Kreative Ramblings
Archive for the 'Righting Your Writing' Category
Righting Your Writing: The Sound of Your Voice
Author: Karen McGreevey
There are numerous ways you can “edit” your writing by yourself, although you’ll find that in the end the editing support of an “outsider” will by far be the best solution.
When you have your “work” ready for edit, one solution you can try on your own to check for misplaced words and awkward sentences is to listen to what you’ve written.
In short, read your content out loud.
And take the time to really listen to what you’re saying.
Sometimes, even reading the work backwards helps errant strings of words and sentences to stand out.
For more information on testing your work, take a look at Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing, by Clair Kehrwalk Cook. It includes over 700 examples of editing techniques, grammar, and usage to help you with your writing efforts.
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Righting Your Writing, Tips and Tricks, Writing, Working with a VA
read comments (0)Monkey See
Author: Karen McGreeveyWant to write an 
article but you find you’re stuck–with no ideas in sight or mind? Then take a bit of time to “follow the dots” of those in your niche or to gather ideas from comments at membership sites, or the blogs of others.
And try one or two of these tips on for size:
1. Make an appointment with your doctor or dentist! Then arrive early. Really! When I go to the doctor I have a chance to read many magazines that I wouldn’t otherwise get my hands on. So I take my “early arrival time” to check out the Table of Contents, articles and even graphics in numerous publications to gather ideas for my articles and blog posts.
2. Subscribe to RSS feeds on a variety of subjects along the line of your niche or your products, as well as things that interest you. Then take some time to search through the feeds each day to select a few articles to read. Take notes on the material as you do so, and use them to come up with articles and blog posts.
3. Scan through the comments posted by others at online articles directories, membership forums, and blog posts at sites where you read regularly. Write down the interesting ideas, the pros and cons of an issue, and opinions of others. In fact, controversial comments make for a good pro or con article or blog post.
4 Use some of the online tools like Technorati, Digg, Delicious, etc. to help trigger writing inspiration. Also, check Yahoo’s buzz log to find out what people are talking about and searching for. Use all these resources to come up with new ideas.
Once you start looking, you’ll find there are lots of online and off resources you can use to crank up your writing gears.
Check out Douglas Roberts’ ebook, Quick and Easy Content Writing Tips for 99 ideas to help you with your writing projects.
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA
Does Your Title Say What You Think You Said?
Author: Karen McGreeveyWhen it comes 
to readying articles and blog posts for the Internet, you know there’s more to it than throwing some words together.
Especially, when you want to attract readers and potential customers; it’s not just about cranking out a bunch of words into a text or Word document. Besides making sense, what you come up with ought to “speak” to your audience.
So, here are some tips to help you rev up your thinking gear before you begin to write:
Just as you’d do (usually) if you were going to go out–for an evening, to a wedding, to a game or perhaps to the store, you’d “do something to get ready”. (Of course, what you’d “do” depends–upon your needs, your desires, what you hoped to accomplish, etc.
Likewise, enter a correlation for your book (article or blog post) title. Because your “title” is crucially important to your body of work and because you want to grab the attention of your reader prospect so he’ll quickly scoop up your book, it’s important that you take a bit of time writing and deciding upon a title.
Note: If you’ve already written a title for a book that’s in print, you can rewrite it in a reissue–or just keep these tips handy for another time altogether.
Now You See Me
Author: Karen McGreeveyWant to have a quick and easy way to stay in touch 
with your readers, prospects and customers?
Use video!
Say your piece (for instance, read an article you’ve written) as you “capture your visage” on screen, then post it to YouTube and link it back to your blog site. Granted, creating a video may be a bit intimidating but once you get the hang of it, it will get easier. And a whole lotta fun!
Or, you might recycle some of your old posts by editing and consolidating and “copying and pasting” them into PowerPoint. Then take those PPT slides and incorporate them into a video–add a bit of music and an opening comment or two, and you’re done.
It sure beats sitting in front of a computer, staring at a blank screen or blinking cursor, hoping upon hope you’ll get an idea for a blog post or an article.
For more ideas on how to get traffic to your blog, take a look at this ebook How To Promote Your Blog – 101 Free Ways To Increase Your Website Traffic Today. by Richard Adams.
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA
No “I” Nor “Me”
Author: Karen McGreeveyAn oft-touted “rule” when writing for the web is to leave out the 
“we”, the “I” and the “me” when referring to your readers. “You” makes what you write more personal and speaks more to your audience.
Instead, you might try referring to the “subject” in your blog posts or articles as “it”, “this” or “here”. Your reader will be more inclined to take notice of what you’re saying.
Here’s this theory in “action”:
In place of: “The Boys” Found the Treats On Sunday Morning and Made Short Work of Them
Use, This is Why There Were No Treats for “The Boys” Easter Sunday
Notice the subtlety?
When you don’t “lead” your reader in to the piece de resistance with your title by practically telling them the whole story, you’re creating enough of a mystery that they’ll actually want to know what you’re talking about.
So they’ll stay at your site long enough to read you whole post or article. And maybe they’ll even come back again.
Looking for more tips on sprucing up your writing for the web? Check out Lynda Felder’s book, Writing for the Web: Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA
Say Good-bye to “One-Trick Pony” Writing
Author: Karen McGreevey
Got you intrigued?
You’ve often heard that a good way to market your business is to an write article and to publish it at some of the article directories. Or, you can write blog posts and post them on your blog. And when you’ve done that, you “rinse and repeat” with another article or blog post.
That’s all fine and dandy, and might get a bit boring after a while but in essence by JUST doing that, you’re “leaving money on the table”; you’re not making the best use of your time and your finished work.
So instead, look for ways to reach a different audience, ways that might be a bit out of the norm, off the beaten path. Here are a few things you might try to help you set a new course:
1. Checking In. Try “repurposing” one of your older articles or blog posts–instead of re-writing it, divide it into bullet points and make it a checklist. Step by step, you then point out to your reader various methods they can take to get to a specific goal or idea they may have in mind.
2. Questions Are Good. Using a “worksheet” you’ve devised from your article, figure out the main idea of one of your article. And then write your worksheet and pose your questions so your readers can get involved and can add their answers in the spaces on the worksheet. Read the rest of this entry »
More Traffic Is Not Necessarily Better
Author: Karen McGreeveyOkay, so you’ve heard the “old saw” that you 
need to get lots of traffic to your site!
After all, that’s the way you get customers and eventually sell products. And those visitors tell others that come to visit and the snowball grows!
However, “more traffic” isn’t necessarily better. If your traffic doesn’t do anything but come by then click away and never comes back, what have you gained?
Or, if visitors stop at your site, get your “freebie” and then leave, again with no other activity, you’ve missed out again.
This tells you the numbers don’t matter as much as you’ve been led to believe. So you’ve got to do something to keep your visitors interested in staying at your site. Or have something that persuades them to come back frequently.
So your goal is to create new, relevant, in-real time pertinent articles, blog posts and reports that will promote the return of quality folks. Those who can use your information; those in your market.
And once your visitors figure it out that you are the “go to” for quality information, they’ll beat it back to you when they need your product or want to learn something new. Which means you’ll then be getting quality traffic, and lots more customers.
Ming Jon Tey has written a book, Free Website Traffic – 10 Proven Free Traffic Techniques To Promote Your Website to help with getting traffic.
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA
Highlights Aren’t Just for Hair
Author: Karen McGreeveyEasy peasy writing tip:
When you’re putting the copy together for your Web site or your sales letter, you know the old “saw” – to be sure to provide your readers with lots of content about the “benefits” they’ll receive using your product(s) or services.
In short, said “benefits” are the “highlights” of your copy.
You can also bullet point your benefits to make sure your site or sales page is easy to read. And to help your list of benefits to stand out.
Want some more tips for writing copy? Check out Tami Metzler’s ebook, Profitable Newsletters: The Step-By-Step Guide to Attracting Eager-to-Buy Clients With Your Email Newsletter
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA
The Chicken or the Egg?
Author: Karen McGreevey
In this instance, “the chicken or the egg” can easily be morphed into what’s more important, “Content or Marketing”?
The answer it would seem will come from who’s talking”– as in your point of view, or the point of your focus.
For some, content doesn’t seem to matter!
They’ll say it’s more important to “get the bodies in the seats” or “the eyes on the prize”. (I.e., your marketing bent.)
It’s up to you to figure out what you want from your prospect, your customer, and then work with your content and your marketing to draw them in.
Google and keyword searches are two excellent resources to help you make your informed decisions.
Want some more tips? Check out Kristina Halvorson’s ebook, Content Strategy for the Web..
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA
Making PLR Your Own
Author: Karen McGreeveyIf you’re familiar with PLR (Public Label Rights) articles, you know using PLR can be a bit of a “short-cut” to producing articles or blog posts and even newsletters, quickly, easily and on a regular basis.
With their use, however, there is often the argument as to whether it’s appropriate to use PLR for SEO and/or Google purposes, or whether it’s fair, or plagiarizing, any other descriptor you might use. Some have even said PLR is “junk” and should not be used at all, ever!
I know of several well-respected Internet marketers that use PLR quite effectively; others that sell it and some that won’t have anything to do with it.
Whether or not you choose to use PLR is a personal decision. However, if you do decide to use it, here are several suggestions you might consider to “make it your own”, which will then set your PLR article/blog post, newsletter parts apart from the others.
So, first and foremost, if you use PLR, make sure to change the article considerably.
Some things you might do to change up your PLR include:
• Add quotes specific to your article topic
• Provide a “pro” of your opinion in one area of your article
• Add graphics or photos to help you “say your piece”
Pamela Briggs has written an ebook with some ideas that show you How to Use PLR (Private Label Rights) To Make Money Online
Jewels of Life: Believe, Dream, Internet Marketing, Tips and Tricks, Working with a VA