I love Copyblogger. I almost always get a chuckle from something I read on that site. I also always learn something, a plus in my book.

Today’s topic was one I was going to tackle, but Brian Clark did it with such panache and humor, that I thought I’d simply refer you to his post.

Nothing drives me crazier than reading a blog post (or anything else written) and see typos, grammatical errors and just dumb mistakes that probably could have been avoided if the writer had taken the time to review his or her work.

Programs to check spelling and grammar exist for a reason. (Although, as I’m sure someone will point out in the comments, these programs aren’t foolproof.)

It takes little time to re-read something to find those errant little thoughts that somehow made it into your copy that don’t belong. Or the misused word or the place where your train of thought derailed. Are you really in such a hurry that you can’t take a minute to re-read your text? Really?

Brian’s post deals with 5 common (but avoidable) mistakes writers can make in their copy. I hope you get a chuckle out of his dangling participle examples.

Five Grammatical Errors that Make You Look Dumb

I should add that, like Brian, if I truly have a grammar question (since grammar was like a foreign language to me in school), I ask my significant other. It helps having an in-house grammarian.

Copyblogger has an excellent post today from D Bnonn Tennant outlining 5 key ways you can improve what you write for your website or for others.

His advice is time-honored and traditional, but many writers fail to do them all, or even some of them. What are they?

1. Write drunk; edit sober (words of wisdom from Ernest Hemingway)
2. Sleep on it
3. Get a friend to read it aloud
4. Use the breath test (no, not breathalyzer test)
5. The passive voice should be rewritten

I rarely have a friend read my things aloud – and I do have friends who would do this. However, I do read almost everything I write aloud simply to gauge flow, word usage, wordiness and to listen for any gaps in the story.

And, I don’t always rewrite passive voice. I know, call me lazy, but sometimes ideas are best expressed that way.

Sleeping on it is my favorite. One – I get to sleep, a wonderful thing. Two – my brain gets a reprieve from thinking about what I’m writing, or as often happens, gives me some inspiration as I dream to revise the piece. Stepping away from what I’ve written also allows me to come back with “fresh eyes,” and a sharpened red pen. I see things much more clearly after being away.

Oh, just for the record, I’ve never written anything while drunk. Not even my phone number.

What do you think about these points? Do you have any of your own to add to the mix?

Have a great week!

When I was a kid, there was a TV show called “In Search Of” hosted by Leonard Nimoy. It investigated paranormal and pseudoscientific topics, according to Wikipedia. I loved that show because it made me think about things that I thought were not only pretty cool, but weird, different and, sometimes, scary.

Being a perfectionist can be much like that TV show.

I like to say I’m a recovering perfectionist, probably more to convince myself than anything else.

But I keep trying to avoid reading blog posts over 10 times to make sure they make sense and there aren’t any errors before I hit “publish.” Or, stressing over an email because I want to say “just the right thing.”

I often find that if I simply let the words flow freely from my fingertips, the things I dread the most (typos, grammatical errors, misused words) still happen, but I get a lot more writing done in the short term. So, I suppose you could add continuous self-editing to the “I don’t do that anymore” pile.

I may never completely free myself from my (somewhat admittedly) obsessive ways. But one thing that has helped me tremendously is watching the people I admire get things done – sometimes at lightening speed. And they might have errors in their writings, which they might eventually correct . . . or not.

I think it fundamentally comes down to trust. Do I trust myself enough to be imperfect? I am only human, so errors are just par for the course after all.

I suppose – and I think I have plenty of company when I say this – being a professional writer and editor means the bar is set a bit (or a lot) higher than for the Average Bear. Or, maybe that’s just my story.

To be continued . . .

In yesterday’s post, I discussed how to find clients. A commenter, Will, noted that I neglected to mention magazines as an avenue. I couldn’t have asked for better foreshadowing to today’s article.

In today’s economy, magazines are more difficult to crack than in years past. Why? Here are a few reasons:

1. The Internet. People can get the same information online that they used to have to wait breathlessly for by their snail mailbox.
2. This has led to lower subscription sales, which leads to . . .
3. Smaller, leaner staffs.
4. This has also impacted advertising in magazines, which has the effect of . . .
5. Lowering the bottom line profitability (which was slim to begin with) and . . .
6. Effectively reducing the space available for the article you want to submit . . .
7. Because the number of pages has been slashed.
8. A lower bottom line means less money to pay to freelancers, and . . .
9. The smaller, leaner staff means doing more with less, including writing articles that used to be farmed out.

OK! Who still wants to write for magazines?

Seriously, magazines are struggling; in fact, print media, especially newspapers, are feeling the pinch of higher paper and printing costs.

To write for magazines in this day and age, you must be even more tenacious than a cat who wants dinner NOW. That’s the first thing to understand. The second thing to understand is that you’ll need to have a plan and stick to it. Going at it all willy-nilly will get you nowhere. You’ll waste far less time and energy if you:

• Understand which kind of publication(s) you want to write for (Literary,Professional, Trade or Technical, Consumer, and/or Online)
• Identify the types of articles you would like to write
• Know the topics you’re qualified to (or interested in) writing
• Determine the publications that fit the above criteria
• Study said publications to understand preferred topics, tone and flow

Once you have a firm grasp on what’s expected, then you have the opportunity to sell a story idea (that fits your chosen magazine), get it sold, then research and write it.

If you’d like some advice from magazine pros, I strongly urge you to check out Six Figure Freelancing by Kelly James-Enger, The Renegade Writer and Query Letters that Rock (by The Renegade Writers). There are links to these books and more in the NEW Amazon widget on the right side of the screen.

I’ve probably ruffled some feathers with this post. However, I believe it’s better to go in with an open mind and good information than living with your head in the sand. Magazines aren’t easy to break into. That’s a fact. But once you do get in – and your favorite editor doesn’t get laid off or quit – you could have a steady stream of assignments coming your way.

There’s so much more that can be covered in this topic:

• Negotiating rates (can you?)
• Bribing Grooming editors so they love you
• Making sure you go with your favorite editor if he or she leaves
• Being the perfect writer (halo included)
• Writing a great query letter
• Dealing with contracts, etc.

Since I wrote such a long post yesterday, I’m giving my fingers (and your eyes) a break today.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

What’s your experience been like?

What advice would you give someone wanting to break into this market?

Corporate writing.

Send a shiver down your spine?

It shouldn’t, really. Corporate writing is just . . . writing for a big entity. If it makes you feel like a fish out of water, well, that simply means you’re stretching your boundaries and increasing your reach.

Writer I.J. schecter wrote a compelling (if not overly lengthy) article on this subject on May 7 at Writer’s Digest. I thought I’d give you the Cliff Notes version of the it. But you can read the whole article here.

Schecter did a good job of dispelling some of the more common myths about corporate writing, such as:

• Corporate writing isn’t “real” writing
• Corporate writing is selling out
  
• Corporate writing will undermine the artist in you
  

In each case, Schecter pointed out that corporate writing, like pretty much any writing, is merely telling a story. Who doesn’t like to do that? In addition, writing for corporations is paid work and isn’t that part of the reason we write – to be paid for it? The last objection – undermining the internal artist -  he finds laughable. Just because you might write for a corporation today, doesn’t mean you can’t satisfy your need to write fiction or poetry, too. As he points out, “If you’ve worked hard to develop your writing skills, they’re transferable from one area to the next and immediately make you a versatile and valuable resource.”

Once he’d covered those bases, he switched gears to provide key tips on what to do if you truly desire the life of a corporate writer.

Step 1 – Establish yourself as a freelance professional (versus a journalist or author). To do this, according to Schecter, you need a business card, matching letterhead, a website and proprietary domain (sorry, websites on free domains aren’t going to cut it here).

Step 2 – Be sure you have email through your proprietary domain. Using hotmail, Gmail or any other email address other than your domain name looks unprofessional. I can’t argue with him here. I use several email addresses and they’re all tied to active domains I own. I’m not saying you’re unprofessional if you don’t have this yet, but put it on your to-do list.

Step 3 – Research the companies that match your expertise. Understand that even if you don’t have corporate experience, you can still write in that world. It’s all a matter of how you spin your experience, and how much pain you can channel away from the person who is looking for a writer. The less pain they feel, the more likely you’ll be hired. Consider people you know, first. Another tip he offered is contacting your local Chamber of Commerce for a list of local businesses. These may not be corporations, but if you don’t have a lot of experience yet, starting with smaller companies may be a safer bet.

Step 4 – Now it’s time to create your introductory letter. This one-page letter, printed on your letterhead, is your introduction to the corporate world. Mention relevant experience (or even general experience) you have in their industry. Let them know what, if any expertise you have with corporate materials – white papers, case studies, speeches, brochures, etc.

Step 5 – Schecter suggests you ask all your friends in the corporate world to sneak home samples of their corporate materials to help you learn. This might help you with a project at a specific company if you can subtly refer to having seen some of their materials, and it will also give you ideas on what you could do for other potential clients as well.

Step 6 – Stand out (in a good way). Learn how to assess potential jobs and bid accordingly. Emphasize your pricing as firm as long as the parameters are held to (as in – two revisions are allowed, so you don’t charge extra unless you go over two). Guarantee deadlines. Figure out what your edge can be and use it.

Step 7 – Focus on those things that will turn new clients into raving fans:

• Overdeliver
• Be easy to work with (you’d be amazed at how this is often not the case)
• Write copy how the client wants it, not how you think it should be

Step 8 – When you finish a job satisfactorily, ask for a testimonial. While he doesn’t mention it, I also suggest asking for referrals. Corporations are usually quite large and can provide lucrative to a well-liked writer. Be that writer and you could be earning enough to live well and still have plenty of time to write the things that make your heart sing.

Now there’s a concept. Ask for what you want.

How many times have you let opportunities go by because you were afraid to speak up?

When I was in sales professionally, asking for the sale was paramount to my success. Yet, each time I did that, I’d have a clenching in my belly. Eventually, I learned to ignore it and couch my “sales closing” in terms that were helpful to the client. If I felt that I was offering something helpful to them, then I could “justify” my asking for them to pay for what I was offering.

That worked for me. I also believed in what I was selling, which helped a lot.

I use that learning today in my freelancing business.

But back to Jack.

In this short 1+ minute video, he discusses how to ask for what you want by facing the fear you put in your own way. Quite often, the stops we put in front of us are of our own making.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHqFxgrhyvg&feature=channel[/youtube]

If you’re a freelancer, you often have to wear many hats. In which roles does fear show up? What comes easily without fear?

Does Jack’s suggestion of how to frame your self-comments help you overcome any fear that you’re currently facing?

A note from Lis:  Tag lines can cause stress, anxiety and angst for new business owners who believe (mistakenly) that they have to have the “perfect” snappy line at the start of their business. What many fail to understand is that tag lines can – and should – be modified as the business grows and changes.

Another misconception is what I call the “cute” factor. Your tag line should be memorable, but, just like television commercials, not so memorable that the person can’t see the brand (You) behind it.

Today’s post is written by Suzanne Wesley, who posted last month about logos. In this post, she gives real, concrete ways to create your first tag line with the emphasis on its relevancy to your business. (Here’s a hint:  You need to have a good handle on your value to your client. Without this understanding, you may have difficulty framing a useful tag line.) Enjoy!

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Last month I covered how having a professional logo could make you more memorable, and save you time explaining yourself during a first meeting with a prospective client or editor. This month, I’d like to add one more promotional element to your writing arsenal that can also assist you in promoting your writing – the tag line. Tag lines are also referred to as a slogan, and are usually a phrase, of up to seven words, that is catchy and ties in directly to the first snap-shot impression you want someone to have of you and your writing style.

Tip: This is not to be confused with your elevator pitch – which is a short, 30-second description of you, what you write, and what makes you unique from other writers.

Most of us are familiar with product tag lines, such as: Nike – ‘Just Do It,’ Bounty – ‘The Quicker Picker-Upper,’ M&Ms – ‘Melts in Your Mouth Not in Your Hands’ . . . and oh-so-many more. These companies have been using the same tag-line to promote the same product for many years. For businesses and individuals it is much more common that you will change your slogan or tag line about every two years to match up with any change in direction you may be taking.  After all, if you happen to be a prolific writer, you are hopeful that the novel you are working on now will be published within two years and you will then be moving on to writing and promoting your next writing adventure! Watch for slogans everywhere you shop, or even in your kitchen cabinets. Analyze the ones that seem the most effective, or interesting to you.

Questions that need to be addressed when creating your tag line:

1. Who will see it? Who is your customer/audience?
2. What benefit do you offer to them?
3. How do you stand out from your peers?
4. What type of emotion or feeling do you want to emit?
5. Is there any action you want someone seeing your slogan to take?

While thinking about those 5 questions write down all of the words that come to your mind. You might also want to check out what tag lines your competition is using.  Pay attention to what words they use.  Make sure that you aren’t copying a tag that someone in your field is already using.  You might find some useful words, but don’t make your tag-line TOO similar to avoid plagiarizing.

At this point, dig out your thesaurus, write down even more words to choose from and then develop a list of your favorite tag line ideas.  Look them over and apply the 5 questions above to your list. Narrow your choices down to the most effective ones and then ask willing family, friends or colleagues to chime in.  If you end up with more than one top choice – either keep tweaking the words until one is the obvious choice, or use one for a couple of years and keep the other for your next promotional campaign, to keep things fresh.

Example – My First Tag Line

Aside from my personal writing projects, I run a small business performing copy writing and graphic design projects for individuals and other businesses. I regularly work with clients that have an idea of what they want, sometimes they even have some of the writing, or even logos and photos they know they want to use, but they can’t quite put their finger on how to pull it all together and make an advertisement or brochure out of it … (or whatever the project may be).  Sometimes they don’t even know how they want to advertise themselves, they simply know they have a great product and want their potential customers to know all about it.  And my clients can be everything from another writer, to a large global company.  My slogan had to be somewhat generic to incorporate a very big potential client list.

After working on tag lines for others for years, I still found it a challenge to come up with the first one to use on my own business. Because I’m a visual thinker I eventually chose to use wrought iron and ceramic tiles as elements in my advertising and I also wanted to mimic that in my slogan.  Both wrought iron and tile are raw elements that are usually unimpressive on their own, but you can use them to make items that are beautifully intricate, and often useful too.  So my brainstormed slogan ideas reflected taking raw elements and making something whole from them.

I eventually came up with ‘Taking raw ideas … and making something beautiful!’ as my first tag line.  Hopefully, my journey to my own first tag line will inspire you to work on one of your own.  I am just starting to use it on my web site and in my advertising, and I still need to add it to my e-mail signature, business card etc.  As I slowly develop all of the elements I use to promote myself I will now include my tag-line, pictures of tile, and my logo – which includes an intricate wrought iron fence.  The more I do this, the more potential for instant recognition I will have.

Are you using a tag line?  If so, please comment and share what you are using.

Suzanne Wesley is a full-time freelance writer and graphic artist from Indiana.  She has over 13 years of experience in design and corporate communications creation. She is also the mother of two preschool-aged girls who make working out of a home office very interesting. Visit her site at www.suzannewesley.com.

You have mere seconds to capture the attention of a visitor to your website, blog, landing page, sales page… or any page for that matter. ~ Deb Augur

This impactful statement is how Deb Augur of “Ask My Webgal” starts her blog post about writing headlines. And she’s absolutely right. If someone comes by your website, picks up your literature, reads your sales page – if you can’t grab their attention, you’ll lose them before you’ve had a chance to even really say “hello.”

That’s why a well-written headline is the key to nearly everything you write. A considered headline grabs the reader, sucks them in and compels them to read further. But knowing this and doing this are two different things.

Deb touches on 3 key things – emotional connection, writing in active voice and making the reader feel important – that are essential to getting your blog reader, potential client, etc., to move deeper into your copy.

She then explains 3 simple steps you can take to help you write those compelling headlines.

Writing headlines is an art and science. If you’d like to know more, there are many books on this topic as well as websites. A quick search on Amazon.com (a favorite place of mine to troll for ideas and information) resulted in 160 results, although not all of them are probably relevant. You can see that list here.

To read Deb’s full post click here.