Creating A Style Of Your Own: Why It’s So Hard (And So Easy)

Would You Like To Create A Style Of Your Own?

Would You Like To Create A Style Of Your Own?

If you were to look at Picasso’s work, you could spot it anywhere.

If you were to listen to Sting’s music, you’d know it was Sting.

If you were to read Dan Brown’s book, you’d know it was Dan.

So how come these folks have a style and you don’t?

You know you don’t have a style, because if you took your cartoon or your article and placed it amid another person’s work, no one would be able to pick out your work as unique.

And that’s because it’s not.

Imagine you’re trying to learn how to cook a yummy dish like biryani.

Now biryani tends to be a very complex, almost scary, type of rice dish. It’s filled with a list of ingredients as long as your arm, and the process can be intimidating.

But if you’re determined to crack the ‘biryani code’, you’re going to follow the instructions in great detail. The exact ingredients, sequence and methodology must be followed to ensure that you replicate the dish.

And this means you’re copying.

When you’re copying, you’re replicating the style of the person you’re copying.

But if you make this dish several times, changes occur. You may read about another type of biryani or watch a few videos. And suddenly, instead of boneless chicken, you’re using chicken with bones. Or instead of chicken, you’re using veggies.

Sooner or later dropouts occur as well.

You stop referring to the recipe because you’re comfortable with the sequence and ingredients. And then you create your own kind of dish.

You may forget some ingredients, add others, or do something quite different altogether. And if you mix, mingle, and keep learning how to make this dish, you soon get your own style.

Style is not about invention.

Style is about copying. About ‘tracing’, and ‘copying’ and ‘then rendering from memory’. The more you trace, copy and render from memory, the more the concepts mix in your brain.

And eventually, one day—not too far in the future—you’ll have a style of your own.

But you need to practice and mix and mingle.

If you slavishly copy one person’s style, you’ll soon become a replica of that person’s work.

When I first started out in cartooning, I used to copy Hagar the Horrible. And my work was a replica of Hagar the Horrible. But then I added other cartoons, like Dennis the Menace, Calvin and Hobbes etc. And my work became my own.

Today I have a distinct writing style, drawing style, speaking style etc.

And so can you. You already have a style that’s quite your own in many areas of your life. And it’s time to pore over those concepts so that you can apply that style to your writing as well.

So practice away.

Copy a lot.
Trace a lot.
And render from memory a lot.

And yes, make sure you copy from different sources.

And then, about 6-9 months from now, you’ll have a style that’s quite different from anyone else’s.

But if you keep doing what you’re doing, without copying, you’ll just become a copy—of yourself.

If you want to continuously evolve, you need to keep tracing, copying and then rendering your own impression. That’s the only way you’ll keep learning and evolving your style.

So that when you make biryani, they’ll say you made biryani.

But when I make biryani, there’s a certain point of difference that makes it quite my own.

Make your own biryani. Write your own bestseller. Start today, and share your ideas and experience in the comments!

P.S. Copying is different from plagiarism. If you’re not clear about the difference, look up the dictionary.

 

About the author:
Sean D’Souza is a writer, marketing guru and expert on sales psychology. To read more articles by Sean, and get a very useful free report on “Why Headlines Fail”, go to PsychoTactics.com

Image: A Style of Your Own courtesy of Bigstockphoto.com

Become a Highly Paid Writer: Avoid These 7 Habits

Would You Like To Be A Highly Paid Writer?

Would You Like To Be A Highly Paid Writer?

It is painful to see how many great writers are willing to accept low paying assignments or to write for free.

This is not okay.

Skilled writers who are committed to their craft know the amount of work that goes into a well-produced work. and should be compensated accordingly.

While some writers live by the ‘feast or famine’ philosophy, there are many who are earning a sizable income from their talent and expertise.

The seven habits below separate underpaid writers from ‘well-fed’ writers, a term coined by Peter Bowerman, the author of “The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less”.

Avoid these habits to become a highly-paid writer. Begin living your profitable writing life today!

 

1. Wallowing in stinkin’ thinkin’

 

Do any of these statements look familiar?

  • “I’m not good enough.”
  • “There are lots of great writers; why would they choose my article, story, etc.?”
  • “I can’t…”

If you find yourself thinking – or worse – saying any of the above, stop now.

These statements are not only spirit killers; they are dream killers. Stinkin’ thinkin’ is the main reason why most writers are underpaid – the lack of belief in themselves, their skills, and the value they offer through their writings.

There are three ways to get over this condition:

  • Affirm every day: “I am the best writer I know and the world is waiting to read my work.”
  • Write every day, even if you’re just journaling.
  • Join a writing group. It could be a professional association, a local meetup or an informal writing group.

I know of a small business owner who admits to having a poverty mindset. She would accept low-budget clients who had high expectations just to pay her bills, which was emotionally and financially draining.

When she finally got fed up with that lifestyle, she changed her mode of operation. She invested more time in attracting her ideal clients, which made her feel better about serving others. She now has a prosperous mindset and the bank account to match it.

Only when you change your mind will you change your bottom line.

 

2. Playing it safe

 

There are several ways writers play it safe.

  • Only writing what you know
  • Not taking risks
  • Hiding behind a computer and pen
  • Afraid of being controversial
  • Giving in to the fear of rejection

When I left my job to write, I submitted query letters to a few magazines, received rejections or no responses, and got discouraged.

After that experience, I completely stopped pitching stories for a few years.

Today, I have a new outlook on my magazine writing life: pitch, submit, follow-up. And I look forward to rejection letters. It means that at least one person has read my work.

Be bold. Be courageous. Dare to be different and do things you’ve never done before.

Be the “you” that you didn’t know you could be. 

 

3. Accepting low rates

 

Accepting low rates is one of the worst things writers can do.

But when you are in a famine mode, you will work for food, no matter how little you are paid.

There are at least three reasons why writers do this:

  • They are in the early stages of their writing career.
  • They just want to pay their bills.
  • They want to get and keep clients.

What’s worse than accepting low rates? Quoting them. It’s one thing for people to offer low rates, but it’s entirely different when you subject yourself to them…on purpose.

Early in my writing career, I would tell people to “just give me something” for the work I provided – which was usually between $25 and $50. And I used to actually think that a client ‘picking my brain’ over a $20 lunch was a good thing. Now, I prefer that people pay me for consultations and I eat only when I’d like to.

When you get to the point where you really believe that time is money and that your time is invaluable, you will charge differently.

When you build the confidence to ask for the rate you desire, you will most likely get it.

 

4. Not building your skills

 

  • If you are still using a typewriter, a tape recorder or any other pre-21st century gadget, it’s time to upgrade to new technologies.
  • If you do not write often, take classes or attend workshops and conferences, you need to change your mode of operation.
  • If you are not active on at least one social networking site, you need to get started today!

You have to write often; stay abreast of what’s happening in the writing world; and understand multimedia and social media.

Most importantly, you must be tech savvy. You don’t have to be a guru but you need to have basic knowledge of online, tablet and mobile technology because this is where everything is moving.

A member of the Chicago Writers Association shared a story about pitching an editor for her book. The editor wanted to know how big her platform was – how many followers she had on Twitter, friends on Facebook and connections on LinkedIn.

She did not have a social media presence. Do you know they rejected her, not because of poorly written work, but because she had no platform?

Building your skills is not only a resume-booster; it will also position you for personal and professional opportunities.

 

5. Failing to plan

 

There is no truer saying than “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.

When I first left my job and 12-year human resources career in 2008, I knew that my name would grace the bylines of Chicago, Essence, Parade, Time and Entrepreneur magazines. I had no plan B because my plan A just had to work.

Well, it didn’t.

And when the money ran out, I was a wreck.

To avoid being like me (which I highly recommend), mix paying gigs with writing for fulfillment to ensure you can sustain yourself. 

 

6. Thinking like a writer, not a business owner

 

Generally speaking, most creative people like to create. Period.

Writers like to write; painters like to paint; and musicians want to play. However, until we attach a value – specifically, a dollar value to our expertise – we will continue to be starving artists.

I, personally, like to eat.

There are five things to consider when assessing value:

  • The services you are going to offer
  • To whom you will offer your services
  • Your experience
  • The value of your time
  • The value you provide to your customers.

Ultimately, the answers to these questions will become the foundation of your business plan, which is your roadmap to becoming a well-paid writer.

Remember that I had no plan when I left my job? I would write anything for anybody for any amount they gave me. I was just happy that they liked my work enough to consider me for their projects.

As I began to write my plan, my confidence in myself and my writing increased, because seeing the dollar figure confirmed the value of my work. It also made it easier to quote my rate.

Today, I have a 10-page business plan to highlight the services I provide, the rates and estimated times for those services, and the value I provide to my clients.

 

7. Lack of marketing

 

Marketing is necessary.

You may not want to do it but you have to do it if you want to get paid what you’re worth.

It is also one of the ways you can distinguish yourself from your competitors.

Here are a few tools you can use to promote yourself and your services:

Website or blog Social media presence Business cards
Branding Brochures E-mail signature
Postcards Videos Guest blog posts

 

I know an author who has published five books but has no website. I was floored. Do you know how much money this person is losing because she cannot be found online?

Here’s the main lesson from this author: at a minimum, have a website or blog site that highlights your offerings. Accidental visitors can convert to actual clients.

Always  promote who you are, and the value you to provide to others.

If you are practising any of the seven habits above, you need to stop immediately!

Declare today that you are going to kick your bad habits and become the highly paid writer you deserve to be.

Do you have a ‘starving writer’ story? What did you do to become a highly paid writer? Share your story in the comments section below.

 

About the author:

Marcie Hill is the author of “62 Blog Posts to Overcome Blogger’s Block”, the only book produced to date that focuses exclusively on how to create content for online properties. Check out her blog to get free tips on how to overcome blogger’s block.

Image: Highly Paid Writer courtesy of Bigstockphoto.com

Use Your Dreams To Be Endlessly Creative

Do You Want To Use Your Dreams To Be Endlessly Creative?

Do You Want To Use Your Dreams To Be Endlessly Creative?

People often ask me for writing advice, and they’re surprised when the first thing I tell them is to keep a dream journal.

In fact, many people look downright suspicious, perhaps fearing I’ll go on to advise them to use healing crystals, or only to write when Mercury is in the ascendant.

But keeping a dream journal is perfectly sound, if neglected, writing advice.

The best thing is that the process works even if you’re one of those people who never remembers dreams.

I know. Because I used to be one of them, until I trained myself to remember.

The mind is more malleable than we realize.

 

What is a dream journal?

 

A dream journal is just a book that you keep next to your bed, so that you can write in it as soon as you wake up.

And I really do mean as soon as. A dream is a slippery fish. If you delay at all, even just for a minute to brush your teeth or plan your breakfast, it’s gone.

The idea is to write down everything you remember of your dreams.

When I first started, this was almost nothing. Then, it was just a few vague impressions. With more practice I began remembering more and more details.

Now I can cover pages of my book each morning, often reaching back beyond my latest dreams to recall some from earlier in the night.

 

Why bother?

 

There are several reasons why every writer should keep a dream journal.

1. Get fantastic story ideas. If you keep a dream journal, you’ll never be stuck for ideas.

Your mind effortlessly creates stories every night. Most of them will be boring, or unusable, or just plain weird.

But every now and then, your sleeping mind deals you something that makes you reach for your pen with thumping heart.

Paul McCartney famously dreamed the song Yesterday, so clearly and fully that he was sure he must have heard the tune somewhere before. Luckily he wrote it down anyway, and it became one of the most popular pop songs of all time.

2. See the world differently. The best stories or scenes are often those in which familiar things are presented in a fresh way.

What better training for the imagination than dreams? In dreams, you may find yourself in a mundane situation at work, but your boss is an old school friend you haven’t seen for thirty years.

Or you’ll be making breakfast in your apartment, but the apartment is now inside your parents’ house.

I had a dream recently in which Paris was not in France, but in the United States. I still think there’s a great story in there, if I can work out how to tell it.

3. Get inspired. If you’ve been writing for a while, you’ve probably had that incredible experience where the words come to you so easily that you feel you could write all day.

You write things that shock you, things that seem to come from somewhere else. You’re in a state of inspiration, wonderful while it lasts, but depressing when it stops and you realize you can’t recapture it.

In the past, people attributed this to God. ‘Inspiration’ comes from the Latin inspirare meaning ‘to breathe into’.

People believed that God breathed into them, creating works of genius that they merely had to put on paper.

If you don’t believe in God, then believe in science instead. Sigmund Freud gave us the id, and Jung took it a step further, positing the existence of a collective unconscious.

Dreams provide a natural access point to these subliminal realms, enabling us to tap into a source of endless inspiration.

4. Break writer’s block. Finally, if you keep a dream journal, it means that the first thing you do each morning is to write – with no pressure, straight from the subconscious.

It’s very difficult to have writer’s block when you write a couple of hundred words first thing every morning. It sets you up for the day much better than filling your head with traffic reports, weather forecasts or the jingle-jangle of pop songs.

 

Try it!

 

So go ahead, give it a try. All you need is pen and paper, and a few minutes each morning.

Don’t judge or analyze your dreams. Just write them down.

You probably won’t get gold-dust right away. Your notebook will probably fill up with the mundane, the nonsensical and the embarrassing.

But over time, you’ll start to see the benefits. Your writing will become more creative, and ideas will come to you easily rather than having to be dug out at great cost.

And who knows, maybe one night you’ll dream the next Yesterday and be able to fund your writing for the rest of your life.

“Have you ever tried keeping a dream journal? Or have you had good story ideas in your dreams? Leave a comment and let me know!”

 

About the author:

Andrew Blackman is a former Wall Street Journal staff writer, now living in London and concentrating on fiction. His second novel, A Virtual Love, tackles the theme of identity in the age of social media.Visit his blog for a free e-book detailing short story contests with a total of $250,000 in prizes. 
Image: Keep a dream journal courtesy of Bigstockphoto.com

How Your Competition Can Help You Find New Work

Would You Like Your Competition To Help You Find New Work?

Would You Like Your Competition To Help You Find New Work?

Whether you’re an aspiring or seasoned writer, you will struggle to find new clients at various points in your career.

Writers face fierce competition as the market of freelance writers widens and publications fold.

And in an economy struggling to recover, companies often cut their freelancers first and redistribute writing needs in-house. The need to diversify and find new clients is crucial if you want to stay a working writer.

Most writers start looking for new clients in the same place — magazines and newspaper racks in the community. It’s also easy enough to do a few Google searches to find companies in your area who might need a copywriter. But then what? Where do you look next?

When I moved back from New York City to my hometown in Atlanta, I didn’t know what the market was like, or where to start looking for new writing work. I still had some clients in New York, but I wanted to break into regional writing.

I searched Google for “Atlanta magazines” and “Atlanta publications” and came up with a few ideas, but I wasn’t really satisfied.

I knew there must be other resources out there. Frustrated by the lack of search results, I wondered who other Atlanta freelancer writers were writing for.

That’s when it dawned on me. If I could see what my competition was up to, I could find outlets faster and easier than if I were to go it alone.

 

The Benefits Of Studying Your Competition

 

When you take a thorough look at what your competition is doing, you reap the benefits of their success and hard work. Instead of spending hours hunting down new markets and leads, you have a wealth of insight in a tidy portfolio.

Studying your competition shows you:

  • Which clients are already open to freelance writers
  • Which markets (you might never have heard of them) are publishing
  • What ideas the publication wants
  • What fees clients potentially pay freelancers

In essence, learning from your competition is like having your own writer’s guide, complete with client ideas, potential testimonials and rates.

But it takes a little practice to study your competition and learn to apply it to your own work.

 

How to Study Your Competition for Success

 

1. Google the terms “freelance writer” or “copywriter” with whatever city or town you live in. For example, I started my search with “Atlanta freelance writer”. You can also perform searches like “music freelance writer” or “freelance real estate copywriter” to find writers specializing in your preferred niche.

2. Read your competition’s bio. If this particular freelance writer has 30 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, and you focus on micro-business content for consumer magazines, move on. You already know their client list isn’t going to suit your needs. You need to find someone who is in your niche, or in a niche you want to occupy.

3. Check your competition’s portfolio and skim through their roster of clients. This is a great way not only to find new clients, but also to figure out how big your market is. You might want to write exclusively about tennis, but may realize that all your competition works for the same three publications. With so few markets to choose from, it’s time branch out into other sports or industries.

4. Read through a few of your competitor’s clips to get an idea of what the client looks for. Many of the ideas I gleaned from my competition aren’t just about new publications, but also about new markets. I never thought about writing case studies until I found several writers specializing in this niche, and realized there was a paying market for it in my field.

5. Search for testimonials to see exactly why a client loved your competitor’s work. Every writer wants to get inside an editor or client’s head to deliver the best work possible. Testimonials can shed light on everything: how the editor loved your competitor’s ultra fast-turn around, professionalism, ease to work with, wit or fresh ideas.

6. Review your competition’s list of services. Writers often moonlight as editors, fact-checkers or marketing consultants. Look at what publications or materials your competition edits to get new client ideas. But this step also reveals new types of services that you could charge for, like social media consulting, for instance.

 

Save Yourself Valuable Time

 

Studying the competition saved me an enormous amount of time in hunting down new publications. Within a half hour, I had a list of dozens of markets I could tap into immediately.

Based on my competition’s success, I already knew these clients hired freelance writers, the types of articles or material they needed, and why they liked my competition’s work. In some cases, my competition even listed their rates, giving me an idea of what these clients were willing to pay.

One publication I found through a competitor’s portfolio gave me an assignment the same day I contacted them.

Thanks to my competition, I knew this specific publication published service journalism pieces with a light and friendly tone. With this in mind, I crafted a query letter with a similar tone and outlined how I would approach an article on major healthcare providers in my city.

This wasn’t the topic my competition had written about for the publication, but I still had enough information to figure out that they might be interested in it.

 

Get a Leg-Up On Your Competition

 

Studying your competition is a tool to inspire new ideas for the market you’re trying to enter. If you know your competition inside out, you can figure out how to do a better job than them.

If you can see what your competition is writing about, you can analyze their work and find ways in which you would do it better.

Let’s say your competition wrote an article for a pregnancy magazine about relocating during your second trimester. The article quoted doctors, but not women who went through the experience.

You can come up with a like-minded article, such as changing jobs while pregnant, and pitch your idea, offering both expert and personal sources you’d like to quote.

Now think of other ways to add to the article — maybe a sidebar, with steps on how to make the move easier.

 

Respect Your Craft

 

While studying your competition offers valuable insight into new markets, you should tread carefully.

Learning from your competition should always be approached ethically. It won’t do you any favors to copy your competitor’s exact ideas and re-pitch to the same clients.

Approaching the same clients with the same ideas but with a rate discount to undercut your competition only shows you’re unprofessional.

Or, worse, it shows you’re a disingenuous writer with a poor work ethic.Your potential client might also assume you can’t be trusted with sensitive company information or sources.

Look to your competition’s success as motivation to propel your career forward, but respect your competition, yourself and your craft by diligently developing your own ideas and voice.

The road to writing success isn’t always a bumpy one; sometimes the path is well worn by your competitors paving the way for you.

How have you benefited from your competition? Or has someone benefited from studying you? Share your experiences and ideas in the comments below!

 

About the author: 

Susan Finch is a freelance writer with an eclectic background across guidebooks, web copy, magazine articles, iPhone apps, and TV promos just to name a few. She helps writers build successful freelance careers at WordGlam.com.

Image: Studying the Competition courtesy of Bigstockphoto.com

Secrets of Copywriting: The Power Of A Strong Value Proposition

Would You Like To Harness The Power of Your Value Proposition?

Would You Like To Harness The Power of Your Value Proposition?

Have you ever tried to write something persuasive and felt that you’re not getting it right?

Maybe your writing feels generic. Maybe it’s disorganized, or too pushy. Maybe … you just don’t know. And readers don’t take the action you’re hoping for. Does this sound familiar?

If you don’t sell the product or get the subscribers, the time you spent writing has been wasted. The waste is twofold: you don’t get the results you hoped for, and your potential customers — your readers — lose faith.

But some people get their writing to work like magic—every time. Each word, every sentence just pulls the reader along until they subscribe to the blog or buy the product.

It might look like magic, but it’s not. All it takes is a few sentences.

What you are missing is: your value proposition.

 

What is a value proposition?

 

Your value proposition describes your unique value.

Your unique value is what your competitors can’t or don’t offer, but it’s what your customers want.

For example, you might offer the greatest expertise, lowest prices, fastest delivery, best customer service, largest selection, highest quality, or simply a trendy specialty.

Your value proposition should be a combination of a few unique and valuable characteristics or qualities.

 

Why you should identify your value proposition

 

A value proposition is a collection of the most compelling reasons for people to buy or sign up for your product or service.

It is what makes people care about what you say.

If your sales or landing page doesn’t give readers a great reason to read on, they’re not going to do it. And they surely won’t subscribe to your list or buy your product if you haven’t got them thinking about the value.

It doesn’t matter if you have something great to offer. It doesn’t matter if your email list or product is the best in the world.

All that matters is whether the reader perceives the action—buying, subscribing, and so on—to be worthwhile, to be of value to them.

If you don’t understand how to manage a reader’s perception, you can’t persuade them to do what you want.

Without that knowledge, you’re writing blind—hoping to say the right things in the right order in the right way to get the result you want.

It’s like trying to play chess without seeing the other player’s moves.

And many bloggers and business people attempt to do exactly that. They don’t have a clear vision of the key ideas that will persuade their readers.

Yet they wonder why their business or blog isn’t growing.

Those key ideas, which make all the difference, form your value proposition.

 

Making people believe your value proposition

 

But being unique and valuable isn’t enough; people need to believe you, too.

Your word has little weight out here in the blogosphere. You can say you’re the best or your product is the greatest in every way imaginable. And people won’t believe any of it.

Not unless you give them a reason.

That can mean testimonials, statistics, studies, and/or common sense. But you need something to back up your claims. Otherwise people disregard your words as “marketing talk.”

In many cases, someone might write a pretty good sales or landing page but forget to include a reason to believe any of it.

The proof doesn’t have to be as obvious as “here’s a study that proves what I said”. Instead you could say, “according to study XYZ” and then make the claim.

If a part of your value proposition is to offer the lowest prices, don’t just say your prices are the lowest. Give a lowest-price guarantee.

If you call your product better than its alternatives, explain exactly how it is better.

If you say you’re an expert at something, have other experts support your claim with testimonials rather than just calling yourself an expert.

Don’t let your sales or landing page fail just because people don’t believe what you’re saying.

 

How to infuse your value proposition into your writing

 

When you have a strong value proposition and you know how to prove everything in it, you need to use it in your sales copy.

The effectiveness of your writing relies heavily on how well you infuse your value proposition into it.

It’s a collection of the most persuasive arguments you have, much like the psychological strings you need to weave into your copy.

If you forget to use them, you won’t persuade anyone to buy from you, except those in the most desperate need of your product.

But if you have a fully developed and refined value proposition, you’re likely to experience the seemingly magical ‘ads write themselves’ effect. So it’s unlikely that you’d forget to use it.

Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Use your headline to give a clear idea of at least one part of your value proposition. The concept behind the headline is much more important than the exact headline formula you use, though both impact your results.

2. Dedicate at least one sub-headline (and the following section) for each of the core concepts of your value proposition. These are the ideas that are most likely to persuade the reader, so don’t shy away from them.

3. Tie all your product’s features to your value proposition. Don’t just casually mention something in your sales copy. Instead, explain why that particular concept or element helps deliver one or more of the core concepts of your value proposition.

 

Of course, you can’t do any of this if you don’t know what your value proposition is.

If you’re trying to persuade someone to do something—buy a product or service or just subscribe to your blog—take the time to figure it out. Even the newest or smallest blog or business has a value proposition. What’s yours?

Use the comments to tell us what makes you, your blog, your email list, or your product special. Why should people pay attention to it? And why should they believe what you’re saying?

And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them.

 

About the author:

Right now, Peter Sandeen is probably knee-deep in snow (he lives in Finland) with his wife and dogs. But you can download his quick 5-step system for finding the core of your value proposition.

Image: Offering Value courtesy of Bigstockphoto.com