Interesting discussion! Enjoy.

http://tinyurl.com/33xlwv

Talk later,

Beth

I’ve gotta admit. This one depressed me a bit.

Interesting article. Even more interesting comments.

Every book writer should be aware of this.

Check it out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lissa-warren/it-lit_b_54532.html

Talk later,

Beth

Yup. That’s the headline. But do you believe it?

I’m not sure I do.

Time will tell, though.

Here’s the link:

http://tinyurl.com/2ewtmf

Talk about Embarrassing…

OK. I get up yesterday and all is well. Dang near perfect, if you ask me.

You see, I’m on the fair island of Friday Harbor smack dab in the middle of the San Juan Islands in Washington State.

Gorgeous.

You’d have to be half dead not to be blown away by the absolute gorgeousness of the place.

So, back to yesterday.

I wake up in a glorious mood. I head to the opulent condo dining room which we converted into our very cluttered pseudo office and did one thing that set my day off on a sour note.

I started fuming. Grinding my teeth. Tightening my lips.

I thought Leah (my dear friend and business partner) would die laughing.

Next thing I knew, she had the camera out and started taping.

Truth is, I thought I was out of my bad mood by then.

But jeepers. My face looks like I’d just finished sucking a big fat pickle.

If you’re interested in avoiding my big mistake check out the video.

Don’t worry. No selling. Just pure information and a great big freelance tip.

I wish I’d followed my own advice yesterday.

Talk later!

Beth (and Leah)

P.S. After you check out the video, help me feel less embarrassed by sharing your own similar experience. I’d sure appreciate it.

I just returned from speaking at a writing conference on the East Coast.

Truly interesting experience.

Aside from the usual adventure… flying to a strange city, finding the danged hotel (I believe it had to be at least three million miles from the airport), five dollar stale muffins, terribly rude TSA workers… I found the trip quite astounding.

Probably not for the reason you think.

You see, I’m a studier of all things human.

It’s amazing how much you can learn about humanity just by opening your eyes and observing.

From what I figure, most of us live in a fog of our own making. We proceed from Point A to Point B without nary (I’ve wanted to use that word all day) a thought about anything that happens between those two destinations.

Thing is, it’s the journey between those two points that yields the most incredible writing fodder. In fact, in my opinion, it’s in this clearly unexplored territory that most magic takes place.

And most of us are totally oblivious.

Unless you wake up, that is.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: think about the last time you sat in a restaurant. You sat, you ate, you probably conversed with your table mate, you paid, you left.

Fine story. Kinda boring, though.

I’d bet dollars to donuts that you probably haven’t taken a moment to ponder that experience the way a high profit writer does.

You see, the difference between a traditional freelancer and a high profit writer (HPW) is that the HPW experiences life. They don’t just meander from point to point, always anticipating the destination. Nope. They create magic wherever they go.

Let’s head back to the restaurant example.

Your average joe arrives, eats, leaves.

A true HPW arrives with their senses tingling. They notice every little detail about the restaurant. They’re mentally creating the scene. They’re fully aware of the surroundings, the people they interact with, the spikes and lulls in “energy” throughout the room.

Going beyond that, the HPW ponders what they eat; the taste, texture, where it came from, how it was produced.

Who built the restaurant building? What’s their story? What about the servers and cooks? Bet they’ve got a fascinating tale or two to tell.

Every tiny everyday experience can yield hundreds, if not thousands of stories. And, of course, each story can be sold in a myriad of ways.

All you have to do is wake up in between Point A and Point B.

I will talk about this more. But for now, I’ve gotta run.

We’ll talk on Monday… perhaps Sunday if I can tolerate the bright monitor light.

Best!

Beth

It gets better. Here’s the infomercial video:

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:126361

Enjoy,

Beth

OK. I admit it. I’m a copywriter. Part of working as an ethical marketing writer is choosing reputable products to write for… then telling the truth about them.

But the copywriters who write scripts for infomercials ought to tread lightly. The unethical ones just got busted.

Check this out:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14856571/

It’s rather long but worth it. Enjoy!

Talk later,

Beth

Perhaps. But imagining a “strict” school could make for one interesting journal entry.

Here’s the link. Now go have fun.

http://tinyurl.com/2nbz2x

Best,

Beth