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If you are feeling blocked and unable to write, remember that this is caused not by physical blocks but by our conscious mind censoring the ideas arising from our subconscious mind. Several ways to break these blocks are: 1. Start typing, even if it is nonsense. 2. Write down the first words that come to mind and then compose an article based on them 3. Write a quick story about what you did today. 4. Never again use the word “blocked” when talking or thinking about your writing. After editing lots of books, a few items always seem to need correcting that are not usually obvious to the writer. Some of them are: 1. Repetition of phrases, sentences or whole stories in the book. 2. Flabby writing, using far more words than are necessary to make your point. 3. Poor formatting. Pick a style and run with it. 4. Incorrect use of commas, semi-colons, and dashes. 5. Beginning sentences with “so” and “and”.
Writers preparing a book for publication should be aware that you can over edit your work. I’ve known people who go over their material time and time again, changing a few words here and there, and then go over it again. Yes, rewriting is important. However, there is a time to stop and send it out. If we constantly look for perfection we will be disappointed every time since perfection does not exist in this world. We can come close but there will always be something that someone doesn’t like. Yes, edit your work until it is substantially correct and gives the message you want in an engaging and interesting way. Then stop. A lot of writers never become good enough because they are trying too hard. The best way to improve writing skills is to write. If it doesn’t sound good, write it again until it does sound good. One of the things drilled into me by my mentor is that writing is rewriting. A first draft will never be as good as a later draft. However, as I keep saying, don’t spend all your time on the first page or two of your chapter or book. This is a mistake that will keep you from ever finishing. The key to successful writing is to keep writing, get critiques as you go, and incorporate the critiques into your writing in the next chapter. At the end, go back and redo your earlier work. You will skip several drafts by doing this.
One of the most important aspects of both writing and marketing is consistency. If you write about 15 different subjects and try to sell 15 different products, you will end up confusing your market because they cannot figure out where your expertise really is. I’ve seen too many of the “I sell real estate and berry juice” type of marketers and usually laugh them off because it makes no sense to sell those two items together and indicates lack of success in either. In writing, fiction writers usually get known for a certain genre, whether mystery or romance or some other one, and surprise readers if they step out of that genre. That’s why many writers who change genres will also write under another name for the other genre to avoid brand dilution. This is also why presenting a consistent image across the web is so important. If you have different photos and different biographies in different places, your readers will not recognize you and may not notice some of your material. A consistent image, consistent writing style, consistent genre, and consistent products will help you build wildly enthusiastic fans for you and your products.
Most people think of writing as an abstract subject which they either can or cannot do. I’ve heard the statement, “I can’t write” so many times it’s ridiculous. People just don’t understand that if they are alive, they are writing in one way or another all the time. Here are many of the ways: 1. When you speak you are creating rough draft sentences. 2. When you send a tweet you are writing. 3. When you whip out an email you are writing. 4. When you dictate a memo to the boss. 5. When you write a check. 6. When you perform in improv theater 7. When you speak to a group or organization There are many more. However, the main point here is that virtual every communication we make is written in our mind or on paper or electronically. Most of just let the first drafts go out without thinking about the consequences. If we go back and look at the fact that every communication we make is writing of one sort or another, we might read it again, think through our words, or edit it so it represents us better. How many of you have said something then wished you hadn’t? All of us. Consider before you commit your words to another. That’s what great writers do.
Just a quick reminder, the most powerful writing comes from your heart. When you write about the things you care about the most, you will reach far more of the people you want to reach than through any other method. That’s because these people already care about your message and are looking for you to present it. The next time you are tempted to write something just because someone suggests it, think again and write what you want to say. We talk a lot about writing and marketing in this blog. However, today let’s talk about a specific item that is widely misunderstood in today’s marketing crowd. The Sales Letter. Sales letters are everywhere, in magazines, the mail, email, web pages, and so on. They are almost universally disliked and little read. Yet they can sell products. Yes, some people do read them and buy from them. Why? Remember from other posts that the biggest problem in all writing is grabbing the reader’s attention and keeping that attention all the way through whatever you wrote. A sales letter is no different. Done right, it can be a very powerful sales tool. Done wrong, it can be a disaster. Here are a few tips that will help you write a great sales letter as well as write other kinds of material. 1. Start with an attention getting headline and first paragraph that hits the reader in that emotional center where their wants, needs and fears reside. Plant a question in the reader’s mind here so they want to know more. 2. You as the creator of the product promoted in the letter are the major character. You developed the information you are selling, you tested it, and you know it better than anyone else. Tell your story to establish you as a real human being who wanted something badly, found it and now wants to share it with your readers. 3. Segue from yourself to your product. Don’t talk about features, talk about the benefits you product brings to your readers in terms of the emotions you raised in the headlines and the first lines. 4. Show how others have used your product to resolve their problems. There is nothing better than a satisfied customer telling people how good you are. 5. Seed your product throughout the letter. These mentions will build interest in it. 6. Don’t sell your product. Sell the experience your product will give to the reader. 7. Build up the value of your product so the reader will understand just how important it is to purchase it. 8. Offer bonuses that will add to the value and usefulness of the product. Don’t add in everything you have, just what is relevant to the product. 9. Offer a powerful guarantee. Give all money back if the buyer is not satisfied. 10. Give the reader a discounted price that he or she can get nowhere else. 11. Show the reader what life will be like without the product and how life will change with the product. 12. Ask the reader to buy your product. 13. Use illustrations, photos, and videos to create different experiences in your letter. 14. Ask the reader to buy your product again. There are a lot more techniques that go into writing a great sales letter but use these and your letter will be much improved.
10 We’ve gotten so used to hearing thousands of marketing messages every year, so used to them that we disregard most all of them. In fact, in watching television, reading magazines, and opening email, I can’t even tell you who most of the advertisers were. Most advertisers and marketers understand that stories are powerful ways to connect with audiences. They also know that touching on the listener’s pain is the key to getting attention. In fact, most of those advertisers I ignore weren’t targeting me at all because I have no interest in their product. However, among all those people who heard that message, a few resonated with it and maybe even bought the product. This sentence is the key to why so many marketers blast so many messages out into the world. They know their buyers are out there somewhere, they just don’t know exactly where. If you place your message in the most likely places, someone who wants to see or hear it will. The same is true of writing books. Most books are very specialized, in fact the more specialized the better because you can reach people easier. Still, the marketing goes out to people marginally interested and uninterested as well because it is hard to target only eager buyers. One book publisher I once worked with said that nobody in publishing knew exactly which books would sell and which would not. Accordingly, they published a lot of books that would have little chance at stardom in hopes that a few of them would sell well. You can see a pattern here. In marketing there is always a level of uncertainty. If we know where our market is, we don’t know exactly who will buy from us. If we have a great product we don’t know how many people will buy it. I call this the uncertainty principle of marketing. The wider you spread your message among those most likely to buy, the better chance you have of succeeding. They way you write that message will also enhance its power. Do both consistently and you will succeed.
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