I've missed being able to write every day, and I love the process of putting words together whether that be with blog posts, articles or working on my next book.

So, how do I plan on going about keeping this goal? That's a good question. Life is full of distractions and those distractions are one of the reasons I haven't been able to complete my current fiction book. While distractions are a part of life, they don't have to keep you or me for that matter from writing. So, this is how I'm going to do it.

Step 1: Pick a time of day that I know I will have at least twenty or so minutes without too many distractions. (you can't get rid of all distractions no matter how hard you try, at least in my experience.)

Step 2: Log into my Blogger account and choose which blog and topic I want to write about. Yesterday my blog post was on my Self Care Express blog and was titled "What Does It Mean to Practice Self-Care?" It was this post that gave me the idea for One Post Per Day.

Step 3: Choose a photo or video to add to your post. You Tube has literally thousands of videos to choose from, and Flickr is a really good place to find photos. Just make sure if you monetize your blog that you choose ones that can be used commercially. I also love the fact that you can do your blog post from Flickr!

Step 4: Write your post. Personally, I haven't been doing a ton of research for my blog posts since I've found it's easiest to write about what I know. I've also found it's best to just write as though I were talking to someone. I don't worry much about key words, because while these are nice and I understand the need for them, you can also overuse them if you're not careful.

Step 5: Post your article.

Step 6: Repeat every day.

Writing one post per day will help you in a lot of ways in my opinion. It's a great way to get practice your writing which let's face it, we all need to do. It also has the advantage of helping you to get ideas for future articles. This idea came to me when I was writing yesterday's self-care article believe it or not.

If you would like to do this with me, then please comment on this post and let me know. I'd also love to hear about anything you do different that may have worked better for you.

How to Find Time To Write

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Flower
Originally uploaded by YuvalH

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to write full-time. There can be a number of reasons for this. You may find that you cannot make enough with your writing gigs to pay all your bills, or your spouse may be out of work and your writing income isn't enough to cover everything needed, or you may just have wracked up enough debt that you need to work two jobs for a while. Whatever the reason, it's a fact that though you may want to write full-time you may not have the luxury of being able to do so. But you still want to write...so how can you find time write?

Believe it or not it's not as hard as you might think to find the time to write, even if you are working a full-time job. There are a number of steps and strategies that you can take in order to find time to write.

1. Look at your schedule and find 2 or 3 30 minute increments. Do this for an entire week at a time and then use those increments to write. You'd be amazed at how much writing you can get done in 30 minutes if you put your mind to it. Be sure and banish your internal editor during these times, otherwise you will find that you get less writing done.

2. Read other people's blogs and articles, use these to get ideas for writing topics. I love reading other people's blogs, and make a point to follow several blogs. I do this because while reading I am also percolating new ideas and angles for articles/books/blog posts of my own. Let's face it, you aren't always going to agree with another writer's ideas, and it is when this happens that you can write your own articles on the same topic but from a different viewpoint.

3. Start a list of writing topics. You should be able to generate several ideas from your blog reading. Add a few new ideas to your list every day. This way you won't have to try and think about what to write about. You can go to your list and pick a topic.

4. Blog daily. Believe it or not blogging daily is a great way to find time to write. You may be thinking, "But, if I use my writing time to write blog posts, then won't that just defeat the purpose of finding time to write?" The answer is no. Blogging daily even if it is just a hundred words a day is a great way to practice your writing skills and get a following for your writing.

5. Twitter daily. Twitter is a microblogging platform that can be very useful in that it only allows you to post 140 words per post. It's a great way to learn to write concisely and clearly, and you can post about your daily blog post. Even if you don't have a lot of followers on Twitter, it will help you to get the word out as well as help you with your writing.

Now you may be asking yourself how doing any of this is going to help you find time to write. The answer is simpler than you may think. If you do these things which really only 30-60 minutes each day, which leaves you with an additional 1 or 2 30 minute increments to write, you are practicing your craft. Essentially you are warming up for what you really want to work on, whether that be more articles, or a novel. Practice makes perfect and it also makes it easier to write on those projects that are near and dear to your heart whether they be for the purpose of making money, or just for the purpose of writing what you love.

Flat Rate Article Writing vs Passive Income Article Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:16:00 +0000

big nice squirrel in the winter forest
Originally uploaded by Alexey_G_Fisher

If you're trying to break into freelance writing, it's a very tough market right now. Content mills are using the lure of paying you a flat rate per article and weekly paychecks to convince many beginning and even some veteran freelance writers that this is the way to get a regular paycheck with your freelance writing. However, there are some very real pitfalls to taking writing articles for a flat rate.

1. You only get paid once for the article and many times you don't even get a byline or credit for having written that article.

2. Most content mills are only willing to pay peanuts for articles, some going as low as $1 an article for a 500 word article. This causes you the freelance writer to have write many more articles in order to make enough to make ends meet. The unfortunate thing is that even when you are a fast article writer, you will not be able to write enough to cover your expenses. Also, low flat rates are becoming the norm and even when content mills offer high rates it is very competitive. There are often so many rules to follow that unless you can learn them quickly, chances are you will not make the cut.

So, while getting a weekly paycheck, and a flat rate per article sounds like a good deal, in the long run it can actually cost you. This is why in my opinion writing articles for passive income can amount to a more reliable income.

There are a number of advantages to writing articles for passive income that in my opinion far outweigh writing articles for a flat fee. Here are a few ways to do it!

1. Choose a favorite topic and create a blog centered around it. Being able to pick your own topic and write about what you want is a huge advantage to writing articles for passive income. Blogger is my favorite blogging platform to use for this because it is connected to Google and your posts get put into search engines faster. Blogger is also very easy to monetize,and Blogger offers a couple of ways to do so through both Google and Amazon. You can also review affiliate products that are related to your topic of choice. But even better, in this scenario, you can write about what you want when you want. The more you write, potentially the more money you can make.

2. Write for Associated Content. I've been a freelance writer with Associated Content since 2006 and they are by far one of the best platforms for making a passive income. As with a blog, the more you write, the more you can make. While they do offer flat fees I've found that I make more when I just publish the article without taking a flat fee. What I make in passive income far outweighs what I would get if I took the flat fee. Plus I don't have to wait for the article to be approved, I can get it published online within in minutes. Plus you get paid $1.50 per 1000 hits to your articles. This can add up to a good amount of change over time. There are several other platforms that allow you make passive income as well, such as Bukisa, and Suite 101 to name two.

3. Another way to make passive income writing articles is to write PLR Content. PLR or private label content is a great way to make passive income writing articles. The way to do it is to choose a topic, research it and then write 10 articles around that topic. Once you do that you can put up a one page website to sell your plr package. Next advertise on the Warrior forum and other forums. If you charge like $10 and it sells over and over, you can see where you'll make a lot of passive income! The only downside to writing plr content is that you are giving people that buy the package to put their name on the articles and to re-write them if they want to since that is the definition of plr content. However, keep in mind that you too can change some wording and use the articles yourself as well. So you could potentially make money by re-using the articles yourself on your blog and elsewhere, as well as, by selling the articles as plr content.

As you can see the potential to make more money going the passive income route is much higher in the long run than what you would make just taking a flat rate for your articles. I personally prefer making passive income now because I can count on it. The articles I write for passive income continue to make me money, whereas, the ones I've written for a flat fee do not. Once you're paid a flat fee for an article that's it, that's all you can make from that article. However, when you write articles for passive income, these articles pay off over and over!

How to Avoid Attracting the Freelance Client From Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 22:19:00 +0000

We've all had them, the client that no matter what you do, he isn't happy. You re-write the ad copy or web content for him ten different times. You take his calls at all hours of the day and evening. You read his e-mails even though you know they are just going to be full of complaints. Then there are the clients that when they get your invoice they call you and say, "But I thought you told me it was only going to be $500 why is my invoice for $1000?" or "You know I really don't think you did a good enough job for me to justify paying you $1000, how about you drop my fee down to $500?" or "You know I could've got this job done for half this price using an outsourcing service."

When is too much enough? As a freelancer, you will have to determine what you will and will not put up with from clients with the understanding that one wrong move with the wrong client could cost you other clients. This is especially true if it is a big name client who knows a lot of people. These types of clients have to be handled carefully and with kid gloves, but it doesn't mean you have to put up with abuse either.

Here are some things you can do to avoid these situations all together which in my opinion is your best move.

1. Set boundaries with your clients. The best way to do this is to have set working hours. Make it clear that you will not be answering e-mails or taking phone calls during non-business hours unless it is an emergency. That being said, make sure you provide examples of what is an actual emergency. Otherwise, they'll be calling you when it isn't really an emergency and saying it is.

2. Create a written contract for each job even if it is the same client that you are working with. In each contract should be the terms, and what the client is agreeing to pay you. Each of you should hand sign the contract and each of you should have a copy with both signatures. This protects you both and will help to keep clients from trying to wiggle out of paying what they owe you.

3. Always do your best on a job. If you think you cannot do your best then don't accept the job. Explain to your client the reason for not accepting at this time, and if you can point him in the direction of another freelancer that can help him. Chances are you know other freelancers that could use the work, and they in turn will return the favor.

4. Explain your rates and why they are what they are. You will occasionally run into the client that says you are charging him too much and he thinks he is going to go through an outsourcing service like e-lance for example. If you explain your rates and the advantages of using you and why your finished product will be of a higher quality, sometimes you can change the client's mind. Doing this first means you will not hear about how the client wishes he had used an outsourcing service later on in most cases.

5. Never ever do any work based on an oral contract. While oral contracts are legal, proving them is nigh onto impossible because it is the client's word against yours. This is why a written contract for each job is so important, even if it is the same client and you trust them, it doesn't mean they could not change up later. Trust me, I've had it happen so I know what I'm talking about.

6. Above all, be professional. When you behave professional treating your freelance business as an actual business you will be less likely to attract problem clients. It doesn't mean you will never have them, but there will tend to be fewer of them.

While we all understand that as freelancers our income is dependent upon our clients, this does not mean that we have to take being treated in unfair, and unprofessional ways. Doing the 6 things above will help to minimize the trauma of having the client from hell.

Should You Write For Content Mills?

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:45:00 +0000

DSC00142
Originally uploaded by NathanReed

Content mills are companies who pay writers a low fee to generate content on specific topics that they provide. One example of a content mill is Demand Studios, a few others are Break Studios, Content Authority, London Brokers. These content mills can pay as much as $15 per article to as low as $1.00 per article.

Content Mills can be a good way to make money when you are in a financial crunch, however, many of them have strict rules for the way their articles are written that unless you learn their rules quickly. You could find yourself spending more time editing your articles to fit their rules than actually writing and making money. This can be a huge draw back. Also, the lower the pay per article, and the more stringent their rules, the less money you are going to make.

An additional problem with some content mills is that you don't get a byline. This means you get no credit for having written the article. This can be a real drag if you've spent a lot of time crafting an article because you cannot even claim credit for having written it.

Because of these problems, I suggest writing for content mills only when you really need the money. They are fine for those times when you are searching for new clients, or your regular clients don't have work for you. But...they are not for trying to make a living as a writer. They cannot be relied upon, especially in a bad economy when writers who are willing to take peanuts for their work are plentiful. When writers are thick on the ground content mills have no problem getting rid of veteran writers and hiring new ones for less money.

Content mills are not the way to go if you want to be a professional freelance writer. It is better to have your blog and to post to it regularly, or to write for websites that pay for views or share ad revenue. While it may take you awhile to build up a following in this case, in the long run your income will be higher.

Have desk, will write

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Have desk, will write
Originally uploaded by Bright Meadow

I've noticed a few new trends in freelance writing these days and they are not ones that I am particularly happy about. The first is a trend of paying less and less to writers. In the last two months I've seen two different platforms go from paying writers $12+ for a 400-500 word article to far less, one of them Glowad.com has dropped down to $1 per article! Although in their defense they've lowered the word count to 150 words, but even so. Yikes! That's a huge drop.

Another trend I've noticed is platforms treating writers as though they are disposable. This is the case with Demand Studios in particular. I've talked to several writers, some who had written for Demand Studios for years and who had decent scores on the DS system who were just let go. I know of two of these writers who edit professionally for publishers but were let go because of so called editing issues.

My belief is these trends are in place because the economy is bad and many unemployed workers are turning to freelance writing as a means to make ends meet. That means there is a glut of beginning freelance writers willing to take far less for their writing than those of us who are veterans with several years experience behind us.

If you're a veteran freelance writer than hopefully you've got a few good clients that are keeping you busy, but if not these can be some trying times. Personally, I got so sick of potential clients offering peanuts, that I've taken to editing for two e-pubs, blogging, article writing only for royalties, and writing fiction. I've been able to keep afloat this way but it hasn't been easy. My personal feeling is that until the economy drastically improves we are going to see this trend continue. That means that the veterans like myself may have to find other ways to hone our craft and make money until the situation improves.

New Trends In Freelance Writing...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:21:00 +0000

1800flowers Can Help You Celebrate Mother's Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Mother's Day is coming up and 1800flowers can help you celebrate. I don't know about you but I always purchase flowers for my mother and the other important women in my life. You see, I have about a half dozen "mothers" in my life. I have this habit of adopting what I guess you could call surrogate mothers. Not that my own mother isn't wonderful but I like the idea of having more than one to fall back on so to speak.

1800flowers has a wide variety of bouquets for the discerning son or daughter. I never have any problems finding the perfect bouquet to express my love to any of my "mothers." Each one has her own favorite kind of flowers and since 1800 flowers has them all it is very easy to take care of everyone at once.

Mother's Day often gets put by the wayside when it comes to holidays, but it is in my opinion one of our most important. After all where would we all be without our mothers?

Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:17:00 +0000

Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners began working for Insight in 2002. His main focus for Insight is internet investments and infrastructure software. He has also worked as an investment banking analyst for Power Group and Credit Suisse First Boston’s Global Energy.

Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners is very well educated. He received his Masters in Business Administration in 2008 from Harvard Business School, and he graduated with high distinction as a George F. Baker Scholar.

Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners has outside interests that include being the Event Chair for the New York City Police Foundation, and the Former Director of Fundraising and Executive Committee Member of Minds Matter, a group that works with under privileged high school students. He is also a supporter of the Make a Wish Foundation.

Find Work or Employees With American Career Group...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:43:00 +0000

American Career Group matches up potential employees with potential employers. When it comes to employers they work with everything from Fortune ranked corporations to small independent companies.

Some examples of the industries that American Career Group works within are: Administrative, Office and Clerical, Customer Service, Sales, Information Technology, and Accounting. If you are a potential employee, these are just a sampling of the types of jobs American Career Group may be able to assist you in acquiring.

American Career Group offers a variety of work situations as well. Not only are there full-time and part-time opportunities, but temporary and telecommuting ones as well. So whether you are someone who is looking for a job, or someone who needs assistance with finding a particular type of employee, American Career Group will be able to help.

Frank Hanna, III Philanthropist and Entrepreneur

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:19:00 +0000

Frank Hanna, III owns and is CEO of Hanna Capital, a company that he and his brother operate together. Mr. Hanna has written a book called, "What Your Money Means." He often gives talks on faith and how it relates to money, as well as, philanthropy and business and his book touches on these topics.

Frank Hanna, III believes strongly in the importance of education. Because of this he has helped to found 3 new Catholic schools in the Atlanta area. In addition, he has served on the boards for 2 Catholic schools, Solidarity School, and Holy Spirit Preparatory School.

Under President Bush's administration, Frank Hanna, III served as co-chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. He was responsible for overseeing the production and delivery to the President of the report "From Risk to Opportunity."

Mr. Hanna is involved with a number of organizations including but not limited to, The Solidarity Association, and the University of Sacramento. He has won several awards as well, including but not limited to, the William B. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership, and the David R. Jones Award for Philanthropic Leadership which were given to him by the Fund for American Studies.

Flowers Make The Perfect Gift....

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:58:00 +0000

I've always thought that flowers make the perfect gift for any and all occasions. I send them for birthdays, Valentines Day, graduation, Mother's Day, Fathers Day and anniversaries just to name a few occasions. Of course most of my friends and family love to scrapbook and so preserving flowers and then using them in our scrapbook pages is a snap!

Another cool thing about flowers is they don't just make a great gift for women, but men like to get them too. Oh, they may act like they're too macho for flowers but my brother and all my male friends love it when I send them flowers. I sent my brother flowers for his last birthday and he called me to tell me how great he thought that gift was and how much he loved it.

Fortunately for everyone, flowers are one of those gifts that keeps on giving long after the blooms and scent have faded because you just never forget a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Of course knowing how to preserve them for posterity doesn't hurt either!

Valentines Day With 1800flowers...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:30:00 +0000

I love Valentines Day because I always get such beautiful flowers. Last year on Valentines Day a close friend ordered a bouquet of carnations from 1800flowers.com and had them delivered to me at work. They kept both their scent and blooms for nearly two weeks. All I had to do was change their water and trim the bottom of their stems. It was wonderful to have a bouquet of one of my favorite flowers in a vase on my desk at work. When work got tough they really cheered me up.

The same friend is big fan of the Twilight movies and I think that this year I'm going to order a Twilight Flowers Poster Bundle for her from 1800flowers.com. I know she will love that, and after all I figure it is my turn to send her flowers. I'm going to have another friend who works there take a picture of her face when they're delivered just so I can see the the look on her face when she realizes there is a Twilight poster attached.

An additional plus for me as the person ordering the Twilight Flowers Poster Bundle is that recently MSNBC singled out 1800flowers.com as being a company that had more honest pricing policies than their competitors. I've always known they were a quality company, but having that extra information is great!

Why I Love Flowers on Valentines Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:32:00 +0000

My favorite gift for Valentines Day is flowers. There is just something about getting a beautiful bouquet of roses or carnations, my two favorite flowers, that I just love. The scents and varied colors for each type of flower are just wonderful. The scent spreads throughout my apartment, and the colorful blooms brighten my day.

Last year on Valentines Day my husband came home with a handful of blood red roses and it was such a wonderful gift. I was able to make those flowers last for almost two weeks by regularly changing their water and parsing out how often I added the plant food that came with them. I've also been known to press flowers in between the pages of a book to dry them out and preserve them to put in my scrapbook.

Flowers for Valentines Day in my opinion, are the best gift you can give.

Parco San Marco Hotel and Resort Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:34:00 +0000

Parco San Marco is a Spa Hotel in Italy. The staff at the spa believes that everyone is unique and as such, each person has different wellness needs. They work with the individual to assess their wellness needs, and then put together a plan that includes the necessary treatments to meet those needs.

A vacation to Parco San Marco is also known as a Lake Lugano Vaction because the hotel and spa is located on scenic Lake Lugano. Another reason is that it is 15km away from Lugano City.

Finally, 10 minutes away, Parco San Marco has a partner golf club called Golfclub Menaggio & Cadenabbia. Those who enjoy golf may want to consider a few rounds of Lake Como Golf, called such because the golf club is located on Lake Como.

Parco San Marco also has a private beach, a pool including a child's pool, childcare, playgrounds for children, and several other amenities that caused Wellness-Aphrodite 2008 to call it "one of the best Fitness & Sport Hotels."

Finding New Business Leads With SRC Lists...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:08:00 +0000

SRC Lists is a business that provides its financial services clients with leads to potential customers. They provide a variety of lists based the client's particular niche within the financial services arena.

SRC Lists provides a 100% money back guarantee for the first 90 days and will also replace any names or numbers that do not work or are not current as soon as a client lets them know. In addition, the prospects a client purchases are his to be used for 6 months. During that time frame, the same list will not be given to any other clients.

Here are a few examples of the lists that SRC Lists provides:

*Annuity Prospect List
*Life Prospect List
*LTC Prospect List

Free products...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:36:00 +0000

If you're like me, you've been working towards recession proofing your income. After all nobody's job is safe these days, no matter how secure you think you might be. I learned that the hard way in 2005 and I've been working online ever since. I've opened a new non-fiction newsletter group titled Recession Proof, and I think the name says it all. I'll be posting 2 new products in the Files section each month. Some will be PLR meaning you can pretty much do as you wish with them including putting your own name on them, or modifying them in any way you want, and some will have Master Resell Rights, or Resell Rights giving you the right to sell them. Many of these products will come with the sales page and other goodies attached, although I do suggest you alter the sales page a bit to make it different from everyone else's.

These products are completely free with no strings attached other than the occasional newsletter or e-mail from me. Those that know me, know I'm not one of these internet marketers that floods your e-mail box with 10 e-mails a day about the latest products. Instead, you might hear from me a couple of times a month, and only when I have something important to share.

So, sign up today if you love FREE, and want to recession proof your income! Here's the link: Recession Proof

Top 5 Gifts to Get Your Internet Marketer....

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:14:00 +0000

Sometimes it's tough to know what to get people for a Christmas gift, especially when they are into internet marketing.

*Gift certificate for website hosting.
*Gift certificate for domain names.
*PLR. PLR is private label content and can be used as is or rewritten and then re-sold.
*MRR Products. Master Resell Rights products are products written by others that you have the right to re-sell.

Tip: Look for ways to get several products at once for a low price.

Just make sure that what you purchase is something your friend or family member doesn't already have.

4 Secrets to Boosting Your Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Have desk, will write
Originally uploaded by Bright Meadow

Being able to be creative all the time, isn't all it's cracked up to be, in fact it can downright difficult at times.

As a writer, I run into this problem all the time.

However, if you follow these 4 secrets, you'll find yourself getting over those bumps of no creativity!

1. Declutter your work area. The mind has a hard time being creative in a vacuum, so clear off your desk and rearrange it.

2. Walk away for an hour or so. Basically take a break and take a walk, you'll find more new ideas that way.

3. Find some inspiration. Find others who do what you do and chat, or view their work.

4. Take a few days off. Sometimes the brain gets tired and the only way to rev it up again is to take a few days off.

5 Writing Jobs...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:31:00 +0000

Sometimes finding jobs is the hard part when you're a writer.

Here are 5 writing jobs:

Blogger for Womens Blog

Fitness Writer

Freelance Writer

Beauty Blogger

Internet Marketing Writer

VIDEO: Copywriting: Show Don't Tell

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:31:00 +0000

If you've been writing for any length of time, then you've heard the phrase, "Show don't tell."

I do this all the time with my fiction writing, but I never thought of using it with regards to copywriting.

Here are two examples:

Example #1:

Telling:

Bob and Frank went to the coffee shop.

Showing:

Bob and Frank had coffee and pastries at Starbucks over on Lake City Way yesterday.

Example #2:

Telling:

This girl I know named Sally went to the prom with Sam.

Showing:

Sam and Sally went to the prom over at Lakewood High in Bothell, and were crowned Homecoming King and Queen.

Flowers For My Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Today is my birthday, and one of my favorite gifts to receive are flowers. I love them because once they've been in the vase for a few days, I like to take one or two of them and press them between the pages of a book so I can preserve them.

I began preserving the flowers I received as gifts in high school, and I now have a scrapbook that contains many of these pressed flowers. Just taking out my scrapbook at looking at the preserved flowers from time to time brings back many happy memories for me. Most people think of flowers as disposable, but if you know how to preserve them, they are a gift that can be treasured for many years to come.

YMT Vacations: The Perfect Way for Seniors to Save on Travel...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:02:00 +0000

YMT Vacations specializes in book vacations for seniors. As such their goal is to give seniors the best bang for their buck so to speak whether it comes to booking a cruise or flying to Greece to see the sights. YMT Vacations prides itself on its customer service and makes a real effort to go the extra mile for its customers.

YMT Vacations has been in business since 1967, and has several featured vacations at low prices. A few of the featured vacation possibilities are their Oberammergau Tour which takes you to Germany, Austria, and Italy, and their Hawaii Three Island Tour takes you to Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. Another option is their Alaska Cruise and Canadian Rockies Tour, the tour portion of which starts in Seattle, WA, and ends in Calgary Canada.

Sak Narwal and his Passion for Fishing...

noreply@blogger.com (Regina Paul) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:51:00 +0000

Sak Narwal is a successful businessman, as well as, a very dedicated fisherman. He loves to fish and does so at every opportunity. In fact, he has been obsessed with fishing since he was a small boy, and the obsession continues to this day. Sak Narwal has fished in Dixon Lake in California for catfish, and brook trout in Beaverkill River in Roscoe NY. He does not miss any opportunity to fish if he can help it.

For Sak Narwal though, it is more than just fishing that he enjoys. He also enjoys learning the fish he fishes for. He wants to know about their living environments, as well as their feeding habits. He is also fascinated by all the different ways that you can fish, the different lures, and rods and such; any of the technology of fishing.