It’s believed that procrastination and writer’s block are caused by the writer’s desire to achieve perfection. The fear of composing an awkward sentence or weak turn of phrase can be so paralysing that many writers simply can’t face the simple act of typing words into their keyboard. But it’s also believed that writer’s block is […]
Persuasive Writing 6 – Using Metaphors to Spark Imagination
“Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.” – Orson Scott Card Whether in Homer’s Iliad, Shakespeare’s plays or Rowling’s Harry Potter, fictional writing is packed with metaphors because they’re so effective at stimulating a reader’s imagination. Metaphors are powerful because by transferring the qualities of one object onto another […]
Persuasive Writing 5 – Writing Headlines that Reel in Readers
“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.†– David Ogilvy You might be a copywriting genius, and composed a sales letter that can sell carpets to Egyptians. But if […]
That’s it, I give in…I’ve joined Twitter!
I’ve been able to avoid it up until now, thinking it would just be another time waster and excuse to procrastinate (up there with checking my site stats every two minutes). However, after listening to the Freelance Radio podcast (recommended listening to anyone navigating the freelance, remote working world) I decided to give Twitter a […]
Persuasive Writing 4 – Structure
In earlier chapters you identified how to appeal to your target audience and compiled a list of your product’s benefits. Now you need to plan how to structure your writing so it leads your reader along a logical path of thought towards taking action. Just like how a seasoned debater or lawyer prepares to argue […]
Welcome to 2009 Crucible Readers
Now the holidays are behind us, I hope you’re as ready as I am to get stuck into 2009 and to take advantage of every opportunity offered by the net for marketing and growing your business. It’s certainly going to be a tough year for many people; I’ve started hearing the ‘d’ word mentioned in […]